The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-21 00:00:00

DEFALCATION OF AN INCOME TAX

COLLECTOR.

On Monday evening a densely-crowded meeting
of tradesmen and shipowners was held in the Town-
hall, North Shields—the MAYOR in the chair—to
take into consideration what measures should be
adopted to resist the payment of a re-assessment
income tax; which had been ordered to be made in
the Tynemouth district to make up a deficiency of
1,7001., arising through the defalcation of Thomas
Briggs, t, bacconist. The circumstances disclosed
during the meeting exhibit the imperative necessity
that there is for a complete revision of the mode of
collecting assessed taxes in this country, and
also the red tape and circumlocution that are to
he found in our public offices. Briggs was ap-
pointed with a Mr. J. Philipson, a draper, to collect
the asse•sed taxes in 1854-5. Philipson, however, re-
fused to collect, at any rate he did not, and thus
avoided responsibility ; and Briggs gave no securi-
ties. Of this the parish was ignorant. Briggs was
entrusted by the local commissioners with the sche-
dules, books, and receipts for the whole year. He
appears to have beenthen in difficulties. He banked
all the taxes he collected in his own name, and had
appropriated 1,2001, of them to meet his own debts.
He continued to collect the tax unchecked, until he
found himself on the eve of bankruptcy, when he
took 1,9001. to the government district collector, but
he refused to receive it on any other day than the

oneit wasmade due, and not then except it was the
whole sum to be collected. Briggs then tried to
bank it to the account of the government, but the
banks refused it, and he ultimately handed it to Mr.
Kewney, a solicitor. Briggs then became bank-
rupt. As his affairs were passing through the
court, his assignees heard of the money in the
hands of Mr. Kewney, and demanded that it should
be paid into the estate ; and, as the law authorised
those proceedings, 5001: of it was paid into the
Bankruptcy Court, and the creditors realised 5205.
in the pound, Briggs receiving his maintenance and
his law expenses out of this misappropriated money.
The 5001. and the 1,200/. of which he was originally
deficient, made up his defalcations to 1,7001. He
has since recommenced business, and is now in
trade in Shields. The committee reported to the
meeting that they had made several fruitless appli-
cations to the Board of Inland. Revenue not to
press the re-assessment, but they denied that they
had any jurisdiction, and referred them to the
local commissioners, who informed them that they
were acting upon- instructions from the Xnland.
Revenue. There seemed but two alternatives open
to the ratepayers—repay the money for which they
already held receipts, or fight it out in a court of
law. A corisiderable sum was collected with a
view to the latter course, and it was determined
to urge
,the member (Mr. Lindsay) to bring the
subject before parliament ; for, notwithstanding
that the parish had protested against it, the pre-
sent collectors were allowed to collect the current
taxes without having given any security whatever.
A resoluion was adopted praying parliament to
relieve the tradesmen of the country of the respon-
sibility of collecting the assessed taxes, and to
appoint regular salaried officers, the same as those
engaged in Collecting the municipal taxes.

LICENSED VICTUALLgRS' ASYLUM.

The anniversary of this very meritorious society
was held yesterday at Highbury-barn, when there
was an attendance of the friends of the institution
in number exceeding 600. The gentlemen who
supported the chairman, Mr. T. Bass, M.P.,
were Sir J. Duke, M.P., Mr. R. Hanbury,
Mr. A. S. Ayrton, M.P., Mr. Edwin James,
Q.C., and Messrs. E. Wigan, H. Wigan, G.
Nicholas, E. H. Meeting, H. Huggins, A. Frazer,
J. Child, John Child, G. Smith, &c. The ob-
ject of the society is to provide an asylum
for the aged, infirm, and decayed members of the
trade. It is supported, among others, by the
brewers, distillers, and wine and spirit merchants,
and the asylum now consists of 126 separate habi-
tations. The society has also erected a chapel,
with a clergyman of the Church of England, where
services are performed daily, and twice on every
Sunday. There are at present 142 inmates-
During the period of 27 years the trade and their
friends and connections have contributed upwards
of 80,0001. to provide an asylum for the re•
ception and comfort of the less fortunate
members of their particular calling. The
dinner on the present occasion was served LIP
by Mr. Hinton, the proprietor of the establishment,
in a very liberal style, and the chairman (Mr. Bass)
proposed the usual loyal toasts in terms that were
responded to by the company with the heartiest
enthusiasm. A report -was read by Mr. Thomas
Jones, the Secretary, which in substance set forth
the facts above stated, and announced that the
amount of the subscription during the evening was
3,5651. , The company was then addressed by Mr;
Edwin James, Mr. Ayrton, Mr. Hanbury, and
other gentlemen, and after a very social and agree-
able meeting the large assemblage broke up into
little parties, and availed themselves of the pleasant
grounds that are attached to the building to pass
the remainder of the. evening.