The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-28
HOW COULD YOU RAVE
TOAPRETTY WOMAN?
You Haven't a Chance to Ami
hilate Anybody at Income
Tax Bureau Here.
SMILES KNOCK OFT WRATH
Thousands Of Tangles Solved
Every Day by Smiling Girls
and Patient Men.

Perhaps you. dear reader. are one of the
little cousins of the rich, many times re-
moved, who after puzzling over the in
come tax blank are willing to admit that
you are a qualified idiot. Then you jump
into your overcoat. jam on your hat and
hustle down to the Custom House loaded
to the muzzle with questions calculated
NO you think--to make some clerk shrivel
up and take OH the quite annihilated look
that you feel any one dealing in such II
COMPOUNDED matter ought to have.
But. calm down. you haven't chance.
This Is what happens:
An irate person. blank in hand. storms
through the door Of the Custom House and
snaps out Income tax Office
Comes the reply from polite official in
a cap, Collector of Internal Revenue on
the fifth floor income tax bureau on the
third floor hold the car for the gentle
man"
Such politeness keeps the irate person
from assaulting the elevators man. but
by the time the slow moving elevator has
reached the third floor he has recalled
his determination to show somebody just
what a fool lot OF directions that blank
contains. He jerks the door of the in
come tax bureau open and advances TO tho
desk with fire in his eye and n what l
want to know" bomb all ready to explode.
Then he stops dead.
stumped Right Away.
A smiling. blond. young woman con-
fronts him and queries sweetly
What can l do to help you Were
there some questions you wished TO ask?
h,,t hA fvat
has forgotten half of them and misaid all
OF his verbal ammunition lie fumbles his
words for a moment and then states his
case very politely.
Usually the young woman answers di-
rectly. but IL the question, as often hap
pens, involves the general history and
analysis Of the income tax, she may
reply very gently:
Just read your blank through again
| You read Il over three or four times and
you will come pretty near knowing what
| 1t means"
Then in burst OF engaging confidence :.
| at puzzled me at first and there are
some things ! don't know now. although
I've been studying IL for two weeks"
| On either side OF the calm and con-
| siderate blond young woman are equally
| calm and considerable brunette young
| women. There are also one or two I'M
| defined male persons in the background
Il
| been established.
Line Grows Longer.
| Income tax returns must be IN by
| March / and each day sees the line u
| which the young women hand out advice
| and comfort grow longer. Internal Rev
| enue Collector Anderson said yesterday
| that the bureau played the catch as cat
| can question game with several thousand
| sapkeys llnht nay
| hut the young women never falter. II
| they don't know the answer to some un'
usually knotty problem they call upor
Mr.. Faith, who IL in charge OF the bu
resu bu; no query Is too foolish or to'
burdened with comic supplement posi-
| bilities TO cause them to break that cain
| VI perfect politensss.
| Even the harassed man who began hi
question: SAY my wife has just left m
and do | get the $4,000 exemption or d.
not?" started nothing more than sym
pathetic smile.
Two floors above the bureau sits Col
lector of Internal Revenue Anderson en-
,irely surrounded by letters. He say
that he has twelve clerks on the Job am
is detaching every office deputy possible
| to help out with the work, since the as
| sistants promised by the Government
have not arrived. Then AS he opens let
tiers, most of them from lawyers win
| want TO know how TO advise their clients
he explains about that most polite incom
tax bureau.
The sort of questions asked We'll
they run all the way from when to pa
, the tax TO whom to pay II. what thing
should be- included In the returns an
such simple and seemingly foolish dues
, tons To very involved questions which ar
sent on 10 the Commissioner OF lnterna
| Revenue at Washington"
Mr.. Anderson pointed 10 the heaps o
letters on his desk.
Il get about 500 OF those a day" h
| said, land most OF them are fro.
lawyers, the biggest lawyers In the coun
try"
Mr.. Anderson said that he wished 10 ca
attention TO the fact that March !, b
which time returns must b. in. falls on
Sunday II may be. he said. that tn
ommiss.oner Will rule that returns MALE
I on Saturday ia time 10 have reached tn
office on sunday are acceptable but "A
: no such ruling has yet been made IL wi
i be the part Of wisdom to see that return
are mailed not later than Friday, Fol
ruary 81
Collector Of the Port Malone has ordere
the Custom House kept open until
O'Clock on Saturday, and Mr., Anderson
force will work up 10 that time in place c
taking the usual half holiday.