§ 72. Brigadier-General SURTEESasked the Postmaster-General if his attention has been called to the case of William Johnston, a Glasgow dairyman, who found two bags, the property of the Post Office, containing £1,760, and which bags had been dropped from a mail van, and who was rewarded with 30s. for his 1659 honesty; and whether, in addition to increasing the sum indicated, he will follow the example of the police authorities and base future rewards on a percentage of the value of the property?
§ The ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. Pike Pease)Two other persons claimed to have found these bags, which contained £1,380, and the evidence points to the fact that all three claimants, in addition to a police constable, contributed to their restoration. In the circumstances the three claimants were all rewarded. I do not think that Mr. Johnston's share was inadequate for the services which he rendered. The circumstances were such as to afford the finders reasonable knowledge of the ownership of the property, sufficient to have rendered it incumbent upon them to return the property to the Post Office and, if instead of so doing, they intended to appropriate the property to their own use, they would have laid themselves open to prosecution for larceny by finding. I cannot undertake that a finder of a mail bag should be rewarded according to the value of the property.