The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-07-06
WESTERN-UNION TAX APPEALS
Hearing Before the state Board Yes
terday In Regard to Assessments.

terday In Regard to Assessments.
Commissioner Frank B. Jess, of thu
State Board of Equalization of Taxes
was here yesterday and heard the ap
peal of the Western-U Union Telegraph
Co. against the assessments made il
Dover, Netcong, Rockaway township
Montville and Madison. A clerk in tht
office Of the company tax department
was present with estimates of the val
ue of the company'S property in the
taxing districts in question which were
compiled by Superintendent e. M
milford. This mans testimony was
objected to by counsel for the taxing
districts because he had no personal
knowledge that the figures he present
ed were true.
G. A. Rathbun, counsel for Montville
and Madison, said that former hear
ing Major Carl Lentz had directed that
the company produce its books and
bring any contract it might have with
the Lackawanna railroad company re-
garding the hauling of it's poles, but
there was nothing of the kind forth
coming from the company's attorney.
He made formal demand for the con-
tract and books but Commissioner Jess
passed the matter over without com
ment.
Mr.. Rathbun then took up the mai
ter OF what the company paid the rail-
road company for the use of its right
of-way for the pole lines and asserted
that this was just as taxable piece of
property as the pole lines themselves.
Counsel Whitney for the company as
serted that under an act of Congress it
did not have to pay any railroad COM
pany anything and was given the priv
ilege OF running it's lines along any
= post road and highway asserting
that a railroad was post road. In
regard to their eviction from the Penn
sylvania railroad property few years
ago he said We had a contract with
the Pennsylvania which had expired,
and there was good reason for our
leaving that company at that time
that does not apply in this case" Mr..
Rathbun went on to assert that this
privilege was taxable but was inter-
rupted by the assertion of the compa-
ny's counsel that he was making a
stump speech"
Charles FL. Bristol, general superin-
tendent of construction, told of the
method in vogue in building telegraph
lines and said that the average life of
poles and wires was formerly about
twenty years but now the quality res
ceived by the company was not so good
and ten years was the average. The
linemen, he said, were paid $50, $55 or
800 per month and said that ten men
could string from six to eight miles of
wire day. The conditions Of the
company's lines in Morris county he
described as being "fair."
The company's figures of valuation
was $2,497.S3 for its lines in Dover:
1882. 46'for Rockaway township 81,
227.67 for MontvilIe SSS94l for Madi-
son. The Netcong appeal was with,
drawn before the argument began and
when it was found that the company's
own valuation for its lines in Rocka-
way township was within 1927 of being
as much as 1t was assessed for that ap.
peal, too. was dropped. This left the
assessment of SO, 500 in Dover, which
the company sought to have reduced
to 81 $50; the assessment of S4 300 in
Montville which it desired lowered to
81 700 and the assessment Of 81, 500 in
Madison which it, thought should be
made $500, for the consideration of the
tax board
Commissioner Jess will report the
result of the hearing to his colleagues
on the board at a meeting to be held
ON Monday. Richard Fitzherbert rep
represented Dover at the hearing and
King Sickle Dram appeared for Rock
away township.