Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-03-02
Especial Correspondence

ton Dill Tor a direct tax to construct
highways, the measure was passed in
the house yesterday by a vote of 80 to
IL. Minority Leader Geran led the at
tack on it, declaring it would allow the
railroads of the state to escape taxa
ton on close to $3.50, 100000 worth of
property and the banks on nearly
500, 000, 900.
At the rate of 81 on $1,000 of valua-
ton this would mean $350,000 this year
to the railroads and 100000 to the
banks. Mr.. Geran said the bill provid-
ed that the road tax should be imposed
OF property of each municipality upon
which municipal taxes are assessed.
Municipal taxes" are not placed upon
the main system and second class rail
road property, which is assessed by
the state board of taxes and assess
ments. County boards put the valua-
ton upon the bank holdings.
1t was maintained by Majority Lead
er Oliphant, who introduced the bill,
that it was not the intention to let
these classes escape, but he could not
convince Mr.. Geran that the law would
have any other effect.
The bill is to raise SIS, 000, 900 in five
years. "The poor devil who owns a
small home will have to pay this tax,
while wealthy people will manage to
escape their just SHARE" was one of
the declarations of Mr.. Geran.
Road Bills Advanced.
The senate also moved forward the
administration road bills. An amend
ment proposed by Senator Osborne to
require that open competition be a$
sured in the letting of the contracts of
the road building was voted down.
Majority Leader McCran said there
was no necessity for such a change.
and Minority Leader Florance said he
was in favor of giving the commission
ers free rein and holding them strictly
to account.
Mr.. Osborne maintained that he vas
fighting to prevent any advantage to
distributors of patented paving mate
rial.
The first bill passed provided for the
routes to be followed and the second
for a reorganization of the state high
way department. This is to be gov
erned by a board of eight members
named by the governor, and they will
select the employees.
Governor Edges bill placing an in
creased franchise tax on companies
with gross receipts of $4,000 or more
annually was passed by the house by a
vote of 90 to 1. The only dissenting
ballot was cast by Assemblyman Run
yon, who maintained that the just pro-
cedure would be to place the assess
ment on the net profits of all the con
panies regardless of their gross re-
ceipts. His argument was that the
smaller companies could have a greater
source of revenue than some of the
larger firms.
The tax is on a graduated scale and
is to increase l per cent annually until
a maximum of 5 is reached. Mr.. Geran
criticised the Republicans for their
failure to advance to 5 per cent at
once, as their platform stated. He de-
voted some time to his address, charg-
ing them with failure to do as they
had promised, but he and the other
Democrats joined in voting for the bill.
CharacteriZinG the Colgan bill to per-
NIT the showing of motion pictures on
Sundays as a step for the comerciali-
zation of the Sabbath. a delegation of
ministers urged the house committee
on municipal corporations to kill the
bill. Proprietors OF motion picture
houses in the northern part of the state
maintained that some form of diver
L.. 1890 L. -.Ax,IoI fo, H. 1@o-1o
Sunday afternoons, and they referred
to their establishments as places of
harmless amusement. Hundreds of
thousands, they said, left the state
every Sunday to go to New York and
other cities where the pictures are per-
e mitted.
Full Crew Bill Hearing.
One of the most spirited hearings of
the session was that on the bill by AS
semblyman Roberts to repeal the full
crew law. 1t is maintained that this
statute does not tend to prevent acct
dents and loss of life on the railroads,
and it is held that such regulations
should be intrusted to the Public Util-
ity Commission.
Paul w. Garrett, assistant secretary
of the State Chamber of Commerce.
maintained that during the last five
years an annual average of 1883
casualties on the railroads, or 63.3 per
cent of all, had their origin wholly
without the province of the train crew.
Former A~ssemblyman John A. Mat
thews was one of the speakers who
condemned the attempt to repeal the
statute and maintained it should not be
placed in the hands of the utility COM
mission. Large delegations favoring
both sides of the question were in at
tendance and frequently applauded the
respective speakers.
By obtaining the required eleven
votes for a bill in the senate, Senator
Hates of Camden succeeded in having
- oeco1 h;e hill 20 allom a.1nioino1; t;np