Evening star., 1939-05-12
Alliance Demands
Chance 10 Refufe
Kidnap Testimony
Reading (Po.) Delegation
Expected Today to
Reussure Moser
By BLAIR BOLLES.

was expected to arrive here this
morning David LASER, national al
lance president, said they are COM
ing to refute sensational testimony
inimical to the w. P. A. union given
to the committee yesterday.
The delegates, Mr. LASER said, are
bringing assurances to Representa-
tive Moser, Democrat, of Pennsyl-
vania, that they and their colleagues
will protect him from bodily harm
when he speaks tomorrow at the
post office dedication in Reading.
Committee in Recess.
The committee was in recess
until Monday at 10 am, but there
was a possibility it might be called
together to give a special hearing
to the alliance visitors from Penn
sylvania.
Further sensations about the
political kinship between Tennes-
see bigwigs and the w. P. A. are
expected to be laid before the COM
mittee Monday through the testi-
mony of Eugene R. Kuhne, dis
charged fish technician of the
Tennessee Conservation Depart
ment.
Mr.. Kuhne lost his job after in
forming Harry S. Barger, commit
tee investigator, about w. P. A.
improvements made in Tennessee to
enhance property values, with re-
sultant benefits to Gov. Prentice
Cooper and Maj. George Berry, for
mer United States Senator.
New Tennessee disclosures were
given to the committee yesterday.
Mr.. LASER branded as ridiculous
and unfounded" the charges made
by Chris Doose, investigator, be-
fore the committee inquiring into
the Works Progress Administra-
ton that radical members of
the Reading local of the Workers
Alliance planned to interfere physi-
cally with Mr.. Moser, who voted
against recent relief appropriations
and carry him off when he gave his
talk. Mr.. Doose said the alliance
Tuesday night was offered a resolu-
ton pledging it to physical interfer-
ence with Mr.. Moser.
Resolution Pledges Picketing.
When the alliance amended the
resolution so that they were COM
mitted only to picketing the dedica-
ton in protest, the Communists in
the alliance, according to Mr.. Doose,
decided independently to go ahead
with the kidnapping.
Mr.. MoSer, who listened at the
committee meeting to the testimony
OF Mr.. Doose, who said he had his
information from a spy" attending
the Tuesday meeting, commented
that he would make the speech "un-
less he dropped dead meanwhile"
The resolution was offered, Mr..
Doose said, by Ben Rubin, educa-
tional director Of the alliance in
Reading, and, according to another
affidavit, Communist.
Mr.. LASER last night sent a tele-
gram to Representative Taylor,
Democrat, Of Colorado, chairman of
the investigation committee, de-
manding a hearing before the COM
mittee for his delegation from Read
ing. He sent another telegram to
Mr.. Moser that the full membership
OF the alliance in Reading would be
present at the speech making to save
him from the "hoodlums" sneaked
into the alliance by reactionaries
seeking to discredit the organization.
Yesterdays testimony came from
Investigator Barger, who said it
would take three months to find out
all there was to know about w. P. A. |
irregularities in the State, and. two
engineers from the Treasury De-
partment's Procurement Division.
Claire Spiker and John England.
Mr.. Barger drew attention to the
work the w. P. A. does in Tennessee
for private persons, building private |
roads for men whom the local au- |
thorities consider worthy of "po-
litical preferment," and spending
81, 100000 in community SANTA
ton project" (which was designed |
to build toilets on private property.
Eastern Section Favored.
The investigator reported that S.
100000 more in w. P. A. money was
spent in Eastern Tennessee, where
the Republicans are strongest, than
in West Tennessee, and that even
the community sanitation project
was pursued more vigorously in the
Eastern areas. He said one of the |
private road-building jobs, which
later was abandoned, put trail up
to the mines owned by Lou Pope,
described as powerful politician.
Engineers Spiker and England
spent some time in Tennessee as the
employees of the committee, inquir-
ing into the costs of 48 projects
They broke down the costs on IL of |
these projects. and compared their
costs under w. P. A. management |
with the estimated costs that would
have been true if the jobs had been
let to private contractors. Invaria-
bly,, the private estimate was lower,
as in these examples:
Grandstand for the University of
Tennessee. Knoxville, w. P. A., $780,
600; private construction, $250,O00.
Laboratory at the University Of
Tennessee, w. P. A., So, 600; private,
100000.
Earth dam at Laurel Lake, in the
Great Smokes, IS miles from Knox
vile, w. P. A., 100000; private,
$4,000.
Orphans home at Chattanooga,
w. P. A., 1925 900: private, $3.50 900.
Mr.. Spiker said that under the
circumstances he thought the w. P.
A. did very well in its costs. He ex-
planned that the labor it has is in
efficient and said that 1t is difficult |
for the job supervisors to figure costs
when they know only from month to
month how many men they are 60
ing to have working for them and
how much money is to be allotted to
them.
Mr.. Barger said there are persons
on the w. p A. rolls in Tennessee
who will not leave because they get