Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-05-05
ADDRESS OF ASSEMBLYMAN ROB-
ERT J.. KAY AT ANNUAL MEETING
OF CAPE MAY COUNTY ASSOCIA-
TION BOARDS OF EDUCATION


Of all subjects, the one which 1
think possibly is less understood and
most despised by the average citizen,
is that of taxation, and yet it is the
one fundamental basis upon which the
wheels of municipal, county, state and
national progress depends.
One of the first questions asked by a
prospective buyer in a new community
is, what is your tax rate?" because
the constantly increasing tax levies
in all our communities, not only in
this section and state, but throughout
the world, has added so materially to
the carrying charges of property, to in
many cases make it improbable to
own property at all.
And yet, friends, if we will carefully
analyze the tax problem we will gen
orally find that where heavy local
taxes are levied it is for the purpose
of carrying out Improvements which
are the very life blood of the COM
munity and which make that property
profitable on account of the large re-
IuTuS IGCClNCuy nO hloSNSA "h0S SA~
tax rate happens to be-
In other words, it is much better to
own property in a live community
with a high tax rate and receive a good
return from it, than to own property
in a dead community with a low tax
<ates and no demand for investment
property.
I -, oaha1Ya1nd fn cnnnk IN Won m
the subject of School Taxation and It's
Distribution.
The school tax problem in our state,
as a whole, is fast becoming a very
serious problem, due to the fact that
the increase in school expenditures is
very greatly in excess of the increase
of all other lines of municipal expen-
ditures. One concrete example will
serve to show this very clearly. The
City of wildwood in 1914 provided
S16,712 for school maintenance in adj
dition to state contributions. This
called for a school tax rate of .2674.
In 1922 the City of Wildwood must
raise SOS, 800 for school maintenance IN
addition to state contributions. This
called for a school tax rate of 1922.
The increase in 8 years was $51,888,
or 80 per cent. During the same
period all other expenses of the city
increased from $123, 474.59 to $247 ,504.-
26, and the city tax rate increased
from 1892 per cent to 2.421 per cent.
1t is very readily seen, therefore that
the statement made that the school
maintenance costs have increased very
much more rapidly than all other mu-
nicipal expenditures is very literally
true.
However, there is another side to the
school problem which must not be lost
sight of by our taxpayers, and that
side is the one which is in the control
and custody of you members of Boards
Of Education gathered here tonight.
There is no stronger foundation in
our country for the moulding Of men
and women of the proper character,
ability and manhood and ~womanhood
than our public school system, and
those whom we are training today will
become the leaders in business, COM
merce, manufacturing and municipal
management of tomorrow. 1t is only
fitting, therefore, that without regard
to costs, so long as good judgment is
used, our public school system be
maintained at the very highest degree
of efficiency that is possible, so that
it will turn out the class of boys and
girls whom we want to see as the rul-
ers of the destinies of this country of
ours in the future, and to you who
have accepted the honorable positions
of school directors is due the thanks
of the community wherein is a school
system of the proper character.
l suppose that the large majority of
those present tonight are thoroughly
familiar with the distribution system
at present in vogue in our state. The
state annually collects what is known
as the state school tax, of which 80
per cent is returned to the counties,
in proportion to the taxable values of
the respective counties.
Around this method of distribution
there is waged at every session of the
legislature a veritable battle by some
of the counties of the state which,
while possessing a large population
and thereby a large school attendance,
yet do not have an assessed valuation
which will enable them to obtain suffi-
Gent state funds for the proper oper-
alton of their public schools. This
condition is occasioned by n of two
different causes. Either the county is
intrinsically of very little value and
has no prosperous farming sections,
no successful and valuable manufac-
turing centers, no prosperous munich
palities, or for reasons best known to
its officials and citizens, it desires to
keep its taxable values down to a mini