MONOPOLIST TYRANNIES.
All the same, it behoves all public bodies, and for that matter private enterprises, to devise means for protecting their revenues from the attempts of the fraudulent, without unduly harassing the much greater number of honest people. Unfortunately, however, we find that the more the public body or company enjoys the position of the monopolist, the greater is the advantage taken of the position to harass the general public. Because there are a few people who endeavour to defraud the railways, season-ticket holders are penalized, even at small country stations where they are well known, by a daily and nightly inspection of tickets, and in default of production are treated as though they were intending to defraud the company ; while even in the height of the holiday season the traveller's journey is made wearisome and irritating by struggling through small barriers on to overcrowded platforms. Often when he reaches his train he has to submit to incessant inspections of the ticket for which he has paid a heavy post-War price and for which probably he has failed to -find even a seat for his journey. And in the last Finance Bill it looks as though, because of a few individuals- who were attempting to evade Income or Super Tax claims, the whole community was to be harassed by regulations of an unnecessarily inquisitorial character, while the arbitrary powers reserved to the authorities are truly alarming.
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