Punch (64.1873)

June 21, 1873.]

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHAJRIVARI.

261

A NO < b. AND QUlRY.

Farmer Drennidge (meeting his Rector at the Royal Academy Exhibition). "Have you

noticed this beautiful PlCTUR'. SlR, No. 988, by Mr. wee PrINSEP, o' THE evil

Sperits that Entered the Herd o' Swine, and they Rushed wiolently down the
Precipice, and Perished en the Sea! Tha's the Pictur' I'd like to hev, Sir. But
there's one P'int about that 'strordinary Ewent, Sir, as has allus "Weighed

on m? Mind, and I've often Thought o' Astin o' you-'

Rector. " 0, I shall be most happy, Mr. Drennidge, at any Time to Explain-

Farmer Drennidge. "Well, it's this 'ere, Sir." (In a serious whisper.) "Whew
Paid for they Drownded Pigs, Sir '<!!!"

Jiacy Wine.

According to a paragraph in a contemporary, headed " The Race Week," and being
a panegyric npon an intoxicating fluid,— " There is nothing more refreshing than sparkling
Rhinegau Champagne." Very Likely; but was it quite a happy thought to announce that
information under headin? of " The Race Week" ? Rhinegau Champagne should he a
German Wine, but "The Race Week" is a period to which " Rhinegau" may be considered
very much less germane than Goosegau.

THE SHAH AT SOMERSET
HOUSE.

Somk "Spinsters" write to the Times a
nice little letter, statiug certain " Income-
tax Exactions" to which they have been
subjected, and would continue to be if
they did not annually take a great deal of
trouble, Their artless tale would perhaps
enlist the sympathy of the Shah. The
M>le income of the "Spinsters" is £100 a
year, a pension bought for them by their
Ute father during his life. They were for
many years overtaxed for it at the rate of
30s. a year, not knowing that their pittance
w*vs exemnt. from confiscation. Having,
however, found that out, and applied for
restitution of the overcharge to Somerset
House, they were informed by the authori-
ties there, that only three years' excess
■timid be recovered. The recovery of that
little cost these poor ladies a heavy ex-
pense "for postage, cab-hire, and the
like."' Thus it appears that Government,
having pillaged individuals by mistake,
refuses, on beins* convinced of that fact,
to make any hut a very limited restitution
of plunder, and also throws every possible
obstacle in the way of obtaining even that.
These things are, probably, managed other-
wise in Persia, now at least under her pre-
sent Sovereign, howsoever they may have
l»een in some former reigDS.

It may amuse an enlightened and right-
eous Monarch to observe, further, that not
only does our Government resist with all
its might a demand for the redress of
demonstrated and acknowledged injustice,
hut, continues, in the face of demonstration
and acknowledgment, to repeat the wrong
it has done, so as to re-impose on the over-
taxed the trouble of seeking redress on
every occasion of being repeatedly robbed.
The " Spinsters" say that:—

"The strangest part of the matter, however,
is that the overcharge still continues, ami has to
he recovered by the following process : — Printed
'orms have to be obtained from Somerset House,
and certificates from our agents that 'he over-
charge is correct. These papers are sent to the
District Surveyor, where other papers, specifying
whether our parents are dead, whether tb«
income is for maintenance or education, vested
interest or contingent, are received; and all
these sets have to be returned to Somerset Hou'e,
whence, after considerable delay, the overcharge
is returned."

When our illustrious visitor the Shah is
conducted over Somerset House, care will
of course be taken to show his Persian
Majesty the machinery at that establish-
ment designed for the obstruction of
attempts to get surcharges of Income-tax
refunded. It is one of those specialities of
the British system of taxation which thosn
who work it will naturally think likely to
interest the Shah. He, indeed, might
profit considerably by studying it, if his
views on the subject of extortion were
similar to those of Oriental potentates in
general. But no. The Shah is a just
ruler, and wise as well as just. Such a
policy on the part of his Government as
that which the "Spinsters" were fleeced
by must, he would see, necessarily tend to
provoke corresponding tactics on the part of
the tax-payers. That is, it would justify
them, in their own minds, in doing their
utmost to evade taxation and defraud the
revenue.

But there ! Perhaps we shall shortly see
in the Times an acknowledgment, by the
" Spinsters," of the receipt of £10 or £12
" Conscience Money," for Income-tax over-
charged, from the Chancellor of the
Exchequer.