Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-02-07
CONDEMNATION
WORK DEFERRED
Hearings Will be Continued
Friday Morning-Many
Cases Heard

At late hour yesterday after
noon, after hearing testimony TO
several hours, the condemnation
commission in the railroad grad
crossing elimination proceedings
, sitting In the city hall, adjourned
the hearing until Friday morning a.
10 o'clock. The commission from
shortly after III o'clock in the morn
, ing, began the taking of testimon!
in the case of John e Toolan con
corning property owned by him II
Washington street and which is Il
be used by the railroad companies
in the elimination work.
The morning session was taken ur
in hearing the testimony by L. w
NeWcomb, of the real estate depart.
ment of the Central Railroad. When
the afternoon session opened, thu
first witness called to the stand bs
the railroad company was Charlie:
l.. Steuerwald, a real estate broker
OF this city.
In answer to questions put by Mr.
Barkalow Of the Central Railroad
Mr.. Steuerwald stated that he valued
the Toolan property at $1,000 as i:
stands today. The land to be worth
$4,000 and the building $4,000.
A twenty-five foot strip which
the railroad will use in the front
of this property was valued by Mr..
Steuerwald at $500.
| Mr.. Newcomb recalled to the
Istand and questioned concerning the
purchase of the property. He de-
clared that in some instances the
property owner had been paid more
| than the property was worth be-
cause of the salvage value of the
buildings on the property. He also
declared that efforts were made in
all cases to try and meet the owa-
er's price rather than settle the
matter in the courts.
r. D. Van Duzer, of the real es-
tate department of the Lehigh Val
ley Railroad Company said he val
ued Mr.. Toolan's pronerty at 10 =
goo; Q / land at $4,000 and q building oa at
$4,000. He declared $4,000 to be a
fair price for the strip needed for
the new road.
Under the questioning of City
Attorney David r. Wilentz Mr..
Toolan's attorney, William Van DID,
ger stated that he did not think
the property would be attractive as
an industrial site. He declared that
he believed the railroads had paid
more than the market Yalue for
many of the properties purchased
and that the only property which
haC been purchased on a fair prize
was that of Andrew harrington, and
tina. that property had been pur-
chased at $4,000 more than it was
worth.
Edwin G. Fraser, a real estate
broker, the next witness, declared
that the building was built thirty
five years ago, and that he had own
ed 1t in 1906 and sold it at that time
for $4,000. He said a. the present
$4,000. The land at $4,000 and the
ed by the railroad company, Mr..
Eraser valued at $4,000.
Ayin Pierson, of the firm Of
architects of John Noble Pierson g.
Son, was the first witness called by
Mr.. WilentZ, in bringing out Mr..
Toolan's side of the case. Mr.. Pier
son said that he had recently exam
ined the building for reproduction |
and was ready to report on that |
phase of the matter. Plans were |
presented at this point in the hear |
ing by Mr.. Wilentz and also pam |
phlet containing the cost of the var
ious work necessary for the repro |
duction of the building.
Adrian Lyon, counsel for the &c |
high Valley railroad company at this
point insisted that The method was
improper and unfair, that it is i'm
possible to calculate the reproduce
ton of a building thirty years old
because it cannot be reproduced. lie
held that a building like this one
was thirty years ago might be con-
struc:ed, but that it would be i'm
possible to reconstruct the building
in it's present condition. He declar-
ed that the commission must place
on this property the value of the
building today. taking into consider
a+ion its present condition and what
it Is used for.
Mr.. Z ilentz insisted tina: the Pub
lie Utility Commission in all condem-
nation proceedings goes deeply into
the reproduction value of a building
and held that the condemnation
mmission should do likewise.
The figures as offered in evidence
by NJ. Wilentz showed that the re-
production value of the building
would be s24.907.
At this point in the proceedings
the adjournment until next Friday
was called. In the meantime the
railroad attorneys will go over the
figures as submitted by Mr.. Wilentz.