The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-01-19

01,17S.44 of ratables subject to taxa
ton. We are without single dollar
of debt of any kind For twenty-four
years there has been no direct tax
upon the property of the people for
state purposes. Dun state has had
sufficient and to spare, for its pur-
poses from revenue derived from other
sources.
The difficulty which is presented at
the present time arises from the fact
that for all these twenty-four years
the constant effort has been to take
away from the state its. surplus rev
enue for local purposes.
There was in the treasury of the
state on Jan. l, 1909, over $4,000,OOO-
derived from railway taxation, which
was at some time in the past, either in
whole or in part, assessed for state
purposes. The one-half of / per cent
on. Second class railroad property,
which, under the act of 1884, went to
the state for state purposes, was in
1897 given up by the state to go into
local taxation. Later the state released
from property assessed as main stem
all Its one-half of / per centum interest
in the ten acre terminals that were
included in the main stem under the
act of 1884. No railway property is
now assessed for state purposes ex-
cept strip 100 feet in width, which
now constitutes the main stem and
the tangible personal property and
franchises of railway companies.
If all the tax which comes from this
source alone went to the state we
should now have in the treasury over
surplus fund. II is simply because Of
the fact that the state, by chapter 146
of the laws of 1906 has appropriated
out of the states revenues more than
it should for distribution to counties
for school purposes that any difficulty
arises, The repeal or modification of
that act would relieve all the embar-
rassment.
What the state Is doing for the pub
lie schools can be stated here with adj
vantage to evidence that the proposed
repeal or modification of the act Of
1906 is just both to the schools and the
state.
The total cost of the free public
schools in round figures for the year
ending July l. 1909; shown by the va
rious appropriations, state and local,
will be $16,6T3.000
For the fiscal school year ending
July 1, 1905. the cost of the public
schools of the state was $9.556,5OO.
Thus the increased cost of the oper-
alton of the public schools for the fis-
cal year ending July /, 1909, over the
fiscal year ending July \ 1905, is
over $7,OOO,000.
The public schools should be sup
ported generously, but care must be
taken to prevent prodigality and reck-
less expenditure. The state should do
everything it can to aid the free
school system. but there are other
equally just demands upon the treas
ury under the administration of an
honest. efficient and economical state
government.
If the legislature in its wisdom
deems 1t wise not to repeal chapter
Jag of the laws of 1906, which /
should regret and decides that mod
ification is preferable, then suggest
that the rate for state. purposes upon
the railway property now taxed for
state purposes be raised to three-quar-
tiers of l per centum and that the fol-
lowing items Of public school expendi.
lures, now charged against the state
fund, be hereafter deducted from the
amount appropriated to the public
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