The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-14
c. W. A. SuperS at
Bear Mountain
Exposed on Graft
W orkers Discharged,
W lille Favorites
Are Hired

4 Al u AAAA C0
This is the second in the series
of exposes on the slave conditions
in the Bear Mountain G. w. A.
project, investigated by the Daily
Worker. The first appeared yes
terday.
Higgins is in on every grating
racket. He has charge of the
liquor selling concession on the
train between New York and Wee
hawken and, only those who take
care" Of the superintendent can
sell on it. Those who have tried to
do so without paying Higgins have
been fired from their C.W.A. jobs.
Higgins takes his graft either in
cash or in liquor, and the last car
of the train is the scene each night
of wild drinking bouts in which the
two superintendents, Higgins and
Koran, and their cronies are
drunken participants. There are
other concessions on the project
such as selling cigarets, tobacco, and
various articles of food and clothing.
The officials are well paid for al
lowing these. AS for the easier
jobs, only those who are willing to
pay for them, or a member of the
bosses inner coterie. can hope to
secure one.
All sorts of excuses and frame
ups are being used to reduce the
number of workers, especially
those who are militant, on the
project. The first day that the
C.W.A. took over the project from
the Emergency Home Relief, the
foreman of each crew was told TO
retain only the workers he con-
sidered absolutely necessary, and
TO dIso-.erge all others. Many
workers whom the bosses con-
sdered undesirable were thus
weeded out.
Takes on FavOrites
While these men, whose families
depended on their paltry wages to
keep from starving, were being
fired wholesale other men, friends
and relations of the bosses on the
job, were being hired at high SAL
aries. One particularly fragrant
example Of this is the favoritism
shown to George Hope, a brother
in-law of Supt. Koran. Although
Hope had a steady job in New York
City, and was not eligible for Home
Relief, the superintendent brought
him to Bear Mountain, and gave
him a job as foreman at $500 a
week. This was more than double
the pay of the men working under
him. After working only three days
as foreman, Koran made him
road boss at a salary of $145 a
month.
To make room for parasites like
Hope, heads of families are fired
without prOvocation. If necessary,
they are framed. Two engineers
from New York City were singled
out, beaten up and arrested by
i've Interstate Park police, ar
raigned before Justice of the
Peace at Stony Point on trum-
ped-up charges of disorderly con-
duct and intoxication, and fined
$50 and costs.
Speeding the work and driving
the men till they break down is one
of the methods used by the off,
Gals to provide an excuse for dis
missal. There are various heart
breaking details, such as the drill
ing gangs and carrying water, TO
which workers are assigned to
hasten their firing.
The work of the drilling gangs
consists of breaking rocks so as to
facilitate their removal during
road building. Formerly "a inches of
drilling was a days work. This mark
has been increased by Supt. Koran
to six feet, which is almost impos-
sible, especially on hard rock. Those
who succeed in reaching the mark
finish the day in a physical state
bordering on collapse.
The source of drinking water on
the project is a IL inch pipe, from
which the water barely trickles. Be-
cause of this, the carriers are forced
to stand in a long line waiting their
turn. Despite this, they have been
ordered to increase their trips to
eight daily. To make this many
trips, they have to push themselves
to death.
Harrassed on all sides by graft,
kick-back rackets, intimidation, dis
elimination, brutal working condi-
tions, and wholesale firings. the 5000
C.WA. workers on the Bear Noun