Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-06-07
MONMOUTH MAY
Be SPLIT IN HALF
Shore Towns Want to Have
County of Their
Own.

ASBURY PARK, June What prom
ises to exceed even the Ocean Grove
borough movement in bitterness is the
fight here to divide the county of Mon
mouth. The residents of the seashore
townships fee that hey have been; en-
numbered long enough with the burden
of taxation Of the entire county, receiv-
ing only a very small percentage Of
county appropriations in return.
That this movement will be bitterly
opposed by the inland townships goes
without saying For years past Mon-
mouth County has been governed by
men who reside inland. with but few
exceptions. A minority OF the Board of
County Freeholders has always repre-
sented the shore. with the result that II
has been difficult to obtain appropria-
tons which fairly represent the large
amount of taxes paid by the coast towns.
County Clerk Joseph McDerrfott resides
at Freehold. Surrogate Joseph Donahay
resides at Adelphia; In fact two-thirds of
the ofice-holders of the county. both
elective and appointive, live inland.
DnJ , uOurncy W Oouhty CCRts f~H
Freehold. the county seat. Is twenty
one miles inland and residents of tn,
shore having business there are COM
PEELED to put up with poor train service
and practically spend the entire day in
the quaint little city where the BATH,
of Monmouth was fought. g.
Long Branch, according to official
census reports, Is the centre of popula7
ton In Monmouth, and II Is there that
the people of the shore Wish to have
their own county seat. This is but a
short distance from Asbury Park and
the other coast towns both north and
south of 1t.
II is proposed to include In the new
county, II the division can successfully
be brought about. the townships of Rari-
tan. Holmdel. Middletown, Shrewsbury.
Eatontown, Ocean, Neptune and Wall.
leaving in the old county the townships
of Matawan. Marlboro. Manalapan. At
~lantic. Freehold. Howell. Milestone and
Upper Freehold.
Shore District Pays Cost.
The shore districts pay six times as
much into the county budget as do the
inland townships and In return receive
two-thirds less than their inland neigh
bors.
Some of the inland townships receive
in county appropriations four times as
much as the total sum Of their county
taxes. while the average return on the
shore is hardly a third. &
Just what will be the result of this
agitation cannot be determined. An
effort was made similar to this several
years ago, but was dropped, owing to
the lack of interest shown by the tax
payers. but 1t would appear from the
present spirited agitation that a hght
win be made In the nex Legislature to
add one more county to the total number
In the State. M iht'
sThts condition of affairs, backed by
facts and figures obtained after months
Of laborious work, was brought to the
attention Of the people of Asbury Park
by City Assessor Arthur Hope at a meet
ing of citizens and taxpayers held in the
North Asbury Engine House last night.
Mr.. Hope showed where the shore dis
triets paid into the county for the year
1911 $341, 463.62, as against s57, 0S2.7 n paid
by the inland districts. In return the
shore received from the County Board of