The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-07
BIG PUBLIC HEARING HELD
ON QUESTION OF CITY BUYING
 LIGHTHOUSE POINT.
A Large ttendance-euestion of vaI- nation Discussed at Length-s. Har- rison Wagner, Ex-Judge A. Heaton
 Robertson, Assistant Corporation
 Counsel UIlman and Many Others

AA~%-Au
 A lengthy public hearing on the ques- ton of whether the city should purchase the Lighthouse Point property or not was held in City hall last evening. The meeting was well attended.
 The first speaker was ex-Assessor Baldwin, who, in reply to questions by MT. Thrasher, said that the shore front was worth from thirty to forty dollars front foot. and that the lots on all the other streets and avenues as con templated in the plan ought to be worth not less than ten dollars front foot. This would make a total valuation of $267, ,5OO. MT Baldwin said that he would prefer not to value it as an un- developed tract. that his estimate was based on it's value for building purposes. Assistant Corporation Counsel Ullnan asked him if he was not an assessor when the board assessed the valuation of the land at between $40,00O and $50,- 900. He replied that he was but that he did not remember having voted on it, as he was chairman of the board at that time He did say, however, that he considered the land worth very much more at that time than the amount it was assessed at. In conclusion he stated that he thought that it would take at least $50, 900 to improve the property so as to make it suitable for residential purposes. He thought that the property had a shore frontage of 5000 feet. He also thought that the present tax assessment was very low one Chairman Weiss of the committee stated that if this Is so it is about time that the matter of assessment ought to be looked up.
 Ex-Judge Robertson asked MT. Bald win how long the property had been on the market and MT Baldwin replied that he never knew the property had been on the market up to the time it was purchased
 Anthony Carroll asked MT. Baldwin if the property was worth as much to the owners with the government owning an acre of the property or not. MT. Bald win replied that he did not know. Mir. Carroll then offered the committee a copy of warranty deed which he had copied and which showed that the gov ernment owned the land and that it had been bought 100 years ago at cost of S100.
 The next speaker was F. B. Street, who owns property at Morris Cove, and who told the committee that he wished to purchase two lots of the Lighthouse Point company at forty dollars a front shore foot He thought that S1O0,000 was a low valuation of the property.
 A number Of those present took ex- ception to this statement.
 The next speaker was Engineer A. William Sperry. He was asked by MT. Thrasher what he considered the valua- tion of the shore front to be if the tract were laid out substantially as outlined in the map which he had made. He said that he believed the immediate shore front valuation to be worth $40 per foot. and that the lots back from the shore were worthr $15 or $20. These figures would make a total valuation of $S33750. He then told about the south shore being good for bathing. He thought that the company could make their improvements for about $25, 900.
 The next speaker was Assistant Cor poration Counsel Ullman, who favors the city acquiring the property at a reason Continued on Third Page.)