Arizona state miner., 1927-02-26

The Report Of the Joint Legislative
Committee For Investigation
the Highway Department

the work on this 1853 miles of
road to be done by contract rather
than by force account.
Mr.. Lefebvre Says:
We do not concede that there
has been any loss such as the
committee points out. They give
US no credit for additional work,
for. surfacing, widening or other
improvements made by the State.
The State Highway Department
pays the union scale of wages to
its employees; it employs union
labor whenever possible; it en-
deavors to maintain American
living wages and standards; it
establishes a comparison between
an American camp and a non
American camp; it provides en-
ployment for citizens beyond the
age of As years, who are unable
to secure employment in mining
or other industries. If these men
are not given employment, many
would probably become subjects
of charity. They would become
embittered and some, doubtless,
would become menaces to society.
, The State Highway Depart
ment is doing work by force ac-
count today on Federal aid pro-
jects with the consent and ap.
proval of the Bureau of Public
Roads, and the Bureau does not
require the Department to COM
pete with q low bidder in case of
contract.
Employees and Padded
Pay Rolls:
j. M. Peck of Phoenix testifies
as follows:
From June until November, 1923,
I was master mechanic for the State
Highway Department. was dis
charged, and the only reason / know
for such discharge was that / re-
fused to allow an outsider to bring
his automobile into the shop to
ns@ It repaired. / had rs men in
my employ. 1t was in the 70s,
anyway.
@. Did you require that number
Of men to- do the work efficiently?
A. Absolutely no.
@. Why did you employ them?
You were master mechanic, weren't
you?
A. My dear sir, master me-
chanic of the State Highway De-
partment is only a figurehead to
keep the work moving, and he does
as his superiors tell him to do.
@. Who are the superiors of the
master mechanic?
A. Well, at that time c. M.
lander was my superior.
@. How did you come to hire
so many men; for what reason?
A. Well, all can say is the men
were brought to me. "Peck, put
this man to work at something"
and few days later: "Peck, put
this man to work at something"
Q. Did you make acquisitions
for men?
A. No.
Q. Or tell them you needed
them? a
Q. And you had no need for
4hose men?
A. No need for these men.
@. How many men would have
done the work in your department
A. Men of my own selection and
men who would have been respon-
sible to myself and no other, l
could have done the work with 80
men.
W. H. LinevilIe, P. H. McCul-
Tough, C. Hs PAUL and J. McCracken
testified along similar lines.
Mr.. Fefebvre says as to Testi-
mony of Former Employees:
/ have perused the testimony Of
former employees discharged from
the department. ! do not care to
dwell at length on this particular
class Of testimony. direct your
attention to the fact that no
representatives of this depart
ment were given opportunity to
cross-examine these witnesses and
that all of their evidence is ex-
parte.
Several witnesses testified they
had ben asked to contribute and had
contributed to the Hunt campaign
fqnd, and Mr. Zander admitted
laving received money from en-
2loyes during 1924 and 1926.
Mr.. LeFebvre Says:
Employees Of the Highway De-
partment voluntarily contributed
10 the campaign funds of the
Democratic party and TO the cam
paign funds Of the Republican
party, and to the campaign funds
of numerous candidates in the
r4~iD7arv The money ihevt CON