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Regular listeners to Radio Prague probably have the idea that the Czech Republic has a serious problem with corruption and embezzlement . The second activity has even resulted in a brand new expression in the Czech language : "tunneling" which refers to the siphoning off of millions of crowns from banks, firms and travel agencies. Tunneling is indeed a problem, but not everyone is dishonest and to correct your opinion of the Czechs I want to tell you a true story. In the spring of this year the inhabitants of Chomutov, a picturesque town close to the Czech-German border, gathered to attend the opening of a new fountain on the town square. It was a historical replica and the locals were inordinately proud of it. As is the tradition everyone threw in a coin and made a wish. As the summer and autumn came and went more and more visitors to the town threw in a coin for good luck. Then, last week, the plumbers were called to attend to it for it was time to drain the fountain and close down the water for the winter months. And that's when the problems started. No one was quite sure what to do with the coins that people had thrown in. The plumbers insisted the problem be resolved before they went to work - "you know what people are like, we don't want to be accused of stealing the money" they explained. So they called in the town police. And the coins lying at the bottom of the fountain received the kind of attention reserved for the transport of gold bars from one bank to another. Under the stern eyes of the police a plumber climber in and collected all the coins. He then washed them and spent two and a half hours counting them -they totaled 350 crowns and 50 hallers. The police put them in a plastic bag and sealed them with the plumbers acting as witnesses. With much pomp and ceremony the bagful of coins was taken to the town hall where the police asked the clerk behind the desk to add them to the local budget. But of course the local budget is not one big coffer but a series of little funds and the clerk behind the desk had no idea where money from the fountain rightly belonged. So he refused to taker it. After much debate about whether to establish a new fund to accommodate fountain coins in the years to come, the town mayor stepped in and took the matter into his own hands. He accepted the 350 crowns and 50 hallers from the police, thanked them for their good work and said they money would be spent on charity. When I next visit the town of Chomutov I shall throw a coin into the fountain and wish that people who operate with millions develop this kind of honesty. If my wish comes true we can delete the word "tunneling" from the Czech language.