The Penn's Grove record., 1923-04-27
Former Highway Commissioners
Explain Their Votes on Perth
AmbOy Bridge Site.
BOND ISSUE IS OPPOSED
Pierson Against s~4o.ooo.ooo Bond Is
sue-Deolares s3O,ooo.ooo Sufficient
for Highway Work in Jersey
Way Provides Safety Margin.

" to the SHIT brought against
them by Attorney General McCran to
recover money paid for the land used
as the approaches 10 the new Perth
Ambov brIdge in excess Of its actual
value. The property was purchased
for $4,000. and il is alleged to have
been appraised at $4,000. The an
swers we're filed by George L.. Burton.
of South River, chairman of the old
commission. CHARLES =. S~eabrook, 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 II. and that in voting for the reso-
luton authorizing its purchase he had
been guided by the opinion of the At
teruey General that the curse it was
proposed TO follow was a legal pro-
csdu-e. I. was claimed by Doughty
that at the time he voted for the pur-
chase o. the land for s230,000 he had
no knowledge Of the fact hat il mad
been appraised for $4,000. Two APP
praisals had been made for the com
mission. he sad. one Of which fixed
the value at S23o.0ao and one at S247,-
900. He considered the price paid a
reasonable enc in view of the fact
that sI50.QQ0 aad been paid for the
land I 4 1915 and ut since hat time
It had been substantially improved.
0fsrucs Rand Ieeue
Senator Arthur y. Pierson, recog-
nized as the dean Of fnanciers in the
legislature, called upon William T.
Read, the state treasurer, and Newton
A. K. Bugbee. the state comptroller,
two OF the three members of the State
House Commission. to oppose the is
sue Of $40, 600 900 of state highway
bonds to u for terms of ten and
fifteen years.
The senator argued that the $50
600 900 bonds strictly for road con
struction work should run fifteen
years instead Of ten. declaring hat
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 S5.500.000 to the in
terest charges on the bond issue, Mr..
Pierson poiHed 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 hip 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 50 with the understanding
that $40, O0O, 900 and no more was to
be raised for road Purposes, and hence
hat 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 a be accomplished by the
issue OF 100000, 900 OF ten-year bonds
and 100000 of ffteen-year bonds.
Morris Plains Model Institution
New Jersey plans to make it's State
Hospital for the Insane at Morris
Plains the finest institution of its kind
in the land.
On account Of the o~vercrowding in
the Morris Plains institution it was
decided that something had to be done
Immediately toward obtaining relief.
To that end the legislature, at its re-
cent session, passed a bill providing a
direct tax of Oup-halT Of mill for the