In re New York Bay Railroad
In re New York Bay Railroad
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This is an application by the Hew York Bay Railroad Company for a summary determination of the character of certain lands of the applicant within the city of Jersey City for the purposes of taxation, pursuant to the authority of section 28 of the revised act for the taxation of railroad and canal property. Pamph. L. 1888, p. 269; Gen. Slat., p. 3324. The assessments in question were levied in the year 1905. The plots of land so assessed are grouped together, forming block 1507, as designated upon the tax assessment map of Jersey City. They are portions of the terminal of the petitioner, the Hew York Bay Railroad Com
As to plots Nos. 2a and 2b, which lie between the shore line and the exterior line for solid filling, the former on the south side and the latter on the north side of a strip of the same terminal marked on Exhibit P 4 as main stem and sixty-eiglit acres, we think it is satisfactorily shown that at the date named they were lands either in actual use for railroad purposes or held for fairly anticipated railroad purposes, and were therefore under the decision of this court in New Jersey
Plot No. 2b is shown to have been filled in and graded, with tracks constructed thereon, as shown in red on Exhibit F 4, and freight cars have been running thereon since October, 1904, and while plot No. 2a was not entirely filled in at that time, the filling in was completed in 1906, and while the engineer could not testify positively as to the use that would be made of plot No. 2a by tire company, he did testify that the tracks shown in blue on the plan exhibit the layout of the property in question, and that the whole work was being done according to the plan, of which Exhibit P 4 was a copy, as placed in his hands as a guide to the construction in 1902, and since upon this plan we note that the tracks already laid and those projected show a connected system of tracks forming a yard covering, to a greater or less extent, both of the plots Nos. 2b and 2a, as well as the main stem, we think this fact, taken in connection with the other evidence, is sufficient to justify the conclusion we have reached as to plots Nos. 2a and 2b, as already stated.
As to plot No. 2, which lies west of the exterior line for solid filling and on the northerly side of the main stem, the larger part of which is still under water, containing about one hundred and eighteen acres, we think the evidence fails to show that this plot is subject to taxation by the state board under the rule just cited, and that as to it the assessment by the local authorities must stand. It is urged for the company that at least twenty-five acres of this plot is devoted, as alleged, to a channel dredged out in the same, and to some tracks laid out upon the filled in part, but the engineer frankly stated that he never saw any plan for the improvement of this plot, and we think, under the ruling of this couid, as expressed by Mr. Justice Dixon in In re Central Railroad of New Jersey, 43 Vroom 86, 91, with regard to items 43 and 45 in that case, that the evidence adduced does not establish with sufficient certainty the use contended for.
The city’s assessment not having been separately made, as we understand, against the plots named, but against all of them together in the block named, vc are unable to order a cancellation of the assessment, but it should be reduced so a.s to leave plots E'os. 2a and 21 and 2 (one hundred and twenty-five acres) untaxed by local authority. In re Assessment Central Railroad Company of New Jersey, supra.
The state assessment for that year must be reduced by excluding from its valuation plot Eo. 2, estimated as above to contain about one hundred and eighteen acres, and the excess of tax paid to the state by the company over the amount due under such corrected assessment must be returned to the company. The judgment will be entered without costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF THE NEW YORK BAY RAILROAD COMPANY FOR A SUMMARY DETERMINATION AS TO CERTAIN LANDS IN JERSEY CITY, WHICH HAVE BEEN ASSESSED BY THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES OF JERSEY CITY, AND ALSO ASSESSED BY THE STATE BOARD OF ASSESSORS, AS PROPERTY USED FOR RAILROAD OR CANAL PURPOSES
- Status
- Published