Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-11
What Other Papers
Say \
A HOLE-IN-THE-WAIh ISSUE
PROJECTED INTO CAMPAIGN
The statement issued by the Stat

The statement issued by the State
Highway Commission yesterday cov
ering complications over a strip OF
road that is a part of Route 4 of the
state highway system in South AM
boy is hardly a full exposition of
the case. There is not a word in the
statement regarding conditions that
made it necessary to change the
highway route at that point-condi-
tions that have been notorious
throughout the state for years.
The old route to the shore resorts
by way of the Amboys led through
what was known as the "hoie-in-the-
WALL under the Pennsylvania Rail
reads high embankment at South
Amboy. This hole" long and dark
with it's sandy roadway so narrow
that two vehicles could not pass in
it. was more than a nuisance. 1t
delayed traffic on this heavily trav-
eied route, causing congestion that
sometimes held up travellers for ali
hour at a time or more. The abso-
lutte necessity of making some ar
rangement that would end this con-
dition led during the war to a de-
mand for action by the Council of
Defense.
Efforts to bring about a change
that would eliminate the nuisance,
even by appeal to the courts, did not
prove effective until an agreement
was made between the state authori-
ties and the Pennsylvania Railroad.
whereby the company constructed a
gravel road on it's own property TO
avoid the Northumberland. Over this
gravel road the railroad constructed
two bridges so that there would be
no grade crossings.
The gravel road was not OF a char
acter to stand UP under the heavy
traffic along the highway, with the
result that the old State Highway
Commission, through its executive
committee, reached an agreement
with the Pennsylvania Railroad to
purchase the land on which the road
was built at the rate of $1,000 an
acre, and to put down the present
hard-surfaced highway, which is
of the best in the state. In addi-
ton, it vas tentatively agreed that
$4,000 for the construction of the
two bridges that prevented the road
from having two crossings at grade.
This made the total to be paid the
company for the land and bridges of
about s22,500.
The old State Highway Commits
sion never formally approved this
deal, according to the records, but
in 1920 it let the contract for con-
struction of the road over this route.
At this time all Of the facts in the
case were known Governor Ed
wards. Immediately on taking office
as chief executive, began attacks
upon the highway body on general
principles. He kept these up from
tina. time on until he removed the
members from office in June of that
year, but he had no complaint to
make regarding the action taken on
the South Amboy highway
Decision to bring this road stu
alton up at this time was arrived
of the present State Highway Com
mission on Thursday. September %.
II was done after long consultation
with Governor Edwards and special
counsel representing him. including
John Milton. The excuse given for
the action was that "the Pennsylva-
mia wants its money and insists on
having it."
No other explanation has beeu
forthcoming to those who have in
timated that the complications have
been passed onto the public in the
closing days. of the campaign for
political purposes. No one familiar
with the situation can doubt that
the construction of this section OF
read was an absolute necessity. that
there was a determination by the
ole commission to end a long scan
dai and that if there was a techni-
cal violation of law the matter should
have been cleared up earlier instead
of waiting until the closing days Of
the campaign.-Newark Evening
News