The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-21 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Althmigh the fate of the Income Tax seems de-
cided, and any reversal of the decision seems almost
hopeless, yet an idea has occurred to me, to which you
can give publicity or not as you may think best. Minis-
ters, doubtless, think that mercantile and professional
men wish to escape their share of taxation, by requiring
the repeal of schedule D, and thus throwing the whole
weight of the Income Tax upon the other classes who
are assessed under the other schedules. Now, to prove
that this is not their motive, but that it is solely to the
odious inquisitorial power of the Income Tax to which
they have so insuperable an objection, I would propose
that every person now assessed tinder schedule D should
offer to Government to pay a double or treble House
Tax, instead of this Income Tax. It should be at the
option of the party assessed to give notice to Government
that he would pay this double or treble House Tax, and
he must be bound to notify such election to Government.
But to guard Government against the party altering his
mind after he had so made his election, he should knot
have power to change his agreement subsequently. He
should he bound to pay this substituted tax till 1860, the
year proposed for the termination of the tax, and should
pay it, whether lie had any income or no income in the inter-
vening years:, 6111860. Government would therefore be sure
of this augmented House Tax for seven years, and the party
would willingly pay it (even if he had no income in con-
quence of losses) for the purpose of escaping the expo-
sure of his private circumstances. It is difficult to say
whether Government would gain or lose by permitting
this voluntary substitution, but tens of thousands of the
Queen's subjects will thus escape the infliction of a
tyrannical tax which they detest, and which alienates a
vast body of intelligent subjects from that devotion to
the Queen who would be enthusiastically loyal were it
lot for this detestable and tyrannical tax.—l am, &c.,
ANGLICUS.
Liverpool, May, 1853.

TAXES POUNDAGE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,— It is to be hoped that in the new enactments for
land, assessed property, and income taxes, a better 'pound-
age than is now given (3d. in the pound) will be allowed
to the collectors. We, Clerks to the Commissioners, are
meanly enough allowed 11d. in the pound, but the col-
lectors are worse off still. In my district I know collec-
tors who are really out of pocket considerably, taking
all their duties into account.
Surely, Sir, a Liberal Government will remedy this.
A CLERK TO THE COMMISSIONERS.
May 16, 1853.

THE TOILER EXPLOSION AT DIIDLEY.—A coroner's
inquest has been held on the bodies of the men killed by
this explosion, and the following verdict has been found:
—"That the deaths of Millward, Stokes, and Sheldon
had been caused by the bursting of a large boiler of the
steam-engine in Messrs. Davis' factory, from the inter-
nal pressure of steam arising from a scarcity of water.
Such scarcity, in our opinion, was occasioned by the
incompetency of the engineer, whose life has been the
sacrifice of his inexperience. At the same time we con-
sider the boiler, from the fact of its being much oxydised,
and thereby reduced from its original thickness, to have
been quite unfit to sustain the pressure then working.
Still, from the evidence adduced, no party apprised
Messrs. Davis that the boiler was in a dangerous condi-
tion. The jury, therefore, exonerate tile proprietors
from blame ; but in all future cases they recommend
that no engineer be employed without testimonials as to
his experience in the particular class of boilers by which
an engine may be driven ; and we further recommend
that on the re-erection of the works, the boilers be
mounted in a superior manner, having one open and
one shut supply valve, both of largedimensions, the
shut valve to be entirely out of the engineer's control ;
also at least two water indicators, so that one shall in-
dicate truly, independent of the feed valve."