Legislature Authorizes Purchase of Old Colony

The Senate and the House resurrected yesterday what they had killed last week, as both approved Governor Volpe's bill to purchase the controversial Old Colony line of the New Haven Railroad for use as part of a rapid transit system to the South Shore.

At the same time, a reliable source disclosed that such a transaction was definitely integral to University success in obtaining the also controversial Bennett St. MTA yards across from Eliot and Kirkland Houses. Harvard has long wanted this site for construction of the tenth House called for in the Program for Harvard College.

Action in the Great and General Court came after a weekend of political juggling in which Volpe succeeded in winning away from Sen. President John E. Powers (D) a number of the votes which had helped Powers defeat the plan late last week. Perhaps most decisive to Volpe was sudden support from Rep. John F. Thompson (D) of Ludlow, Speaker of the House.

The vote in the House was 150 to 70, in the Senate, 22 to 16.

Although the Senate must act today on reconsideration, with its new support the bill is expected to pass.

One of the principal stumbling blocks in the MTA-University negotiations has been the Authority's alleged difficulty in finding a substitute for the Cambridge yards. Reportedly, passage of the Governor's bill will provide the MTA with an adequate replacement in certain Old Colony facilities.

Volpe Favors Sale

Since February 1958, the University has offered one million dollars over market value for the site. Chances for the sale seemed particularly suspicious when Governor Volpe told the CRIMSON during his election campaign that he would favor such a sale.

Sponsored by Reps. John J. Campbell and John R. Sennott, a bill which would create a committee to study the best possible use of the Bennett St. yards is now pending in the House. To offset civic opposition to the use of so much land by an institution exempt from property taxes, the University has offered in the past to devote part of the site to commercial structures--perhaps a bank, an apartment house, or a parking garage--which would be liable to taxation.

The state has long had an option to purchase the Old Colony from the deficit ridden New Haven. Although Judge Robert E. Anderson of the New Haven Federal District Court had said he would not extend the May 3 deadline by which the Legislature had to exercise the option, at the last minute he granted a five day extension. It was his third such concession since December 8.

Amalgamation of the Old Colony with the MTA is a major part of Governor Volpe's plan to revitalize the long-suffering Boston transit system. It is reported that inherent in Volpe's proposal is the hope that an efficient rapid transit to the South Shore communities will help to decrease the growing automobile traffic from that area to the vicinity of down-town Boston.