The Penn's Grove record., 1920-03-19

AssembIyman Hansen of Jersey City.
The former seeks to exempt from
taxation for two years new dwellings,
so that building would be encouraged,
houses be more plentiful n rents
reasonable. The latter would require
a landlord to give three months notice
before eviction and prohibit the dis
possession of tenants between the
months of October and May.
Question ConstitutionaIity.
The constitutionality of the meas
ures was questioned by Assembly
man Tozer, of Bergen, and Assembly,
man William George, of Hudson. But
a no lesser legal light than George H..
Record was present to allay their APP
~prehensiOns on that score. He de-
clared that if the exemption of a
stock from taxation, as upheld by the
Supreme Court, was constitutional,
then the exemption of buildings from
taxation would also be valid.
Commissioner Cannon asserted that
the housing condition was acute as
TIE result of scarcity of houses. I'VE
think the Legislature can help u.s.
he said. He stated that eviction was
sad under any circumstances but
that it was especially so when families
whose sons were in the service were
made the victims,
Increase Population.
George l.. Record adiritte1 that the
S,..,u N To,1a, 100 r-o.-il w of
the single tax idea, but declared that
it was necessary to relieve the pres
ent housing situati1a. He said that
to exempt buildings from taxation for
Il few years we.a+!.: mean a wonderful
development in building houses and
that the additional homes would in
crease the population of the state be-
tween 75009 and 200 600
Twill not the exemption of new
buildings from taxation be an injus-
tice to the owners of houses already
erected?' asked ~Assemblyman Young.
1T might be an injustice in Il few
cases. Mr.. Cannon replied. but as IL
whole the great majority of people
would benefit therefrom. If the pro-
gram were carried out there would be
such activity in building that within
three or four years there would be
added to the assessed value of prop
erty in the state between S25,000,000
and $30.0OO.000.''
Mr.. Cannon explained that those
owners who built before the war had
Il big advantage over those who seek
TO build now, and the exemption of new
buildings from taxation would equal
iZe conditions to an extent.
John T. Gregory, rent investigator
of West New York, told of housing
conditions in that town. He said that
rents had been lacked up from 20 to
80 per cent in many cases. He pre-
scented 1000 signature of alleged vic
Tins of rem ~protiteering from that
town. He said that the apartment
houses were owned by foreigners in
many cases and that these landlords
cared nothing for the boys who went
overseas for service and were as will
ing to gouge their families of eXor-
bitant rents as any other.
Robert Wallace of the Jersey City
Chamber of Commerce urged the pas
sage of both bills sponsored by Com
missioner Cannon.
Mrs. Augusta Gerke of Newark. the
mother of a service man, told of her
landlord. who is not wen a citizen of
the United States. increasing the rent
of her flat by 100 per cent in two
months.
Unless the legislature takes immedi-
ate and effective Steps to remedy X
listing deplorable conditions created by
heartless rent gougers. there will ensue
a serious and ~far-reaching uprising.
That was the opinion expressed by
Mayor Charles P. Gillen of Newark.
Mayor Gillen called attention to the
situation in Newark, where he had en-
deavored to find some form of relief,
but discovered the laws such an obsta-
Gle as to practically block all efforts
in that direction. He declared that
rentals were jumped by as much as
125 per cen without cause or reason
and that people were driven into frenzy
by their quest for homes; that rents
have been advanced TO such unreason-
able heights that in many instances
poor families are unable to procure
decent clothes or shoes for their chit
dren who must attend school.
State Expense $4,000 900.
Expenditures a%ggregating $12,000,-
600, it is understood, will be provided
for in the annual appropriations bill
to be introduced in the legislature this
year. Fifty per cent of these eXpendi-
lures will be devoted in maintaining
state institutions. An increase of be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000 will be made
in the annual appropriation for salaries
for members of the. judiciary. One of
the big items of the increase will be
an appropriation of 100000 for bo-
muses. for state employees.
1t is the intention of the committee
to have the bill ready for submission
IN the legislature at least one or two