The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1886. The Upper House

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 12, 10 July 1886, Page 2

The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1886. The Upper House

The members of the Legislative Council haye not a graceful way of doing unpleasant things, and in no case has their 'want of tact been so glaringly displayed as in their rejection "of the' Gold Duty Abolition Bill. During the discussion which took place on the bill several hon. members took occasion to express their contempt for the miners as a class. To this display of bad taste it is almost needless to say Dr Pollen contributed his share. In an article on the subject the Post says : — J *' The diggers of the colony have done far more to promote its interests and progress — are, in fact, far betterfcolonists than the class of whom Dr Pollen is such an admirable representative, the official Tite Barnaole family, who oonsider it the highest duty of the general public to maintain them in comfortable positions where" the pay is good and the work light. If we mistake not Dr Pollen is even now a pensioner on the bounty of a colony which for very many years generously supported him as a kind of professional politician, and it ill becomes him to speak in terms of contempt and disrespect of the hard-word-ing diggers to whose labour the colony is, as the Minister of Mines showed so well the other night, so largely indebted for such prosperity as it now enjoys. The gold duty is felt to be a hardship, as being a special tax on the industry of a single section of the community, and we think that on every principle of justice and expediency it should be abolished. It is reaUy too bad that when the repre- j sentatives of the people are willing to relax taxation, the nominee branch of the Legislature, which constitutionally could not initiate a proposal to impose such an impost, cau still insist on its retention. It is such unwise action as that taken at Dr Pollen's suggestion which brings the Council itself into disrepute and ill-odour with the peopl* of the colony generally." As a class there are no men in the world who bo patiently submit to the burdens of taxation as miners, and if they were somewhat more self-assertive we believe it would be better fer them.