Perth Amboy evening news., 1914-05-05
MaSSopuSt Demands Street
Opening or-Property viii
be Taken from City.
WANT TUNNEL UNDER R. R.
Necessity of Opening Thor
oughfare ViSibIy Affects
the Aldermen.

The necessity of opening Garretson
avenue to provide a connecting link
between Amboy avenue and State
street. together with an ultimatum
to accept given terms within month
or lose the opportunity to receive
property to effect the opening. were
delivered by Joseph Massopust to the
Board of Aldermen last night. His
plea for public and safe thorough
fare to save life and limb of school
children and working men visibly
affected the city fathers and they took
steps for immediate action, by COM
pleting arrangements to view the
property in question at noon today.
The subject was referred to a COM
mittee of the whole, who together
with the city engineer viewed the
scene.
Mr.. Massopust, who is member
of the Massopust Realty Company
and of Massopust Brothers, gave
strong argument in favor of the pro-
| posed improvement. He spoke con-
corning the dangers of having more
than 500 school children and about
1900 working men cross and recross
the Pennsylvania and Central tracks
daily and of the convenience that
would be affected by cutting the
street in question through. To this
knowledge. approximately ten people
had been killed by crawling up over
embankments and crossing the
| tracks mentioned within the past
| few years. His strongest point was,
that for the sake of saving human
| life, if for no other reason, the thor
oughfare should be cut through and
the crossing of private property and
railroad tracks thereby eliminated.
The proposition is to construct a
street sixty feet wide and build tun-
nels under the Central and Pennsyl-
vania tracks. Mr.. Massopust said
petition and a map had been on file
| for about a year and a half. He de-
! clared that when the proposition was
first broached there was opposition
because the street in question would
not be wide enough. According to
| his declarations f. A. Seaman, then
alerman, stated that the extension
would be made IL the street was made
sixty feet in width. Such a width
was provided for. but the subject
died natural death, he maintained.
In the opinion of Mr.. Massopust,
the railroad companies would con-
struct the necessary tunnels for
S25, 600 each, and they could be
caused to pay a portion of the ex-
pense The remainder, he contend
ed, would be borne gladly by prop
erty owners SO benefited and the
cost to the city would thereby be-
| come little or nothing. The speaker
ventured to state that property
owners could pay as much as $40
lot for the benefit and he declared
| there were between 1900 and 1000
lots which would be increased in
value. He wished it understood at
the outset that it was not being
urged for the benefit of the Masso-
pust Realty Company, and that he
had sold ninety per cent of his in
terest in that concern. Unless the
proposition was accepted within a
month, he declared, the map of the
land would be revised, the offer of
about $4,000 worth of property to
the city would be withdrawn and 1t
would lose, perhaps forever an op-
portunity to have a connecting link
between State street and Amboy ave-
nue., at any point between Hall ave-
nue. and MauTer.