The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-01-19
Divert $5OO,OOO, Says
Fort in Message TO
Legislature.
WOULD ALSO REPEAL
THE RAILROAD LEVY
Another Proposal Is to Raise
Jersey Share TO 3-4 of Il
Per Cent.
EACH COUNTY WOULD
THEN ASSESS ROADS
I'VE Are Not Bankrupt Gov
ernor Declares, but Our Ex-
penditures Are Unwise."
Especial to the Evening star.l


TRENTON, Jan. Is.-In a speciaI mes
sage to the Legislature today, Governor
Fort. i'm an effort to solve the sfate,.
financial riddle, proposes either to re-
peal the railroad tax law. one-baIf M
one per cent. of the income of which
pays the States expenses, or fnercase
the states portion to three-quarters OF
one per cent. and thus take more than
SJ00.000 from the funds belonging "a
the public schools.
If the Legislature repeaIs the rssI-
road tax bill the State will be able TO
manage on one mill ON the dollar Of tie
total State assessment. In that eve-s
each county would have to nssex~ :
local tax on the railroads running
through its territory and could not de-
p-stsi ON the state for any school money.
This recommendation is voiced in the
message as follows:
Il. therefore. earnestly recommend
the repeal, or at least modification Of
chapter 145 OF the laws Of 1906. or in
default of that, that the present sys-
tern of taxation of railroad property by
the State be abandoned, and all railroad
property be thrown back into the COM
mon property of the State for taxation
locally. for local purposes. and state
tax be levied that will be sufficient to
meet the present needs of the State. II
this latter course be taken. a tax of one
mill on the dollar will produce sufficient
additional revenue for State purposes
for the current fiscal year"
Martin Supports Fort.
.F~-..7 -. l. T
he aims TO repeal, provides that the
money collected annually by the State
from taxation of first-class railroad
property shall, with the exception of 4
sum equivalent to one-half of one per
cent. of the total frst-class railroad rat
ables, be apportioned among the public
school districts of New Jersey. The
amount that the law permits the State
to retain is to pay expenses of govern
1nent.
Last year Governor Fort recon
mended the amendment of the railroad
tax law so that the' equivalent of three
fourths of one per cent. of the first
class ratables might be retained by the
State, instead of one-half of one per
cent.
His recommendation and the bill
which he drew TO back it UP were
crushed on the floor of the House, with
William P. Martin, of Essex, standing
as sole supporter. Now the governor
goes farther and urges the most drastic
changes in the railroad tax laws that
have ever been put forward by a Jersey
executive,
Up to Legislature.
The governors concluding sentence in
his appeal today is:
This whole matter is laid before YOU
as the representatives of the people
charged with the duty of providing the
revenue to meet the needs of the State.
and with you must rest the response
bility."
All through the special financial mer-
sase runs the request for the repeal OF
the act that gives New Jersey schools
the first-class railroad tax. The whole
scheme of main stem taxation 4. ss-
sailed. The Governor declares that the
Legislation enacted on tha1 subject i'm
1905 "has answered NC useful purpcse.-
and that II has embarrassed the state
and its Legislatures.
After citing the situation shown tn
exist in New jerseys treasury by the
reports OF ths state Treasurer and
Comptroller for the year ending octo
Der 81 last the Governor admits that
matters might be better and says that
there are only two ways to meet the
present condition without 'subterfuse,
evasion or mere temporary expedients.~
These two ways are later covered in
the paragraph first quoted.
State not Bankrupt.
In the course of the message the Gov
ernor endeavors to ''disabuse the possi-
bic impression that may be abroad
that the State treasury is on the verge
of bankruptcy. He goes on;
The contrary is the fact No State
in the Union is more sound financially.
or more prosperous than New Jersey.
We have the enormous sum OF s1.S43-
001.17S.44 of ratables subject 10 taxa
ton. We are without a single dollar
: