Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1924-04-30
Land Is Worth $4,000 to
$4,000 an Acre, Ac-
cording to Witnesses
GOOD WILL CONSIDERED
As Being Worth $75, 900 to
$780, ,000-DonneII Also
Heard-WiII Continue

Activities in the hearing before
the condemnation commission to de
eide upon the value of the land for
the approach of the new state bridge
between this city and South Amboy.
which was taken in the city hall
here yesterday, was featured by the
refusal of Alfred II. March, chair
man of the commission, to allow
Judge William Newcorn, represent
ing the state, TO delve into the ae
tivities of Bernard NJ. Cannon, az
brought out in the investigation car
ried on by the state some months ago
and the testimony by Isaac Alpern.
president of the Perth Amboy Trust
Company, who appraised the land
for the Donnell Company al from
$4,000 to $4,000 an acre.
This testimony on the part of Mr..
Alpern somewhat confiicted with
that of other Donnell appraisers who
! had testified the land to be woIfh
from $22 900 to $4,000 an acre. Mr..
Alpern. however, added to this figure
from $4,000 TO 100000 for the
good will.
Most of the session of the COM
mission yesterday was taken up wffh
the testimony of Thomas j. Evans.
! the secretary of the DonneIl Conn
pany.
At the afternoon session Mr.
/ Evans produced the books of the
Donnell Company and read into the
records various items spent by the
| company to improve the land Their
| there took place a long period OF
| questioning both by Judge Neweorn
| representing the state, and Conover-
/ Enlgish of the law firm of Mccarter
& English, representing the Donnell
! interest concerning the placing of a
railroad switch on the property
| Judge Newcorn endeavored TO prove
! that the land was SO situated that
| the railroad company found it i'm.
possible to place the switch on tn 5
/ property and advised the Donncif
company to purchase additional
| property for the switch. while M
| English and Mr.. Evans; the witness.
| held that the switch was not placed.
on the property because the campanx
would not agree TO the contract as
submitted by the railroad
A lengthy period of questionins
also took place over the fact that no
ships with lumber shipments had.
even tied up to the dock. MIR. Evans
contended that the reason for this
was, that during the war it was iril-
possible to charter ships for the
lumber trade as they were being used
in the shipment of war supplies
w. ]. rDonnell, after whom the
! company is named, told of his in
terest in the firm and also declared
that he valued the property at $780,;
600. He held the tract to be the best
one in Perth Amboy for the lumber
! business, and told of the advantages
the land now had but will be des-
troyed when the bridge is erected.
On cross examination under the
careful questioning of Judge New
corn, Mr.. Donnell admitted the land
had cost the company when purchas-
ed the sum of S37 geo, and that the
| dock had been built at a cost of
/ 5000. He also declared that when
the state began to talk OF. buying the
property the land stood the eompanv
in the sum of $50, 900. He said the
first he knew the state was to take
the land over was when he read
about it in the newspapers After
that he declared that he and Evans
talked the matter over and that
they agreed between them to ask
S235.000 for the property as they
did not want to sell.
Following, Mr.. Donne1l's testI-
mony, the hearing was postponed
until Friday. May 8.
Stick to the standards--Buy a Ford ana