The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-01-29 00:00:00

"TAX ON MALE SERVANTS."
r
The fallowing ' letter has been isent to The Timis, for pub..

---- •
Sir,—ln the form of declaration issued this year by
the WominissioneTe of Inland Aetenue• theifolloiving
notification is for the first time added to the clause
"as to male servants," quoted from 32 and 33 Victi-
cap. 14,
•
" Boys employed to clean knives, boots, &c.:fall
'under the above description."
And a slip of paper is attached, to the form, in which
it is announced, in formidable black type, with the
peremptory challenge, "Note this,' that "Any '
person who employs an apprentice, errand boy,
journeyman, labourer, or traie-servant, in cleaning
boots, knives, &c., or any work proper to domestic
servants, either in the house or attending to a taxable
cart, &c. . without taking out•a licence for a male
servant forfeits a penalty of £20."
I think I am right in saying that until last year
boys, and men too. engaged in such slight service DAL
knife and boot cleaning, office cleaning, &c., for a
short period daily, were not considered 9litimeattle,,
with duty tie .male servants, Much less •apPrentiCes or
.errand boys, who might perform the same or similar
household work for theiy pirrployere. leOisill.know.li
that for 30 yeah'', patsda in two. larke towns, rem-
ployed boys and men for such services, as did also ix!), 1
neighbours on all sides, and we never thOught bf re-
turning them as male servants nor were surcharged for
Ahem. It was generally understood, in accordance
with the explanation tilpuialisheil-bysthelomn?is-7,
sioriersi that 13440ns ijoink. such %fork _'!! for various -
employer's" were exempt from duty. Do the Com;
missioners expect that all such subsidiarylelPers 'hi
domestic work will be duly returned and duty paid
for them as male servants Or do they intend to in;
stitute a strict inquiry in every place fcr the purpom.
of discovering and insuring payment for all who -We'
so employed? Such an inquiry, to be effectual, must
take the form of house to house inquisition or of :the
most odious eBpionna7e. )
If the Act is to be put in force according to the new
interpretation of the Commis4oners, great injury will
be inflicted upon the labouring classes. Boys from 9
to 12 years of age are very commonly employed in'
shoe and 'knife cleaning before school hoursl theobK
earning enough to pay the school wageliiiihaPs foia
the children of the family, and sometimes mucji more.
Old men unable to find full employinent, ortunixpial to
a whole day's labour, pick up a few shillings weekly by
doing the same kind of work. Many poor men
afflicted with infirmities which disqualify them for any
regular occupation are employed, partly out of charity,-
partly to relieve maidservants, for a short time daily
in various kinds of domestic woik or as messengers.
The enforcement of the Act as now interpreted by the
Commissioners will undoubtedly deprive of their em-
plOyment most.persons belonging to these classes. Few
pay 15s. a /oak, tit on the man or
lad eniagedlor an hour or half pn hour daily at is. or
perhapsfid. a .week. ' '
In many' cases, peßiaPe in most, the boy ,or man
thus employed attends at seyeral houses. And thus
the whole „linty' will be Paid for the same person
several times over. In a populous neighbourhood it
is not uncommon for a lad to have six places of this
description, which he attends morning and :evening.
In such instances a tax of £4 10s. will be paid' fol. 'a
single male servant. I submit that it was not the in-
tention ,9f .the Le ' gislature , any more than it has
riitherto been the prdctice.of the Executive, to exact
;so monstrous an overcharge.; • It is not 'conceivable
that the .clause„relating to male servants could have
.Vassed the House of ,Commons if it had been under-
stood as no,w defined by the Commissioners. In fact,
the htringent interpretation of the words "partially
employed in the clause in question has ieally created
anew tax, the imposition of which must be most uu-
. certain and unequal in itsoperation, or, if means are
used to - render it universal and uniform, will be
4 resented as an intolerable grievance.—Yours
LEYCESTRENSIS.
• Jaunt, 19.