Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-02-03
HUDSON TOWNS
SEEK new LAW
TO TAX 'PENNST'
Five Municipalities Confer with
Governor on Means for Col.
lecting $4,000 Omitted
Especial to the Newark star.l

Especial 20 the Newark star.1
TRENTON. Feb. 3-Renledial legis-
lation to allow Weehawken, West Ho-
boken, North Bergen, Secaucus and
Kearny to collect taxes on property of
the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal
Railroad Company for the five years
preceding 1910 was discussed with Gov
ernor Wilson yesterday by Hudson
county men who represented those
municipalities and members of the Hud-
son County Tax Board.
1t is claimed the amount which should
have been paid in taxes In 1905 to 1909
inclusive is about $14O. 900. To correct
the blunder a bill was suggested which
provides that:
THE power Of the State Board of AS
SCISSORS to levy taxes upon omitted prop
erty used for railroad or canal purposes
shall be limited to a period of five years
next preceding the filing of the COM
plant"
During the conference Governor VIII
son questioned a number of those who
spoke, particularly State Assessor Hen
erickson. He asked Mr.. Hendrickson
IL 1t was a practise OF the board to
omit such property as that presented
in this case.
Took Pennsy's Word for IT.
Mr.. Hendrickson replied that the
Pennsylvania railroad authorities In
formed the board that the property had
been assessed and the board assumed
that this was correct.
you didn't make an investigation,
them" asked the governor.
MI. Hendrickson replied in the
tive and added:
"I don't intend to make an apology
for the State oar of Assessors"
The governor said he did not mean to
reflect upon the board, and added that
any property used for railroad pur-
poses should be taxed by the State
Board of Assessors.
Joseph Mclean, secretary of the Hud-
son County Board of Taxation, told OF
the efforts of the railroad company to
lave meetings with the local taxing III
thorlties for the purpose of arriving at
O rate of taxation and Shove that II
the company's suggestions had been
adopted the assessments in the taxing
districts, excluding North Bergen.
would have been about $4,000. North
Bergen did not negotiate with the COM
pany.
When the county board heard of. this
plan of settlement it showed hat the
property in the five districts was worth
S11. 600, 900. n that the tax should be
at least $140. 900.
This estimate the county board re-
duced to IS, 400, 900, and issued an order
that valuations based on It's figures be
added to the tax rolls of the five taxing
districts against the railroad property.
| The case then went to the State Board
for the Equalization of Taxes, which de-
cided that the property was not assess
able locally and could only be assessed
by the State Board of Assessors.
Mr.. Mclean SAID that because OF the
great number Of men who were en-
ployed on the construction work of the
tunnel property the municipalities In
which the work has been dom were put
to extra expense and should be compen-
stated for this.
Tunnel Work Cost Towns Much.
Francis II. MacCauley, counsel for
North Bergen. said that the munich
palities through which the tunnel work
was carried 'on were put to unusual ex-
pense, particularly in the matter Of
extra police to keep order among work.
men on the project. He declared that
w eeIa hch diOIlS a " CAAPAOS
additional policemen.
When Mr.. MacCauley had concluded,
Governor Wilson summarized the situa-
ton In which the Hudson county mu-
inequalities find themselves as to be las
far as the law is concerned, in a blind
alley"
William D. Edwards discussed Me
proposed legislation from the legal
viewpoint, and said that 1t Ices lot
seek to change the taxing policy of the
State, but merely Is intended to correct
a defect by allowing the State Board of
Assessors to tax omitted property. He
showed that county tax boards can go
pack and tax for a year and possibly
two years, and that it may be argued
that they may go back indefinitely. The
State board, he said, car only tax for
one year.