Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-11-01
JERSEY RAILROAD
TAX RATE HIGHEST
IN THIS COUNTRY
President Jess Gives interesting
Report of Proceedings Before
Natl Taxation Convention.
Especial to the Newark start

TRENTON, Nov. lat the meeting
of the State Board of Equalization OF
Taxation today President Frank b.
Jess presented to the board a report
of the visit of the New Jersey dele
gates to the Milwaukee tax conference
held last June. The delegates to the
convention. besides Mr.. Jess, were John
L. Carroll and John Howe, of New
ark; Professor Royal Meeker, OF.
Princeton University; Edgar B. Bacon,
of Jersey City; Richard w. Herbet, OF
Monmouth. and A. c. Pleydell, of Plain
field. The latter Is secretary of the
International Tax Association.
An abstract of Mr.. Jess's report fol-
lows:
Abstract of Report.
At one of the sessions railroad tax
alton and assessment was the topic. An
address by r. H. Shields, OF the Mich
igan State Board of Assessors, touched
on a humble of problems in that State
similar to those in New Jersey. Mr..
Shields showed that the average tax
paid on railroad property in the United
states is equal to 1882 mile of road.
Only ten States approach this aver
age. In New Jersey the rate is $1,et;
a mile, the highest in the country. In
Michigan the rate is 1886. Mr.. Jess
said in his report that, while these
figures do not touch on the vexed ques-
ton as to the relation between railroad
property and other property, they
serve to indicate the Importance of the
subject, both to the railroads and to
the public.
Commenting upon the discussions re-
garding the taxation of shares in banks
and trust companies, Mr.. Jess said;
1.-THE general opinion seemed to favor
a tax upon the shares of banks and
trust companies at a fixed rate uniform
throughout the State, to be computed
on the capital, surplus and undivided
profits. In Connecticut. as explained
by State Tax Commissioners W. II. Cor
bin, the rate is 1 per cent, with deduc-
tons for real estate only, Shares are
assessed at marked value and the tax
goes to the state. .
Bank Stock Taxation.
In New York the rate is also 1 per
cent. There Is no deduction, the as
sessment is on capital. surplus and un-
divided profits and the tax is dis
tributed in the county where each bank
is located. Pennsylvania and Maryland
have somewhat similar systems, all
said to be satisfactory TO the banks
and the tax districts"
The committee on uniform classifca-
ton of real estate presented an elabo-
rate report, which recommended, among
other things, the separate assessment
of lands and Improvements. which is
now the practise in cities and b%oroughs
of New Jersey, and the adoption of tax
maps by all tax districts, so that prop
erty can be assessed by map number
and for other practical ason Mr..
Jess recommended that the matter of
tax maps should be taken up in this
State, as many districts do not have
maps.
I'm connection with this report"
continued Mr. Jess. "the committee
prepared an exhibit of assessment
forms and methods from the different
States and provinces that was dis
played on the walls and attracted much
attention. 1t should be noted that h
exhibits showed that the methods used
in the city Of Newark T far in Nd
vance of those used in most cities, and
perhaps ~equalled only by the city
of New York"