SCRUPLES THAT WON’T BE STIFLED.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1926, Page 3

SCRUPLES THAT WON’T BE STIFLED.

Some people have a curious idea of “placing fair.” As a rule, the average man might wink at tricking tlio Revenue, but would regard straightforward robbery with horror. Vet a. burglar, in the Stales, voluntarily paid up his income-tax for last year and sent with his remittance a

statement to the effect: “My business is burglary, and I’m not ashamed to say so. If more of your millionaires would file their income taxes as honest as I do there would lie a lot more moiiev in the United States Treasury. I always play fair with Uncle Sam.” Conscience scruples are apt to change with circumstances, in the case- of some people. There was the -amusing ( .., w of a man who sent ton pounds to a newspaper as a. charitable contribution, to ease bis conscience over a shady deal in which he had cheated ft friend. . Six months Inter the. man wrote and asked for his money hack, saying that |,e felt Unit his conscience had really been clear all the time and that, he was now hard up.

The most common conscience payments an? those made oil account of income tax frauds. Sometimes, the payments are made more or less under pressure. In one ( . a se a sum of £2,000 was paid into the Treasury "bile a “conscience” payment of no less than a million pounds was mentioned not so very long ago. During one of the war years, the receipt of conscience money amounted t„ a hundred thousand pounds, while one lump payment alone, in one year, represented £ 130.000.

Normally, however, conscience money receipts do not total up to more than a few thousand a year for the Trea-

After taking in thousands of pounds, one shilling and ninept*lice may seem a small sum to bother about, but the payment of that amount received honourable mention in Parliament itself. The then Chancellor of the Exchequer said that he had received a letter from a. poor widow who enclosed the sum which sh« 3 had struggled for a long time to save. During the war. when milk was difficult, to get, she had stolen a tin of condensed milk from a canteen and the matter hacl troubled her conscience ever since. Amid cheers from the House, the Chancellor -said that he was sure the recording angel dropped a tear and blotted out the poor woman’s offence for -ever. In contrast to this pathetic ease, the. following cheeky letter was read out:—“Dear Sir—l once defrauded , you of five pounds. Remorse gnaws at my conscience—l am sending you five shillings. When the remorse gnaws again I will send you some more.” Apparently the Americans arc either more honest or have more leathery consciences than we. for the United States Treasury conseieno? receipts appear to be nothing near sc heavy as ours. The first conscience money ever paid over there was eight shillings, which was left on the then President’s desk, with a confession that the giver had defrauded the Government J'f that amount. This was in 1811. J

Railway and tramway co.npa ih.s- also receive finite a number of .'oe.seience payments. » Our company recci <d two-psnce-lialf-penny i 1 stamps, on recount of a train fare whicli tlie sender evaded paying 12 years before. A curious conscience pat meat was made at Paddington station, two «-r three years ago, when a woman called at the booking office and asked ij M°o might pay the fare for a eat whi.:h travelled to Bath from London with lic-r many years ago. It was only half-a-crown, hut the debt of honour had worried the woman lor years.

A human little incident of conscience money was related, lately, at a police court when two small hoys wore charged with stealing from a "Waifs and Strays collecting box. The boys’ teacher told the Court that she had explained to the hoys the seriousness of their offence. They were so stricken with remorse that they immediately went round singing hymns and carols until they collected enough— elevenpence—to replace what they had stolen.