Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-01-13
a MILLION DOLLAR COUNTY

a MILLlOVV OOALhA
Middlesex is now a million dollar county. The budget for l'I9
prepared by the Board of Frceholders calls for an expenditure d S'
OF 942. An increase of $191, 543, over last year means an increase III
the tax rate. This, it is estimated, will amount to about eight points
Tvcn if The city should be able to keep the local rate to where 1t was
lat year, there is bound to be a jump that will come heavy o. nc
taxpayers.
In locking over the county budget it is realized at once that the
greatest burden for Middlesex is the construction and repair OF roads
and bridges. This includes the salaries of the bridge tenders. These
items alone cause an increase of $lOS,OO0. This includes the $l1,ooo
d,Gcit incurred by the 1917 contract on the Railway avenue and Gran
bury turnpike. Here, then, is the one great problem before the people.
When it is realized that in addition to this county tax there is a state
road tax of ten points which is mandatory, the people can begin TO
realize what the highways are costing them. Then when they consider
what a horrible condition many of the roads arc in, they begin to Won
der what it all amounts to, anyway.
Middesex alone will spend $4,000 on roads and bridges in 1919.
in addition to this the county receives from the state motor vehicle
fund 100000 which makes a total Of $322OO to be expended on the
highways and bridges of this county during the coming year. This
does not include anything that the state might spend out of the funds
II the disposal of the state highway commission.
In fact, it is pretty nearly time the people were beginning to see
some results of this mandatory state road tax. An elaborate system
Of state highways has been laid out on paper and the tax has been
levied OF the people for the construction of the system, but the game
Gems to be to wait until the counties at their own expense have i'm
lroved most of the highways included in this system and then have
tic state take over the roads thus improved.
This is already the case in Middlesex where the main highways
have been improved at enormous expense to the taxpayers, but the
state shows 10 disposition to reimburse the county 70. the money thus
expended, although Middlesex receives more of the wear and tear
caused by the heavy trucking in and out Of New York than any other
county TbiTi@ = t~ 70 because the county not only gets all the travel
tlmt enters and leaves New York by the way Of Newark and Jersey
~. but many trucks use the Staten Island route and do not strike
New Jersey until they cross the ferry from Tottenvlle to this city
from whence they Isl the Middlesex roads to New Brunswick and so
on along the Cranbury pike for the full length of the county.
The same thing is true in regard to the traffic to the Monmouth
. asst resorts in the summer months. Hundreds of automobiles do not
touch New Jersey until they reach Perth Amboy by ferry from Tot
tenvile. All this enormous traffic that Middlesex is forced to bear is
Of no benefit to the county whatever, yet the taxpayers have to main
lures across the Raritan, one between the Amboys and the other at New
brunswick.
1t is plain from the way the county expenses are jumping up IL
regard to the maintenance of the roads and the upkeep of the bridges
which are used so extensively by traffic entirely foreign to the county
that the one great effort on the part of the people of the county, III
Guiding not only the county and municipal officials, but all civic or
carnations, such as the Boards of Trades and the Chambers of Com
nerce of the various municipalities as well should be towards getting
relief from the state in this matter. The bridges are parts of the state
highway system and as such should be taken over by the state and ST
maintained. The burden has been entirely too great for the taxpayer
of this county alone. Unless some relief comes shortly there is a pos
sbnity that some of he bridges will have to be closed, or at least som,
means found for charging a toll to use them, the money thus collected
to be used in the upkeep of the structures.