Milford chronicle., 1933-12-22

eating committee was told on Nom
day by Thomas Attix, one of the ac-
countants hired to make an audit
of the relief commissions financial
condition.
Moreover, Mr.. Attix testified, Mr..
Layton submitted monthly report
of his expenditures to the relief
commission.
The Legislative committee spent
the entire day hearing the Joint
testimony of Mr.. Attix and Harry
J.. Mack of the firm of Mack and
Attix, accountants.
The fact that Mr.. Layton had re-
imbursed the Relief Commission for
the food orders was revealed by Mr..
Attix in reply to a question by At
torney General Percy Warren Green.
who had asked him if he knew of
any work relief paid for in food
orders.
Signed Check For Refund
"At the end of August" Mr.. At
tix replied. Il had the bookkeeper
draw check to the State Treasur-
er reimbursing the State for the
amount which would have been ex-
pended had the food orders not been
given out. took the check into Mr..
Layton and asked him to sign II"
What conversation then passed"
asked Mr.. Green.
Mr.. Attix responded: "He said,
Why, if you take this you'll take
all the cash / have here l inform
ed him he had nearly $4,000. He
asked me to leave the check and he
would make his decision. l saw him
in Wilmington on Tuesday of that
week and he said he had signed the
check and was turning it over to the
Relief Commission that day"
The chief charge of mismanage-
ment laid to Mr.. Layton in the Re
lief Commissions report to Cover
nor Buck was that Mr.. Layton, in
stead of paying cash wages for
work relief, as the emergency act
stipulated should be paid, issued
food orders and that these served to
increase the business of the stores,
which in turn did business with Mr..
Layton's wholesale house, the lar
gest in Sussex county.
"Do you know the purpose of these
food orders?" asked Senator E. B.
Griffenberg of Mr.. Attix after the
testimony concerning the reim-
bursement.
II do not" Mr.. Attix replied.
No knowledge of Personal Gain
But you know the food orders
served to increase the volume of Mr..
Layton's business, don't you?" per-
sisted Senator Griffenberg.
Il do not. I had no way of know
ing that" said Mr.. Attix. The ques-
tion of paying for work relief with
food orders, Mr.. Attix said, consti-
tuted difference of opinion between
Mr.. Layton and the rest of the Com
mission. Mr.. Attix pointed out the
accountants were not concerned in
this dispute.
One of the points made by the
Relief Commission in its report to
Governor Buck on Mr.. Layton's al
legged mismanagement of relief
funds was that he failed to make
regular and adequate accountings
of his expenditures to the commits
sion.
ION the fifteenth of every month";"
testified Mr.. Attix, ''the executive
secretary of the relief commission
received a copy of the report of Mr..
Layton's expenditures"
AT another point, Mr.. Attix re-
marked: There has been certain
testimony here tending to show that
the bookkeeper in charge of the Sus-
sex county books was incompetent.
In fairness to the bookkeeper in
Sussex 1 will say her records were
kept as orderly and neat and as well
if not better than any other in the
State"
Turning to the question of fur
nishing seeds to farmers for other
than subsistence gardens, a practice
held by the commission to have
been illegal. Mr.. Attix said the lar
gest amount of seeds received by
any one farmer as far as he could
determine was $43 worth, which was
handled through the store of G. l.
Spicer in Laurel.
Mr.. Attix presented a prepared
report on the seed question in which
he said the amounts involved during
the five months ending August 80,
were: New Castle county, $3,777.13.
of which $1,321.31 was for seeds and
the rest, fertilizer and the like; Kent
county, $159.S9, all for seeds, and
Sussex, $25,765.66, all for seeds.
WAS there any tabulation.' ask
ed Mr.. Green, "of the amount of seed
furnished by Layton and Layton,
Inc"
mo sir" Mr.. Attix answered.