Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-31
R. R. ASSESSORS,
IN REPORT, HOLLY
REPLY TO CRITICS
Admit No Retaliation OF Prop
erty Has Been Made, but
Give Explanations.

Especial to the Newark star.l
TRENTON. Dec. s1.-Branding as
'fallacious', the criticisms that the value
of property in New Jersey used fol
railroad and canal purposes has not
appreciably increased in the past quar-
ter of a century, insofar as assessments
for taxing purposes are concerned, the
State Board CT Assessors has submitted
a rather tart and. defensive report 10
Governor Fort, for transmission by min
to the incoming Legislature. AT the
outset the assessors refer TO the com-
mission appointed to revaluc railroad
property in New Jersey, and say that
despite the existence of such q commits
sion the very work expected of II has
been done for a long time by them.
Under the ac. Of April 10. 1884. and
its supplements" says the report, "the
duty of assessing property used for
railroad and canal purposes was dele
gated to a State Board of Assessors,
presumably composed of representative
citizens oe the State. men as to whose
probity there could be no question, and
who from the time of passage OF the
original act, with the various changes
in the personnel of the board, have con-
scientiously endeavored to perform the
duties for which they were appointed.
There have, however, from time to
time. arisen criticisms as to the work
Of this department in the performance
of the duties assigned to it. Despite
the fact hat there have been numerous
changes made in the personnel Of the
board, there are now and always have
been, charges made that railroad prop
erty is u~ndervalued, and thereby Under
assessed.
so strenuous nave been these charges
n allegations as to differentiation
and under-assesslnent, that the last
legislature. by joint resolution. pro-
vided that whereas, no new COM
plete inventory of railroad and canal
property in the State Of New Jersey
has been made since the year 1886, and.
whereas, it is desirable to have u pres
ent complete inventory made for the
information and use of the State, the
Legislature, the State Board of Asses
sors and the State Board for the Equal
ization of Taxes. a commission Of three
competent persons should be appointed
for the purpose OF making a ~revaluation
of all railroad and canal property in the
State
Was No "New inventory"
AS a matter Of fact, there was no
new and complete inventory of railroad
and canal property made in the year
1886. l. is further true that since the
year 1884, when there was a complete
inventory of railroad and canal prop.
erty made, there have been from year
to year and year by year engineering
examinations OF all the properties of
the various railroad companies. In
other words, while there has been no
complete inventory made as a whole,
since 1884, yet since that time through
the engineering department of the State
Board of Assessors there have been
annual supplemental inventories made
with the resultant revaluation and re-
assessments thereon of the properties
of the various railroads in the state.
Under the provisions of joint reso-
luton No 8 it is provided that a COM
mission of three competent persons be
appointed by the Governor and shall
proceed to make a revaluation of all
railroad and canal property in the State
used for railroad and canal purposes,
the result of their work to be submitted
to the Governor for the information
and use of the people Of the State, the
Legislature, the State Board of Assess
ors and the state Board for the Equali-
zation of Taxes.
I'm pursuance of this resolution, the
commission was appointed. and what
ever the results of their investigations
may be, IL such results are acceptable
~ +hA Caxr,,nar ana tha T OIL 4 t,tra
they will be likewise acceptable to this
board. Up to the present time there
has been no report made by this com
mission which would in anywise affect
the assessment of railroad property as
levied by the State Board of Assessors.
I'm the absence Of such a report, and
in view of the fact that unde the
statutory law, the assessment of rail-
road and canal property by the State
Board of Assessors is required to be
completed on or before November / Of
the current year, n in view of the
fact that this board in it's assessment
for the year 1909 has found and levied
taxes Upon additional property used for
railroad purposes to the amount of
about SO, 900, 600, the question naturally
arises as to whether or not the board
been SO derelict in its duties as
would seem to be implied by the
charges made as 10 differentiation,
and, per consequence, the appointment
of a commission to practically revise
its work. In any event the commission
had not, up to November 1, 1909, made
any report, so far as we are advised,
which would affect the assessment
levied for the year Of 1909.
1T may be that this commission will
do good work; it may be that they will,
perhaps, discover properties which have
been inadvertently omitted from our
assessment, but the State Board of