Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1923-04-23
INVESTIGATORS MAY HOLD HEARING
IN PERTH AMBOY ON SALE OF LAND
Local Men in Attendance as
Bridge Land Sale is Started
at State House
ASSESSORS ATTEN %
Rubenstein, John Hunt and
Clancy Boynton There
From Perth Amboy

TRENTON, April 23.-The inves-
tigation into the purchase by the
ousted state highway board of the
w. J. Donnell property for the Perth
Amboy bridge, was started betore
Joint senate and assembly committee
in the state house at IL o'clock this
morning.
Attorney General Thomas McCran
presented the case to the comlaittes
at today's preliminary hearing. None
of the members of the ousted board
were present and the witnesses call
ed this morning told of the payment
of $3.50, 900 by the state for the prop-
erty and testimony to follow later In
the day will be in connection with
the valuation of the property.
Sol Rubenstein of the Perth Am
boy board of assessors, Charles
Steuerwald who made the appraisal
and Clancy Boynton were in attend
ance at the hearing. Hunt had rec
ords of the Amboy board with him.
The first witness called was "A.
Lee Grover, secretary to the state
highway commission since 1917. He
identified a number of letters receiV-
ed from 1917 to 1922 pertaining TO
the purchase. The letters were
shown to him by the attorney gen
eral and it is probable he. VIII be
questioned later in the hearing.
McCran submitted to the commlt-
Voc 4 report of Bridge Engineer
Meade in regard to transactions
rom 1917 up to the time of the pur-
nhase. Horace Gitkins. assistant
cashier in the treasurer's office, was
next called. He produced a check
for s230,000 which was made pay
allie to the Donnell company by the
state. and also presented the deco
showing the transfer to the properly
This transfer was made on June 20
1922. :.
Perth Amboy assessor and assessed
the Donnell property in 1922 at $l9,-
go which represented fifty per cent
of the actual value. He said that
the assessment had been made on
the same basis as adjoining lands OIL
the C. Pardee and National flre-
proofing companies. This Wllhess
told the investigators he consldereu
the seven and half acre tract pul.
chased by the state worth apoue oo
100000, figuring $4,000 or Sl2'Ooo
an acre to be a fair price. He also
fold the committee that If anyone
did not want this land badly, a price
not exceeding $4,000 or $6,OOo an
acre would be offered.
The next witness was Clancy Boyn-
ton. who told of being requested by
Robert Meeker, right of way engl-
neer of the department, to make an
anpraisal of this property early IN
Nav of 1921. Boynton told OF max
ing the appraisal on June and ms
figure was $4,000 an acre OF SsO,o0V
for the entire tract which he thought
was a. fair price. He told the inves-
tigators of other property in that VI
cinity sold about the same time AZ
a similar price and mentioned tne
Sayre & Fisher tract to the west OIL
the Donne1l tract which sold TOT
$4,000 or $4,000 an acre.
Charles Steuerwald, the next VIII
ness, told of being requested py
Engineer Meeker to make an ap-
nraisal and of his fixing price OF
$4,000 an acre or 100000 in all, the
market value in his estimation. lie
also said that other properties in this
Vicinity sold for 100000. Both Boyn-
ton and Steuerwald in reply to ques-
tions put by the attorney general
declared that $230,000 was an ex-
orbitant price.
The secretary of the board, MIR.
Sfoyer. was recalled and told to go
over the minutes of board meetings
since this purchase was first spoken
of. 1t was first taken up at meet
ing on October 2S, 1920, and the
greater part of an hour was taken up
by these readings. The minutes OF
all meetings up to the time the pur-
,hase was authorized were read.
The investigators learned through
he reading of minutes of March 30.
92l, that a communication had
cen received from the Donnell
Dmpany reporting that the land had
cen appraised at $229,000 and
a45,000, the appraisals having been
nade by disinterested parties.
At the meeting on May 10, 1921,
he minutes showed that Chairman
George Burton called the attention
If the board to the possibility of
making progress for a new bridge
IL. the necessary right of way was
purchased from the Donnel COM
pany. He favored the purchase oil
the entire tract, the investigators
learned, for he pointed out at this
meeting that 100000 could be sew
ed because part of the property
could be used for fill in makin0 =" =
approach and then there was a
chance of selling any excess prop
erty.
tConunued on page %
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