The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-11
'Tip-Off" Alleged In ]
 Merritt Highway Deal
Charges, Counter Charges Hurled in Controversy; Experts to Be Summoned in Official Probe of Facts

whitening fire making these and many other charges against the de- partrnent in report to the Gov ernor.
 Saturday afternoon States Attor- ney Lorin w. Willis, Attorney Gen. eral Charles J. Mclaughlin, Chief Justice William M. Maltbie and Gov ernor Cross conferred for hours at the State Capital. Their decision to dig more deeply into the workings and records of the highway depart ment was finally reached and States Attorney Willis will go before Judge Carl Foster of Superior Court to ask for grand jury to investigate the charges.
 Experts Called
 State police will be used in the case to subpoena witnesses as well as expert accountants and expert real estate appraisers and attaches of states attorneys office.
 It is safe to assume, according to capital circles, that the grand jury will go much deeper into the affairs of the state highway department than the Merritt System Parkway. From reliable source it was learned today that the purchases of land for the Kings Highway will also be in- vestigated as will many other angles of the workings of the. department.
 Under the new state statute the grand jury will have the authority to subpoena witnesses from outside the state of Connecticut. Among wit nesses that are expected to be called before the grand jury are Arthur H. Waterman, former president of the Prudence company of New York and now vice president of the New York Investors, Inc. and the Westport Els tates, Inc. of Greenwich, both of which firms are involved in the sale of 25 acres of Westport land to the state. This property was assessed at $13,160 and was sold to the state by these companies for $183,000.
 Pertinent Questions .s
 Many of the questions which are heard in the capital railways are, how did certain persons know just where the Parkway was going-so they could buy up the right tracts and sell them to the state? Why has the information about the route, and the prices paid for land along the Merritt Highway been kept from the public and even the Governor? Why didn't the Highway Commissioner bring condemnation proceedings against these land owners in an eff fort to establish fair standard price for the land? Why were some com- panies paid higher prices than others when their pieces of property adjoined each other and look exactly alike?
 These and many more questions will be asked as the grand jury makes its sweeping investigation.
 Many rumors were rife in the capital Saturday to the effect that Commissioner. Macdonald had re- signed, been asked to resign or that he would be asked to resign were false. .-.,
 Governor Informed
 Governor Cross who has been kept informed about the affairs of the State Highway Department by Public Works Commissioner Robert A. Hurley has indicated that he was preparing to reorganize the State Highway Department. But he has not asked for Macdonald's resignation. The governor can re- move the commissioner but only af- ter preferring charges, and the com- missioner would be entitled to public hearing.
 Commissioner Macdonald has all ready stated that he welcomed the grand jury investigation and that ne was preparing to. show his rec ords on all the deals made by his department in its purchase of land not only for the Merritt Highway but for considerably more purchases that the state has made of land tracks for other highways. He said he is prepared to show how and why he bought land for the state at the prices he paid.
 The last few days of the 1897 ses- sion of the Connecticut General As- sembly involved into a party fight over the Jurisdiction of the office of Commissioner of Public Works and the State Highway department Democrat members of the legisla- ture fought to have the state high way department come under the jurisdiction of Robert Hurley, com missioner of Public Works. The Commissioner of State Highway is, and has been for many years, con- sidered the citadel of the Repub- lican Party.