The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-07-19
County Tax BOARD.

-
alton held its regular monthly meeting
on Wednesday and discussed several sub.
jects, among them being that of the value
OF bank stock for assessing purposes. There
will not be much change from last year.
nearly all of the banks taking advantage
Of the exemptions to the fullest extent.
A matter that was brought to the atten-
ton of the Board was newspaper article
as follows:
'In spite of the fact that Burlington
county has no more money to spend on
road building this year, State Road Com
missioner Gilkyson has approved surveys
for three new roads In that county. They
are, however, to be built by Pemberton
township with state aid. Along with this
action comes suggestion that conditions
which brought about such shortage In
road funds may be investigated. 1t has
been intimated that the principal reason
is that much of the county's farm prop
erty Is under-assessed. It Is said that
many farms worth fully 800 per
acre appear on the assessors books as only
worth $40 per acre, thus cutting down to
q great extent the county's ratables and
taxes. The roads for which Commissioner
Gilkyson approved surveys are those from
Pemberton to Lewistown, from Pemberton
to Burtistown, and from Browns Mills to
the Ocean county line.
The above article was published In some
paper. the title of which has not been
secured. and appeared on the 9th of June
Being noticed by the members of Board
of Taxation In the upper part of the state
1t was sent to the State Board of Taxation
with the complaint that values were not
being kept up In Burlington county
and that such result was detrimental to
the other counties.
The absurditY of the statement In the
item is apparent. 1t will be hard to find
any farm land in Burlington county as
sessed as low as $40 per acre, and there
than 500 per acre. 1t is said there is a
disposition in certain quarters to have
lands assessed higher than has been the
custom in the past. The Burlington
County Board of Taxation will be pleased
to hear from any one on this subject and
to do all In Its power to secure equal
valuation. The trouble has been that
people will complain that some are not
taxed high enough but when pressed to
give an estimate of the worth of the prop
erty decline to do so. If any person has
knowledge of low or unequal assessment
and will give the Board information on
the point the matter will be thoroughly
investigated.
New work has been laid out for the
County Tax Boards and the assessors in
the townships through which railroads
run. Mr.. Hansel, the expert who has
been appointed to revslue the railroad
property in this state, has sent out notices
that he must have the price of property
along the line of every railroad. To get
this he has instructed those In possession
of the figures to send the assessed value.
1t does not make any difference whether
there are five feet or five acres of property
along the line, the assessed value must
be given. If on one side of a railroad
there are five feet of farm containing
100 acres, and the greater part of the farm
with its buildings, is on an improved stone
road, the rate at which the entire farm il
assessed per acre must be given. In 8
town like Moorestown, Palmyra, Riverton,
and others, the price of the land on the
entire block must be given. By the term
"block" is not meant from one street tc
another-east to west, for instance-but
must include the entire square-east,
west, north and south.
This means work for somebody, but the
joint resolution gives the engineer great
power. What light this will throw on the
value of railroad or other property he pro-
poses to show. We could take North
ampton as an example. Leaving the
station going east the railroad runs, unit
1t reaches Pine street, through boys anG
other worthless property and non-assess
able graveyard. Then it strikes othel
kinds of land and when 1t reaches thu
Eastampton line there are some farm
that are given fair value, not becaus,
being on the stone road. Now does tn,
valueless bog lands prove that the rail
road there is of no account. or does it SHOW
that the boys are worth real money! Ant
when Eastampton is touched does that in
crease the railroad value to an equality o
a farm whose real worth is owing to it
proximity to improve roads, These ques
lions, however, are for the expert to an
swer, after he has received the figures h
asks for.