Perth Amboy evening news., 1917-02-01
AWARD CITY PACKARD LAND
FOR S073 AND DAMAGES
fContlnued from page -

James s. Wight, who was asso-
ciated in the legal battle with the city
attorney, was also out of town today
and could not be reached for an
opinion on the award.
The original price offered by the
city for the property in question was
$500. The land lies on what is known
as Marsh Point, and is almost en-
tirely land of a marshy or meadow
character. The strip condemned by
the city is a crescent shaped tract, in
the center of the plot owned by
Packard, and is situated in what was
known as the key tract, in the hear
ings before the commission. 1t was
property adjacent to this six and a
fraction acres that the Packard in
terests bought up, making a total
holding of about fifty acres, on
which, they claimed, they planned
the erection of a monster shipbuild-
ing plant.
In the summing up for the city it
was stated that $1,000 was consider
ed as an equitable and just award.
The property cost the Packard con-
cern S2O0 an acre forty-two years
ago, and was bought for the purpose
of dumping dredgings there from the
Lehigh Valley coal docks, which
were dredged by Packard at that
time.
In expert testimony offered by the
city, the land was valued at $500 an
acre. IL is believed that the fact that
the strip was not in a straight line,
was the cause of the larger award for
fractional portion of the acre, the
of which was apparently placed at
$1,000 an acre by the commission.
superintendent Grieve, of the water
rp1a arot i,,f ,1I
noon, and refused to comment upon
it.
When informed of the decision and
the award on the commission, Eugene
w. Leake, who represented the Pack
ard interests at the hearings, said that
the award was certainly small, much
smaller than the company had expect
ed. He said that the amount given
would not compensate Mr.. Packard
one-tenth for the loss incurred, and
said that the case would, almost GER
tainly be appealed to the circuit court.
The application of the r. G. Pack
ard Company for riparian rights for
their property on the south side of the
Rartan River, and the matter of the
right of the city to have their water
pipes above the navigation point, will
be heard before the New Jersey Board
of Commerce and Navigation in Jersey
City this afternoon. Leo j. Goldberg
er city attorney, will attend the hear
ing and will defend the city's interests
in regard to the removal of the pipes
from their present location, where
they have been for as long as twenty
five years.
The Packard Company filed their
application for riparian rights in
July, 1916, for the property on the
Raritan River, q portion of which is
the subject of the condemnation pro-
ceedings, which will come to an end
today, when the commissioners give
their award to the company for the
land which the city has condemned for
public use. 1t Is on the site that tie
Packard Company insists they are
planning the erection of a large ship
plant.
their intention of erecting the plant,
they will need deeper water. and Win
also need the riparian rights, or the
right to land under water at that place.
The city has been called upon to
answer to the question Of the right to
have the present water pipes and
mains under the river at that point,
where they are above the level of the
point. The matter was ap-
drawn to the attention of the
by the Packard COM
pany, who threatened to take some
such action.
!. According to - city attorney the
hra rn