Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-23
BRIDGE LAND PROBE
STARTS IN TRENTON
Continued from Page ~

CONTINUED from Page ~
The former board chairman told
the other members of the board at
the May 10 meeting that the Perth
Amboy Trust Company real esla.S
department appraised the land al
s24O. 600, and Fraser Brothers ap-
praised same at $227,0oU he a,3o
told the other members that he DID
not think $230,00o was an eAnoro,
liant rio and the board voted
unanimously to purchase the land
for this price.
TRENTON, April 2s.-The exam
ination OF records of the state Hign-
wav Department, the state comptroi-
ler;s and the state treasurers once
relating to the purchase Of lands
for the approach to the Perth Am
boy state highway bridge ana n
award of the contract for the pulin,
ing of the Hackensack bridge VIII
mark the first days activities OF the
legislative highway probe commlttee:
formed to investigate charges u
alleged irregularities in highway
bridge matters. The investigator
began today. Senate President Jo-
seph S. Wallworth, OF Camden, pre-
sided over the probe committee.
Oficials of the three Departments
mentioned handling the transaction
have been subpoenaed Tor toudy
and will be called by the committee
to certify as to the acc~urateness D
the records. =, a
n. witnesses today are Robert a.
Meeker, right of way engineer or the
- danarfuoanf FREDERICK
VoIlmer. real estate agent for y
highway department; Harry b.
SaIter, chief auditor in the comptroi-
Ier,s Office, Horace Githins, CHIEF
clerk of the t~reasurer's office and a.
Lee Grover, secretary to b state
Highway Commission. Although
none of these men are involved IN
the proceedings, their testimony as
TO the records of the things investi-
gated are indispensable. Other al
ministrative officers concerned IN
the transactions of the highway
board are also subpoenaed.
The members of the highway
commission which carried out the
transactions, and who were ousted
from office by Governor Silzer re-
Gently, were subpoened and will pc
here today or later, as will the OIL"
GERS of the Donnell Lumber COM
pany. The members of the road
commission under fire are: George
L. Burton, chairman, of South River'
Walter Whittemore. OF Newton: Al
bert 8. L. Doughty. of Mount Holly,
Charles F. Seabrook. of Bridgeton,
John Ferris, of Jersey City. Charles
v, Duffy, of Paterson, George Pad
dock, Of Newark and Thomas E. Col
Inns. of Elizabeth.
The officers of the contracting
company. Of Stillman, Delahanty d
Ferris, of which Commissioner Fer
ris is a member, and which secured
the contract for the erection of the
H~ackensack bridge will also be on
hand to testify, having been called
by the probe committee.
Today's activities will be given
over chiefly to an incorporation in
the minutes of the inquiry of the rec
ords showing what was done in the
bridge matters.
The question to be decided today
is whether the next meeting of the
| committee will be at Perth Amboy.
1t is possible that the committee will
go t that place to take testimony
there relating particularly to the APP
proaches to the Annboy bridge. The
commission, it Is understood, also
wishes to inspect the land bought by
the ousted road board to get a first
hand idea as to its value.
The meeting at Perth Amboy was
the tentative plan Of the committee
as it opened here today. The gener-
al plan, howeve', Is to hold most of
| the session of the committee at Tren-
ton.
The members of the legislative
committee, in addition to Senate
President Wailworth are: Senator
Emerson L. Richards, OF Atlantic
and Senator William H. Bright, 4
Cape May; Speaker OF the House
William w. Evans, of Passaic, AS
semblyman Aarian c. Chamberlin, of
Essex, newly-appointed dry" direc-
tyr in New Jersey, and Frank H.
Welsh. of Hunterdon. The last
named is the only Democrat on the
committee.
The Republican party, it 10 said,
expects to make good political capt.
tai for pc election next fall on What
1t digs out of the highway investisa-
ton. The board was a Democrat
body, and anything whic4 the com.
mittee turns up in the way of mis-
management will make good ammu-
milton.
The probe committee was author.
lied under a resolution passed bS
the recent legislature, and is allow
ed to investigate only two things;
the awarding of the $500, 900 con.
tract for the erection of the Hacken.
sack bridge between Jersey CitS
and Newark to one Of the highway
board members. John Ferris, o!
Jersey City, and the purchase by the
/ board of land alleged to be worth
only $4,000 from the W. ]. Don.
nell Lumber Company for $3.50, 900
TO be used az an approach TO the
] hich hrinrn at parft