Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-07-26
7 INDUSTRIAL
PLANTS HAVE
APPEAL ON TAX
Raritan Copper Works Plea
Heard at Session of the
County Board
RAW MATERIAL ISSUE
Also Condition of the Plant
Decisions Are to Be
Made Later

Appeals of the Raritan Copper
Works of this city and the Zenthern
Company of Sayreville were heard
by the County Board of Taxation
sitting in this city yesterday after
noon. The hearing of these two cases
brought to a close the hearing of the
long line of appeals that have been
before the county board. The ap-
peals which had been filed by the
General Bakelite Company and the
Henry Maurer Company were with
drawn. In view of the fact that the
district court was using the council
chambers in the city hall the appeals
were heard in the police court.
The Raritan Copper Works was
the first appeal heard. This con-
cearn contended that the personal
property Of the company had been
over assessed and requested that it
be reduced to $1.S00,000. The assess
ment from which the appeal was
taken amounted to $1,617.550. Ex-
perts were placed on the stand by
the company to show the present
condition of the plant and they
quoted from long lists of figures
many items.
IldSClty VI 1fOW - e'i.S
wick represented the Copper Works
and brought out from the witnesses
that conditions in some sections of
the plant are not of the best. The
boilers in one of the boiler houses
had been condemned and operated
under low pressure because of this
fact and in a tank house the tanks
are in a. weakened condition and
soon must be replaced. Other ex-
perts contended that the plant was
an old one and for this reason
should not be assessed the same as
new plant.
A. Clayton Clark, manager of the
plant, informed the board that much
of the machinery and equipment had
been in use for the past twenty-six
years, and that some of the engines
and boilers are the same that were
placed in the plant when 1t was
constructed. Mr.. Clark answering
questions by City Attorney David L.
Wilentz declared that the copper
business today is not such that 1t
would pay to replace this apparatus,
although 1t is run at considerable
more expense than new ones and
that the company would continue to
use the same equipment until the
last drop of the hat.
Mr.. Hagerty requested that the
plant be appraised the same as any
other plant in the county, and Mr.,
Clark declared that the company de-
sires the raw material exempted
from taxation. Mr.. Clark also in
formed the board that the company
does not own the copper treated at
the plant but does this work for va
rious clients at so much per ton. This
copper, Mr.. Clark said, belongs to
outside companies and Is assessed at
its source which is in accordance
with the law.
The matter was referred by the
board for further consideration.
In the case of the Zenithern Com
pany of Sayreville it was pointed out
that the plant is not in operation al
the present time and had not been in
operation since early last year. The
history of the plant was given and
lengthy details gone into as to how
the plant had been taken over to re-
linquish a debt of $185,000. The as
sessment was made against Ralph FL
Dick, the present owner of the plant
This plant had been originally as
| SeSSeQ IOT 9JO,uUU anu MI 0iCh re-
| quested this be reduced to $40, 900
1 Many witnesses were placed on .he
stand and told of the poor conditions
| of the buildings and the fact thai
the place could not be used Unless
considerable money was spent on it
Mr.. Hagerty representing Sayre.
Vile, placed Abraham Feihle on the
stand and attempted to prove by him
! that the assessment on the plant was
not too much. Mr.. Feihle, who Il
! an assessor in Sayreville, instead OF
| being a witness for the borough
| proved to be a good witness fer the
| firm, much to the amusement o.
| those present. Mr.. Feihle declared
the buildings to be in poor condition
| and stated that although the LAND
| was assessed at 800 an acre 1t Il
worth about $50. On the strength
4 of the testimony of Mr.. Feihle IN,
| attorney for Mr.. Dick asked that hi
| appeal be granted at once. However
this matter was also referred and
is likely that the board will visit th
plant themselves to see just what tn
conditions are.