The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-23
COSTS GROW FOR
 MERRITT ROAD
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SCUntlnuUu run kaBo kD oil, oe which no is Q member. would study the reports made to the gOv- ernor with c view Co prospective ieglslatlon changing tho methods of handling all land purchaaeo in the highway department.
 More Co Do Bought
 State Highway Cognsnlsslonef John A. Macdonald, in sole charge Of the land purchases. affirmed Controller Swarta's statement that total rlghta-oe-way costs may reach o0,e00 GOO after oil purchases were completed. Eorty.one parcels of land remain Go be bought.
 Ae refused Co comment on reports prices paid for land by tho state were considerably in excess of the assessed valuations of the property.
 Congressman Alfred N. Phillips, Jr. D, Stamford, declared tho situation represented "the rottenest corruption and everything vile in Fairfield county politics.
 'The people responsible are the same who have been opposing c0ns structive legISlatlon In this county for years.'
 Governor Back at Desk
 Gov. Wilbur L. Gross returned Co his desk after 0 2A.hour absence Co find Q preliminary" report Of In. diivduAl purchases of land by the highway department from April l2. fA99 t0 the nfeseYRk.
 Not included in the statement were purchases of 4i,0iS,000 made for two years prior to i032. Controller swarts promised to compile 6 complete statement of Merritt Parkway purchases as soon as he could assemble the figures In his office and In the highway dc. partment.
 Many of the land purchases, Swarts said, were not designated as such on bills of sale, thus making 1t extremely difficult for his office help and the auditors to compile totals.
 Tt may take weels," he said. Triple Assessed Values Purchase prices, it was reported, in many instances were triple the assessed values. Tn one case S20,. 900 was paid for approximately one- half an acre of land. The average known price was nearly 5000 an acre for improved and uniinproved property.
 while auditors delved into hlgh- way department records, State Pub. lic Works Commissioner Robert A. Hurley put finishing touches on Q confidential report on that depart. ments activities. The report was expected to reach Governor Gross momentarily.
 It will contain, reliable sources said, 0 survey of state.aid and trunk.iine financial and construc- ton operations of Macdonald's de- partment, Q survey of construction costs of the Merritt Parkway, and would "touch on" the Parkway rights.of.way purchases.
 Hartford, Conn, Dec. 23-tUP)- state Comptroller Charles Q. ewarts Issued an ultimatum today to Aigh' way Commissioner John A. McDon. aid that hc would refuse to approve cheeks for tho departments expen. ditures unless It's present system was changed to segregate every account. T Nm recommending at once. swartE said, "that every project have a number. l refuse to approve any highway department cheeks sin. til this Is done." Under the existlng setup all expenditures are presented In Q lump sum. swarts said that under the law he had Q right to demand they be broken down.
 The comptrollers announcement was the latest development in the lnyestigation of land purchases for the Merritt Parkway rights.oesway through Fairfield county which, to date, reached an incomplete total of nearly 4b,boo,o00.
 Complains Bitterly
 swarts complained bitterly that when he took office ln January iO36 there was "confuSion in tho Parkway accounts. Tt has been customary" he said, "sinee ! took office that oil checks for payment for land be issued on c special type of check. These checks were sent to the Attorney General for delivery and recording of the deeds. I find however, that this was not the es- abolished custom in tho past when I took office. A great many pur- chases of land came through on mixed payments lists prior to my administration"
 Must Cheek All Every purchase in connection with the Merritt Parkway land acquisi- ton, he said, would have to Do thoroughly checked before c cofn- plete and official total of expendi- lures was obtained.
 He promised Q breakdown of the total when it Is completed, probably | in two weeks. Costs, 1t was under. stood, may reach s0,6oo.o00 for land alone.
 The highest price paid by tho state for the Parkway land, it was disclosed, was S2io000 to the Port Green realty O., Greenwich, March il. 1882 for 40.2 acres. Nell M. Joyce, Greenwich, received S96,02i on March 90, 1882 for io.700 acres. l