Gympie Times and Mary River
Mining Gazette (Qld.),
Saturday 23 July 1892, page 6
Boolboonda
Apparently
some of the postal officials consider Mr. Unmack's imposition of the halfpenny
tax on the postage of newspapers is not sufficient, as the Gympie Times
addressed to me direct from your office under date June 11, and enclosed in the
regulation envelope duly stamped, was fined one penny for insufficient postage
on reaching its destination. I had on several occasions previously to pay fines
on papers re-mailed to me by friends with only a halfpenny stamp on, which I
paid without a murmur, but I thought it was playing it down too rough when the
Times was fined. I refused to pay. The post office here refused to deliver
unless I did. Consequently a lot of correspondence ensued, the upshot of which
was that the paper was sent to the head office in Brisbane, and returned to my address
again, with two pence fine this time. I still refused to pay, with the result
that I lost my paper. The best of the joke is I failed to ascertain any reason
for imposing the first fine. Wore it holiday time I should imagine that whisky
did it, or under its inspiring influences some civil servant was doing his mite
towards wiping out our public deficit. I hope, however, he will lot me have a
rest for awhile and give someone else a turn.
