Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-28
MONTCLAIR MEN TO :.
FIGHT ANNEXATION.
Mountaintop Residents Do Not
Want to Go Into
Verona.

Several OF the wealthiest men OF
Montelair, who own homes on the
nnountaintop. took action last night
70 defeat the plan Of the authorities
OF Verona to annex one OF the finest
residential sections OF Montclair &c
that municipality.
when the project OF the Verona an
nexationists was first announced It
was thought that the territory aimed
at was only that section OF Montclair
occupied by the Hotel Montelair,
which Verona citizens have always
maintained Montclair stole from them
eight years ago. Now It develops
that not only the hotel property, but
much land extending along the crest
Of the mountain would be annexed II
xhe bill proposed by Verona is passed
BY the State Legislature.
Mayor David H. Slayback formally
advertised In the Evening Star on
Thursday his intention of causing TO
be introduced at Trenton bill pro-
viding for the annexation Of lands
occupied by the Hotel Montclair and
other portions OF the mountaintop.
Among the property owners who are
ssSIisteC In the movement TO Illustrate
the annexation project are F. E. KIP
Of Crestmont road, head OF & big
New York wooden house; Frank s
rlrnbull. OF Crestmont road, vice
president Of the Rogers-Peet Com
pany; George ]. Carr and Solomon
Wright, both Of Upper Mountain ave-
aue. prominent New York lawyers;
David B. Mills, OF Upper Mountain
avenue, and F. NJ. Crawley.
Kip's big estate, on which 10 Dis
Famous Kip's castle, would be INCLUDE
ed In the annexation plan. Mills owns
the big mountaintop tract on which Is
the historic fiat rock, from which
Washington Is said to have viewed
the British troops in their movements
In and about New York.
Hope to Defeat Bill.
Mr.. Crawley was directed by the
mountaintop property owners to get
into communication with Assembly
man Bennett H. FISHER, of Montclair,
and If possible enlist his efforts IN ac-
complishing the defeat of the Verona
bill.
1t is said that the property which
Verona purposes taking from Mont
clair has an assessed valuation Of
s3S, 394, 900 The assessed valuation Of
Verona Is only 1854. 900. Should
Verona be enabled to annex the rich
mountaintop property of Montclair
It would gain at one stroke a great
prize for its tax books.
The Hotel Montclair originally was
In Verona. In order to get sewerage
a bill was passed in
the Legislature making that portion
of the mountain on which the hotel
stands a part of Montclalr. Should
the contemplated bill become law
tire hotel will Immediately be cut off
froI sewerage accommodations, and
II will be necessary for it's manage
ment to build large cesspools for the
holding of the sewage.
The late Paul Wilcox, who was
president of the company that built
the hotel, had the bill drawn pro-
Viding for the annexation Of the hotel
to Montclair. This was about
seven years ago. The bill became q
law, notwithstanding a big fight put
up by the residents Of Verona to de-
feat It.
Liquor License Involved.
On account CT the repeated EFFORTS
to defeat a renewal NJ the excise
license to the hotel b. tle temper
ance people of Montcl4ir during the
past two years, 1t is said that the
hotel people are now anxious to get
back into Verona, where their license !
would be assured. They also object
10 early closing restrictions and the
high license.
II the present agitation Of Verona !
was only to get back the hotel prop |
erty it is said to be not likely that |
there would be any objections from |
but it is claimed that the |
bill which will soon be presented to |
the Legislature will provide for taking !
In the whole crest OF the mountain, |
removing at least S1,0O0,0OO Of Mont
clair property and put the homes OF |
a number of rich residents over into |
the town Of Verona.
The Verona authorities claim that |
the line between Verona and Mont |
G air is not correctly defined, and all |
efforts to get the Montclair Council |
TO enter into an agreement TO have |
appointed to lay out the d. |
rect boundary has been futile, On
the part of Verona, it is claimed, !
that the line which it Is proposed to
establish by the proposed bill to be
in the Legislature is the
true boundary, and that Verona is
only what is its just due,
and which was estab 'shed in 1883, |
the record of said boundary line hav-
Ing been lost from the county clerk