New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-24
WHAT DOES THIS BILL MEAN
The Silver Bay Association Seeking an
Amendment to It's Charter.
To the Editor of The tribune.

TO the Editor or Inc iElouNe-
Sir: BY a act OF the legislature which became
n law IN March 1874. the silver Bay Association for
Christian Conferences and Training was incor-
porated. The third section OF this act reads as
follows;
The said corporation shall possess the general
powers rights and privileges and be subject TO the
provisions OF the General Corporation law OF New
Yorl, and the acts amendatGry Thereof and sTp2Ie
and in accordance with this act
on January 10 last a bill CSo. ca was introduced
in the Assembly under the following title:
An act 70 amend Chapter 102 Of the Laws OF 1904,
ton Conferences and Training.
The proposed amendment would strike out Sec
ton g. quoted above. from the original act OF IN
corporation. Nothing more. This seems innocent
enough but its object and purpose must be inter
preted or at least inferred. from the very strenu-
Gus efforts of the Silver Bay Association TO escape
the payment OF taxes for two years past Subject
to the General Corporation laws. It could legally
refuse TO pay taxes, but with the third section OF
its original charter stricken out II might do
the ground that 1t was a charitable and religious
association.
The taxpayers of Hague do not think the silver
Bay Association should set this relief be put in
a position 10 dictate what amount of taxes If any
IL should pay and they solIdy against the pro-
posed amendment. The main part of the property
in for So S4 IN wash o and b it Is no secret that
me putchase PM w. on 'iit o1ss oa oAe-IaIr
Subsequently the Silver Bay Association purchased
a
the Slim Point property. II made other minor
now assessed to the, Silver Bay Association at
elusive OF school tax is $500 90 The total assessed
valuation the real and personal property of the
town Of Hague IS $26J2s1. The amount assessed
against the Silver Bay Association is therefore
more than oue-tenth of the whole valuation of the
town II tho association should be relieved from
taxation IL is evident that the taxpayers Of the
town of Hague would have to submit To an in
crease Of their Of more than 10 per cent.
The objections to relieving the Silver Bav AssO-
citation from paying the main two:
First-The largo majority OF the taxpayers OF
Hague are farmers, mechanics and laboriuG men
They are poor and they cannot afford to assume
any increased burden of taxation
Second-The Silver Bay Association is a foreign
CORPORATION. Not of Its twenty-seVen directors
is resident of the town OF Hague, and the re-
llgIOus and charitable work Of the association ia
exclusively for the benefit of visitors who
come To this part Of Lake George for a few davs
or weeks I'm the summer, and they non-resi-
dents OF the town of Hague.
Ii Is hard TO believe that a body OF Christian
workers could knowingly favor evading their fair
share OF taxation and ask that It should be put
upon those for whom the Silver Bay Association is
doing practically nothing. The association may
have no such intention, but the taxpayers of Hague
think il should be impossible Tor them So and
for that reason they solidly and strenuously
opposed TO the proposed measure. JUSTICE
Hague, y. Y, Feb. ~. 1907.