The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-15
ALL WERE IN FAVOR
OF THE PURCHASING OF LIGHT-
 HOUSE POINT

By ths city, Excepting Anthony Carroll
 Big Meeting In City Hail-Mayor
 Speaks in Favor of Purchase aud Says
 Property VIII be Worth s50o,0D0 in
 Twem,y-five Years.
 The committee of the board of alder men who were appointed to consider the advisability of the city purchasing the Lighthouse Point property held public hearing in City hall last evening. There was large attendance and every one there favored the purchase except Anthony Carroll, who thought that Charity began at home" He said that the working classes could not af- ford the car fare to go to the Point, and he thought it was up to the city fathers to provide them some place nearer their own back yards"
 Attorney Charles IT. Fowler favored the purchase and said that it would greatly increase in value He spoke of the beauty of the Point and said that. it was the most satisfactory place any where here abouts for families to get the sea breezes.
 William E. Chamberlain said that the people of East Haven favored the pur- chase.
 Engineer Sperry favored the purchase of the property and told of how several attempts had been made to buy the land at various times. He said that the property consisted of about "A acres and that from five to eight acres of this consisted of meadow land. In con- cluding he said that the land had fine developing facilities. 1t has an eleva- tion in some parts of about 30 feet and the whole property is not quite five times as extensive as the central Green in this city.
 Attorney Fowler said that he had heard from a reliable source that the government would be willing to reiin- quish it's rights of whatever land it has there to the city whenever the city bought it.
 Among others who spoke in favor of the purchase were S. H. Street, MT. Morris and Benjamin Silverthau. Mir Silvethau said that about five years | ago he represented a syndicate who de- sired to buy the land and that they had offered $50,000 at that time. The speak CT said that he thought the citiy would be greatly benefited if it could get the land for $75,O0O and that if they issued three and one-half per cent. bonds to pay for it they would get their money back in less than ten years. MT Clark, the real estate dealer thought that the city ought to get the land for s5OO00 or less.
 l A. W. Minor and Ex-Alderman True man also thought that 1t might be 8 good thing for the city to acquire the land
 Mayor Studley was the next speaker. He said that at one time this city was well known summer resort and that people living in the south used to come here with their families and their car riages on account of the beautiful i drives. He said that ex-Mayor Lewis had tried hard during his administra- tion to revive this condition of affairs. His Honor then told about what se- rious opposition was met with when East Rock was purchased by the city. 1 The speaker told about how beautiful the air was at the Point and what a great benefit it would be to the poor people in summer if the city fixed it up for them He thought that if the city did not acquire the land at this time | if never would be able to get it later except at an enormous cost. In closing 1 his remarks Mayor Studley said that he thought that the property would be worth half a million dollars in twenty five years time If the city purchased it.
 MT. McDermott thought that this was a favorable time for the city to buy the 1 land.
 The committee will make it's report to the board of alderman at their next meeting.