Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-01-31

you have asked me to discuss the
question of taxation. l have already
presented some views on this sub
ject to you, and last night l sent to
the Legislature an analysis OF the
present tax laws and method Of coll
Letting and expending the moneys.
This message is to be printed, and
copies Of it are available. l hope
that you will secure copies and study
the question with these charts before
you.
mo matter what laws there may
be upon the books, the fundamental
truth is that when you spend a great
deal of money you have high taxes
and when you spend little you have
low taxes. 1t follows, then, that
the real remedy for the al situa-
ton is economy in the administra-
ton of our government.
1.-The difficulty seems to be that
economy cannot be secured without
legislative pressure, without the en-
actment of laws which compel either
the performance OF some duty or
the restraining of some act.
II hope to lay specific recommen-
dations before the legislature at an
early date, and would welcome your
suggestions as Don as you may be
able to give them to me.
A l stated, incident to this ques-
ton is the question Of expenditure,
and In that connection I want to take
up one feature of State expenditure.
a matter especially important now
because u people have approved
the issuing of forty million dollars
worth of bonds with which to raise
money to build roads.
THE strange thing about u peo-
pie is that they know conditions to
exist, they know that excessive pay
ments are made, that graft IS paid
and public money wasted, and yet
they sit in~differently by and do .1oth-
ing.
THAT has been largely the situa-
ton in the building of our roads.
"The patent paving abuse has been
known to everybody. Philosophical
citizens have demanded that open
specifications be used, and for two
years our legislature refused to pass
such a bill, and yet Dur people sat
by quietly and made no protest.
"Ir whose interest was it to keep
closed specifications? Was it in the
interest of the people or in the iu-
terest OF certain interests who pro-
flied thereby?
There a be one answer to
this when the facts are examined.
Under closed specifications
many roads were built. On each
road there was an approximate
charge Of 1885 per square yard for
patent paving surfacing. Similar
sheet asphalt could nave be N
paid for $3.50, a loss of eighty-f. e
cents on each square yard. in addi-
ton to the fact that the patert
paving was only two inches thick,
while that of sheet asphalt was
three inches.
"On the Metuchen-New Bruns-
wick road there were $4,000 wards
OF su~rfacing-a distinct loss of
$S2 600. Last year there were Az.
proximately 100000 square Yards
of such %surfacing laid. with a cor
responding loss of $1.000.OG0 to the
people. In Cumberland county
there was a loss Of 500. 900 on the
anne number of square yards laid;
$1l9,OOO; Morris, $116.-
ooo: Middleeax $4,000; other louu-
ties $4,000.
I'm addition to this we are pay
ing an excessive price for cemen.
The price per barrel wholesale is
now 81, while in 1914 it was six.y
cents. I am reliably informed that
a fair price should be s1.25 a bar
re-, so that we are losing seventy
nve cents a barrel. On our xpen-
diture Of 4 0.00O, 900 this would h.
at least 100000 excess payment.
or I'VE per cent of the total cost
with this situation confronting
me as governor I felt 1t my instant
duty to remove the board, which /
dld on the 22d instant. Since that
time there has been no highway
commission in existence.
1T is but natural to believe that
with a situation that was well known
to everybody, with the facts so plain.
with the evidence of excess payment
and graft, there would have been a
prompt response to correct them and
prlng about new and healthier con-
d1tlons and a saving to the D
ers. Instead of this there has been
no action taken, but there have been
conferences of the legislature, de-
signed for no other purpose than to
prevent the relief of the taxpayers.
Instead of coming out in the open
and discussing the matter, there has
been a 'Ku Kluxing' behind closed
doors.
1T is only fair to say that among
these men there were certain patri-
otto and high-minded senators, like
Stevens, Whitney, Case and others
associated with them, who promptly
aVerred their willingness to aid the
people of New Jersey and relieve
them from this graft. and who offer
ed to cooperate with me to that end.
'These men have my highest ad-
miration, and / am sure that they
will also have the good will and ap-
probation of the people of New Jer-
sey.
why should anyone hesitate to
correct these conditions?
who has been busy during the
week to prevent this great saving?"
jess Is Speaker
High tax rates are not, primarily,
to blame for the great and growing
burden of taxation" said Frank B.
Jess, OF Camden, a member of the
State Board OF Taxes and Assess
ment, speaking before the league in
behalf of the limitation of the ex-
penditures Of local government in
an effort to reduce the tax burden
rather than by forcibly limiting the
tax rate itself.
The tax rate Is the result OF ex-
penditures which make the rate mes
essary, according to Mr.. Jess, and If
these expenses are unwarrante5 and
unnecessary, they should be check
ed.
why should the limitation be
upon the rate rather than upon the
levy?" was Mr.. Jess's query.
The limitation OF the levy for any
particular purpose. according TO the
speakers plan. should be to a fixed
Per centage of the taxable property