Evening star., 1947-08-22
Bid Openings TO Toss
0uoddy Training Plan
Rumpus Over TO WAA.
By Don S. Warren

Oh LIE pldH dic GApSSGcu W <SOllAC1
Monday.
Bids are to be opened Tuesday BY
the WAA for the use of the deserted
village, known among the natives a!
Quoddy now surplus property await
ing disposal,
One will be a proposal offered BY
officials of Eastport, Me, of which
Quoddy in 1888 became a sudder
and costly suburb, to acquire th'
200-odd buildings and use them q!
a training center for displaced per
sons brought over from the Ameri
can-occupied zone in Germany
Trained there for six or sever
months, the DPS then would be sen
to South America for permanen
employment. Uruguay, Argentina
and Brazil are the countries t
which they would be sent.
Backed. by Brewster.
This has been backed. in principle
at least, by Senator Brewster, Re
publican, of Maine, who on July
issued a press release saying tina
Quoddy Village was about to "bov
itself into national prominence a!
a testing laboratory for a human
itarian project"
More recently, controversy wa!
stirred over the plan, when charges
arose that it involved something
approaching "slave labor" since th'
DPS would not or could not be paie
wages for laboratory training time
they spent on assemblage OF farm
tractors or other implements o.
goods and later sold by affiliated
industrial concerns.
Roy Haines, administrative assist
ant to Senator Brewster, fatll
denied the Eastport plan involves
anything suggestive of slave labor.
He said Senator Brewster's only
interest in the plan is that OF trying
to aid the people of Maine anc
Eastport.
There is no idea of slave labor
any more than there could be II
saying the training of G1s is slave
labor" he said.
Idea Ifaceu TO EDnlOn.
He said the suggestion of slave
labor" had been picked up, or made
use of by innuendo, from a protes
that had been published by an offlcia
of the international Machinists
Union, against lack of wage plar
for the DIP trainees.
Backing the trainee program i!
Frank Cohen, New York and Ph1la
delphia f1nancier and industrialist
who is a manufacturer Of farm
tractors and other goods. Hi
Washington representative, active IL
negotiations with Senator Brewster
Office and others here, declared th'
Eastport plan is entirely humanl
tartan and entirely nonproflt.
Persons admitted under the tenn
porary six-month visa, reporter
were advised, could be gainfull,
employed.
The plight of Eastport taxpayer
was stressed by Mr. Haines. H
said that, when the project tt
harness the mighty tides of the Ba.
of Fundy to generate electricit,
actually was started by Presiden
Roosevelt, using Public Works funds
Esstportcontributed heavily through
the lhuiiding of connecting sfoad
and sewers and expansion Of schoo
and other facilities.
Population Drops.
Mr.. Haines recalled that, Wher
Congress in 1886 killed the $4,000,
900 tidal power project, on which
nearly $7000,O00 had been spent
it created quite serious situation
for Eastport. That city, he added
later was obliged to call on the Stat,
to take over the Quoddy suburb
which finally was taken out OF th
red by the sale of properties undeI
tax liens.
Once boom town of $500, East
port now numbers only some 3,400
Mr.. Haines was informed.
The sad plight of Eastport nov
is worse than ever before" he con
tinued, because for the last twt
years its sole industry, the canning
of sardines, has been shut down.
Closed down in 1885, Quoddy vii
lage later was used for a time BY
the National Youth Administration
as a schooling center, but with thu
death of NYA it again was deserted
Later, it was taken over as train.
ing base 1by the Seabees, but that
too, came to an end When the
Navy trainees left, the industria
and housing buildings were stripped
of machinery, refrigerators ane
other equipment.
Costs Cited.
In support of the reconversion plar
suggested by Eastport officials, tht
Washington agent of Mr.. Cohen sale
he and his associates operating a
the proposed DIP training center
would have to bear the costs of re-
conditioning the buildings, theil
maintenance and meet the costs o.
the training program.
This agent added it is not planned
that any producing factory" woule
be activated at Quoddy Village, bu
that it would amount only to &
pilot" plant Any returns tha'
might result from the sale of any
assembled materials, he added woult
be "plowed back into the training
project" since the whole plan /!
predicated on a non-proft basis.
Mr.. Cohen was described as &
hater of Naziism. fascism and, Hitler
and as a man who would be "a very
happy man" if even at the cost tt
him of s1,000,000 he could feel hi
was moving spirit in program
giving aid to displaced persons who
might number eventually between
$4,000 and 100000.
Mr.. Cohen, among other business
activities, Senator Brewster's office
was informed, is chairman OF the
board of the Empire Tractor Corp.
of Philadelphia, which manufactures
guns, tanks and munitions durlns
the war, and chairman of the boarc
,., 1r,,I.., Troy, Wo~kS of Wilkes.