The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-04
WATER FRONT VALUE
ADJUSTMENT COMMISSION
INVESTIGATION.
Especial to tho Evening star.l

FE 6 0NF4
JERSEY CITY, Sept. 4.-The adjust
ment Commission is In session today,
hearing the application of Daniel
O'Leary and the Morris and Cummings
Dredging Company, whose water front
property adjacent to Caven Point on
the Greenville shore Of the New York
Bay n adjoining the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company's new freight yard,
for the wiping put of the greater part
of $500. 600 of taxes alleged to be due
the city.
There have been no taxes paid on
the riparian lands or on part of the
upland of the Morris and Cummings
property or O'Leary tract. as Il is Off
cially called. in twelve years. The land
in question comprises POI acres end was
assessed twelve years G at 10000 an
acre. The assessed valuation has been
increased in late years. The owners
have perslstently refused to pay taxes
on the property and a carried the
fight over the taxing of the riparian
land to the United States Supreme
Court, the contention being that all
land under water in New York Bay is
without the jurisdiction of New Jersey
and cannot be taxed by the New Jersey
authorizes. This contention has been
knocked III In all the courts, and now
the fight is to have the old taxes wiped
out under the Martin act.
City Collector Edward Fry a year ago
advertised the property, together with
a large tract belonging to Judge John
A. Blair and other railroad tracts, for
sale, but was enjoined from selling
them.
In the mean time an effort was made
to get relief for the city through the
Legislature, but II failed. The courts
recently decided that the property can
not be tied up indefinitely. and that the
city may sell the property, whether 1t
has been thrown into the adjustment
commission morgue or not.
Judge Parker last week appointed
David r. Daily as adjustment commits
sioner. The other two commissioners
are John c.. Payne, secretary TO the
State Board of Riparian Commissioners,
and Assistant Prosecutor of the Pleas
of Hudson County George T. Vickers.
The city was ready to go on with the
cases this morning. The Morris and
Cummings Company or OiLeary was
represented by j. Merritt Lane, who
put upon the stand Railroad Expert
Edlow Harrison to prove that the prop
erty is not worth anything like what
the city has assessed it at. MIR. Har-
rison's arguments were much the same
as those he used in the recent railroad
waterfront tax fight. He said the fact
that the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany had spent $l1,oOO,OO in filling in
similar land adjacent. and had made it
of almost priceless value had nothing
to do with the case.
He claimed that twenty-five years
g it looked as if the G~reenville shore
front was going to develop into the
most valuable railroad land in this
part of the country, that it would be
the great Shipping terminal. The meth
DDS of handling freight, however, he
asserted, had changed in the interven-
ing years and the improvements which
it was thought the United States Cow
eminent would make in the bay, such
as the cutting of a deep channel and
wholesale dredging, as well as the re-
moval of the reef. had not material
lied.