STAMP PROSECUTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 171, 19 July 1907, Page 3

STAMP PROSECUTIONS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln your issue of the 9th inst. appears a letter re petty persecutions, which is undoubtedly true, and the drastic sentences meted out in some cases and the absurdly lenient ones in other cases is with Press and public becoming 'a by-word. Here are two cases in point. Recently a local tradesman gave a receipt for the price of a suit of clothes. He had made out the account, but before he could affix the stamps the customer snatched the receipt from the counter, saying he had .to catch the train. This man was subsequently arrested for theft, and the police found the unstamped receipt amongst the man's papers, and, .of course, summoned the tradesman. Now, this- is' the situation. Here is a man who led a blameless life for over thirty years amongst us, during which he had given thousands of receipts, and never failed to stamp them. . He positively asserted that his customer took the receipt, and ran away. On the other hand, the customer, a convicted felon, knew neither day, date, nor time of day when the transaction took place. Mr. Dyer, however, practically told the tailor: "I don't believe you, and I'm going to make an example of you; five pounds and costs" (total, £7 10/). A serious assault on a master of a ship was met with a fine of £1 and costs (total, £1 odd).—l am, etc.,

FAIR PLAY.