Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1874.] SATURDAY, MAY 11, 1895. THE INQUISITION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5023, 11 May 1895, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1874.] SATURDAY, MAY 11, 1895. THE INQUISITION.

Tim inquisition is upon us, in Mnstoi'ton; not the old Spanish Inquisition, but the brand-new New Zealand inquisiliou, and some people seem to be sorry that they ever came to the Colony, mid anxious to

get out of it as soon as possible, This is certainly no longer a free country, but a land where the Ministerial thumbscrew is known,

uiulllie Liberal legislative rack is suffered. The Income Tax Department bus recently' called upon tradesmen in this town to tjivo an accurate return of their incomings and outgoings, classified under certain specified heads, familiar perhaps to professional accountants, but almost unknown to the country trader. Indeed, unless tradesmen keep their books on a different system to that which thoy have been wont to practice, they cannot readily comply with the demand of the Department, It would have been a fair tiling foe the Department to havo notified bewildered tradesmen to keep Ihoir hooks in such a form,that certain classified returns could bo . accurately and conveniently gleaned from them—to have educated the public to a certain highwater mark in book-keeping; but it! is a little cruel to demand compli-1 cated and detailed returns, before; the public have commonced even to keep their books in such a manner as to supply thorn, or learnt how to arrange them in the exemplary mauuer required by the Department. Tradesmen are betwepn thp devil and the deep blue sea 1 They cannot

give an accurate schedule, and are liable to a heavy penalty for their inability to do so; and on tko other! haud, if they give an iraccnrate one, they are open to a prosecution for perjury. Some of die Mastcrlon tradesmen have plainly and honestly told the Department that they cannot fill up the schedule, and in reply, have been informed that un .officer of the Department will spend a tew days in Jlasterlon, to fix things up, and they havebeon called upon to supply him with all necessary information. The arrival of the Inquisitor is shortly expected ! It remains to he scon whether he brings with him, a rack, thumbscrew, and other instruments of torture.

We do not in any way blame Unt officers of the Income Tax Department for this now departure. They are simply carrying out the law, anil enforcing its provisions. Jt is their duty to squeeze all they can out of the Income Tax mop, and we give them credit for a conscientious and intelligent discharge of it. In old times, it was customary to placii a Jew on a grid-iron, and to roast him over a slow fire, till he parted with his money. The Income Tax Department has apparently been supplied with a grid-iron of a modern pattern, over which tradesmen will he roasted till they part with all the Income Tax which it is possible to get out of them. We are not altogether sorry to see I lie Act enforced so vigorously, The piesont inquisition will we venture to hope, lead the country to ask for the repeal of tho measure. We are disposed to believe that Masterton will join in a request of this kind and the sooner a petition in this direction is prepared the better.