Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-23
POSTPONE ACTION
At TAX HEARING
OF PUBLIC SERVICE
Indefinite Adjournment Taken
In Case Brought by Verona
Resident.

Indefinite adjournment was taken
at the hearing begun this morning by
the County Board of Taxation on the
complaints filed by Effingham r.
North, of Verona. taxpayer in
Montclair, against the assessment
levied by the Montclair assessors on
property in Montclair of the Public
Service railway, gas and electric COM
panies An indefinite postponement
was also made OF the complaint filed
by Mr.. North against the assessment
of the New York Telephone Company
in Montclair
The adjournment was taken, after
1t had been ruled by the board that
the evidence submitted by Mr. North
was not sufficient to warrant the
board taking action. Mr.. North
stated that the valuation of the Pub
lie Service Railway in Montclair
should be S950.000, but was not pre-
pared with any specific data to prove
his assertions. according to the rul-
ing of the board.
Jerome T. Congleton, president of
the board, said that the matter had
already occupied considerable of the
boards time and would not be con-
sidered again until every one of the
other cases now awaiting a hearing
can be disposed of. As there are
about 450 cases on the calendar of
the board, 1t is not likely the cases
will come before the present board
prior to its retirement on February 1.
L. D. Howard Gilmore and Edmund
w. Wakelee, represented the Public
Service, while Robert M. Boyd, town
counsel, represented Montclair.
When the hearing opened Mr.
North requested that it be an in
formal hearing. so that he could place
facts before the board, which would
II 10,
In a formal hearing. His request
was denied.
Robert B. Harris, tax assessor Of
Montclair, was quizzed as to the
manner in which the assessors had
reached their estimate of $261, 300 on
the property of the Public Service
Railway. Mr.. Harris said he could
not tell specifically the number 0f
cars, or miles of tracks laid in Mont
clair
Mr. Congleton asked Mr. North If
he had any further evidence to pre-
sent, and the latter replied that ne
6 had none which he thought would be
admissible The tax commissioner
then said that the board could take
no action, because of the lack of any
real evidence that the assessment
was low.
Mr.. North requested an adjourn
prepare data to prove his claim
After a conference, President Congle-
ton announced the boards decision
to postpone the case indefinitely.
Montclair Case Postponed.
The hearing on the case. of the
Montclair Water Company was ad-
journed until next Monday, after the
board had listened to the arguments
presented by Mr.. North. The latter
alleged that the property of the Mont
clair Water Company, in Montc.air,
was worth $500 900, instead of $50,300,
the figures at which the Montclair tax
assessors estimated the property of
the company.
Mr.. North called as his chief wit
ness Henry S. Lyon, statistician and
accountant of the Public Utility
Comm ssion. Mr. Lyon read part of a
report submitted by the water COM
pany in 1918, giving an account of the
property owned by the company.
President Congelton, of the board.
said that the report was of no value
as evidence, because it was merely
synopsis of all of the water company's
possessions, most of which are in Lit
tie Falls, according to the report. The
report did not specify what part of
the property was in Montclair. Upon
the suggestion of Mr.. Congleton, Mr.
ANOIIh Setiu AOuli SVCOlt d4 GAp6Tl
engineer to go over the property of
the water company and who will be
prepared to show the value of the
pipes and other possessions of the
company, at the hearing next Mon
day.
Robert M. Boyd, town counsel, rep
resented Montclair The water COM
pany was not represented.
Mr.. North called the three tax as
SCISSORS of Montclair, Samuel L. Brew
ster. Henry w. Jones and Robert B.
Harris. Mr.. North asked the assess
ors how they had arrived at the fig
ure of $50,300 as the value of the COM
panys property. All three declared
that they had used their own judg-
ment, and had not made the report
from any specified data submitted by
the company or prepared by them
selves.
At the conclusion of the testimony
of the assessors Mr.. North requested
the board to make a personal ap-
praisal of the property of the COM
pany. Mr.. Congleton replied that the
board could not take such steps until
it had been proven that the assess
ment of the local board was lower
than it should be- The commissioner
told Mr.. North that none of the evil
dence he had presented was sufficient
to warrant the board taking action.
Mr.. Boyd asked Mr.. North to with
draw the complaints against the Pub
lie Service and the New York Tele-
phone Company unless he had more
substantial proof to offer in those
cases than that which he had pre-
sented in the water company case.
1t was only a waste of time for all
concerned, Mr.. Boyd said as the evil
dence based on a report to the Pub
1ip TTti1itU CODo nj SioD would he M
more admissible in the other cases
than in the case of the water COM
pany.
Mr.. North replied that he had no
evidence of a different nature to Of
fer, but would not withdraw his COM