Evening star., 1939-04-17
u. ). Official Aided
Workers Alliance,
LASER Testifies
House Group Is Told
Robert Marshall Made
$500 Contribution
BY the Associated Press.


BY the Associated Press.
David LASER, head of a national
union of w. P. A. workers, told
House investigating committee today
that his organization, the Workers
Alliance, had received contribu-
ton Of $4,000 from Robert Marshall,
whom he described as a Govern
ment official.
He made this statement shortly
after telling the investigating COM
mlttee, In response to questions, that
he had made a trip to Russia in
1887 at the alliances expense.
MIR. LASER said he understood that
MIR. Marshall was an Official In the
Agriculture Department.
Mr.. Marshall had contributed
$500 this year and a smaller sum
last year, the alliance president said.
because he believed in the move
ment.
MIR. LASER testified also that his
organization had received $500 from
a wealthy unnamed individual of
Baltimore. Md, whose contribution
was listed as being from the Chris
tian Social Justice Fund"
Denies Writing for Worker.
The dark-haired young union
president denied that he had writ
ten articles for the Daily Worker,
Communist newspaper. Shown an
article in the Worker bearing his
name, he contended it had been
published without his authorization.
j. OCOnnor Roberts, committee
counsel, questioned him closely about
statement which the Workers Al
lance issued concerning the. action
OF Congress in cutting $4,000 900
from a w. P. A. fund requested by
President Roosevelt.
In the statement, the alliance said
the conservative group in Congress
had achieved its end by misrepre-
sentations and lies.
Mr.. LASER earlier told the probers
he had been invited by Soviet
trade unions to be delegate to
celebration of the goth anniver-
Sary of the Russian revolution.
He told OF the trip in response
to questions by J. O'Connor Roberts,
counsel for the House Investigating
Committee.
Denies Reporting Activities.
He denied, in the exchange, that
he made report on the activities
of his organization to the Soviet
government.
Herbert Benjamin, secretary treas
urer OF the alliance, told the sub
committee the organization had an
enrolment of 260,64O.
The largest alliance organizations,
he said, are in California, Colorado,
Illinois, Indiana. Iowa, Kansas,
Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New
Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and WASH
ington.
Mr.. Benjamin testified the ma
tional organization operated on a
monthly income averaging about
$4,000. Dues, initiation fees and
charter fees account for approx
imately so per cent of this, he said,
and income from the sale of other
supplies such as literature and the
alliance newspaper constitute about
As per cent. Contributions, funds
raised for special campaigns and
miscellaneous accounts" bring in
the remaining per cent, Mr.. Ben
jamin said.
Mr. O la,,inI ~
the Workers Alliance is subver-
Sive.
Testifying at the outset of the
House investigation into the work
relief agency, Mr.. LASER appeared
Immediately after the Appropria-
tiOns Subcommittee conducting the
inquiry had voted to throw its
hearings open to reporters.
Tells Of Complaints.
Mr.. LASER. saying most w. P.
A. supervisors were honest, eff
cient, fair testified nevertheless
that workers all over the country
had complained:
That supervisors were selected
on basis of political pull and for
the political influence they can
WELD, that they had no economic
need of their jobs. that they were
incompetent and inefficient and that
they were engaged in activities that
resemble or are corruption.
He charged also that when funds
are cut and workers must be dis
charged, "the poor project worker
who is in need is dropped; the we'll
fixed supervisor is retained in his
comfortable job" and that it is
almost impossible for an ordinary
project worker to get a supervisory
job unless he has "the pull" or
political connections.