The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-05-03
FILE ANSWERS ON
LAND PURCHASE
Former Highway Commissioners
Explain Their Votes on Perth
Amboy Bridge Site.
BOND ISSUE is OPPOSED
Pierson Against 100000 Bond Is
sue-Deciares $40, 900, 900 Sufficient
for Highway Work in Jersey
Way Provides Safety Margin.

Trenton,-The four remaining mem
bers of the old State Highway Com
mission filed in The Court of Chancery
answers to the suit brought against
them by Attorney General McCran to
money paid for the land used
as the approaches to the new Perth
Amboy bridge in excess of its actual
value. The property was purchased
for $3.50. 900, and it is alleged to have
been appraised at $4,000. The an
swers were filed by George L. Burton,
of South River, chairman of the old
commission; Charles f. Seabrook, Of
Cumberland county; A. S. L. Doughty,
of Mount Holly, and George Paddock,
of Newark.
Seabrook said in his answer that
the land could not have been pur-
chased for less than the amount paid
for it, and that in voting for the reso-
luton authorizing its purchase he had
been guided by the opinion of the At
tOrney General that the course it was
proposed to follow was a legal pro-
cedure. 1t was claimed by Doughty
that at the time he voted for the pur-
chase OF the land for $230,00O he had
no knowledge of the fact that it had
been appraised for $4,000. Two APP
pr~aisals had been made for the com
mission, he said, one of which fixed
the value at $3.50, 900 and one at $247,-
900. He considered the price paid a
reasonable one in view of the fact
that $3.50. 900 had been paid for the
land in 1916 and that since that time
it had been substantially improved.
Discuss Bond issue
Senator Arthur N. Pierson, recog-
nized as the dean of financiers in the
legislature, called upon William T.
Read, the state treasurer, and Newton
A. K. Hugbee, the state comptroller,
two OF the three members of the State
House Commission, to oppose the Is
sue of $40, 000, 900 Of state highway
bonds to run for terms Of ten and
fifteen years.
The senator argued that the $780,
000, 900 bonds strictly for road con
struction work should run hfteen
years instead Of ten, declaring that
that would make available a larger
amount for road purposes and would
provide an adequate margin of safety
with relation to receipts from the one
mill tax.
Though the Pierson plan would add
approximately S. 500, 900 to the in
terest charges on the bond issue, Mr..
Pierson pointed out that the longer
term bonds having less annual sinking
charges to meet would leave a margin
for emergency road work and such
extras as linking up highway routes
which would otherwise be impossible.
Both Mr.. Read and Mr.. Bugbee
were inclined to take the view that
when the voters ratified the bond issue
they did so with the understanding
that $40, 000, 900 and M more was to
be raised for road purposes, and hence
that it became the duty of the issu-
ing authorities to make the life OF the
bonds as short as the income from the
one-mill tax would warrant. This they
believe can be accomplished by the
issue of 100000, 900 of ten-year bonds
and $40, 00O, 900 of f~fteen-year bonds.
Morris Plains Model institution
New Jersey plans to make its State
Hospital for the Insane at Morris
Plains the finest institution of it's kind
in the land.
On account of the oyercrowding in
the Morris Plains institution it vas
decided that something had to be done
Immediately toward obtaining relief.
To that end the legislature, at its re-
zen session, passed a bill providing a
direct tax of one-half of a mill for the
sole bentft of the state hospital at
Morris Plains, which will yield more
than s2,O0O,0 900 during the coming year
to give the much needed relief.
"A definite building policy has been
worked u to provide in a systematic
manner for the necessary construc-
ton work to solve the problem of con-
gestion in the hospital said DR.. Mar
Gus H. Curry, superintendent, in dis
cussing future plans. Definite and
sweeping action will be taken. For
two years these conditions have been
Dr0ugn 10 ne atteulioH VI tue 1SSiS-
iative bodies, but such appropriations
as have been made have been sufh-
cient to permit only of palliative and
piecemeal constructive measures.
Yearly R~ecoveries
statistics for the past ten years
a913-1922) show that the average
yearly r~ecoveries, under an exces-
sively o~ver-crowded condition, has
fallen to 17.6 per cent; the average
yearly number of patients restored
was log. may add right here that
the Morris Plains state hospital has
today a census of 5000, with accom-
modations for only 1,750 patients.
with the additional funds at our
disposal, we will be able to house
satisfactorily in five new buildings our
present excess population with accom-
modations for 1900 additional patients
and furnish ample housing relief for
our entire staff of employees taking
care of these patients. Funds will