The Child Buyer Read Free

MANSFIELD. Bring in Mr. Wairy. . . . Please be sworn, Mr. Wairy.
    Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give before the Standing Committee on Education, Welfare, and Public Morality of the State Senate will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
    Mr. WAIRY. I do.
    TESTIMONY OF MR. LUKE S. WAIRY, CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF EDUCATION, TOWN OF PEQUOT
    Mr. BROADBENT. Kindly identify yourself, sir, if you please, by name, residence, and occupation.
    Mr. WAIRY. Luke S. Wairy, 414 Silver Hill Street, Pequot. I'm in the clock business by trade, but I suppose what is relevant here is that I'm Chairman of our School Board. That's practically an occupation in itself, gentlemen.
    Mr. BROADBENT. If our information is correct, Mr. Wairy, you seem to be a man with some half-dozen occupations. Besides your own manufactory—that's the Early Bird Alarm Clock Works of Pequot, isn't it?—
    Mr. WAIRY. It is, sir.
    Mr. BROADBENT. Besides that concern, and the Board of Education, you may confirm to the committee, if you will, sir, that you are also a member of the vestry of the Silver Hill First Church, chairman of the Helping Hand Committee of the Lions' Club, immediate past chairman of the Red Feather Drive, past
    THE CHILD BUYER
    chairman of the Town Planning and Zoning Commission—I won't begin to go into the entire record, sir.
    Mr. WAIRY. Well, now, that's all right, we're all citizens and Christians.
    Senator MANSFIELD. I would like to say, sir, that it's an honor for us representatives of the people to have appear before us a man of such evident probity and public spirit, and such a good sound businessman, sir, as yourself. I gather you are also currently top scorer in the Treehampstead Thursday Duplicate Bridge Club.
    Mr. WAIRY. I may say, Senator, that your investigators have some reputation, upstate in our area, for rigorous thoroughness, and I fear they've put their tape on me. I'm impressed.
    Mr. BROADBENT. Would you fill the committee in, sir, on the basic facts about the town of Pequot—population, tax capabilities, so on?
    Mr. WAIRY. We have—at the last census we had—a population of twenty-seven thousand five hundred. We have two high schools, three junior highs, and eight elementary schools; we run a K-six, seven-nine, ten-twelve school system, if you want to be technical. At the present time our tax rate is thirty-two point six mils. Frankly I believe our assessments are some years behind the times, and by and large the evaluations run only around forty per cent of true value. Personally I am deeply concerned about the trend of the town, because where you used to have a pretty fair balance of industry and real estate for your tax base, you now have these developers going ahead any old way and putting up a lot of cardboard ranchers for the young people, young breeders, and we're getting to be a bedroom town for Treehampstead, rather than keeping the growth of the grand list on an even keel all along the line. I don't like it.
    Mr. BROADBENT. Thank you, sir, I believe that will do for now about the community you so ably represent. We were wonder-
    ing, sir, if you would mind giving us a coherent account of the recent happenings in Pequot.
    Mr. WAIRY. I will not burden your record unduly, gentlemen. I am not up on all the details. I'm not a great hand at inventing details.
    Mr. BROADBENT. Since the man Wissey Jones has alleged certain so-called educational purposes, among others, for his activities, we thought—
    Mr. WAIRY. Sir, we concern ourselves at Board meetings with bursted boilers. Whether the custodian can be asked to use the gang mower on the football field, that kind of thing. We don't get into educational matters near as much as some people think.
    Mr. BROADBENT. Who would have the basic facts? Mr. Owing?
    Mr. WAIRY. You won't get anything out of the Superintendent. We have the devil's own time at Board meetings getting him to give a dry description of anything,