The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-05
THEY DO QUEER THINGS
DOWN NEW ZEALAND WAY
Everybody Polite. Even to the Policeman Who Begs
Pardon When He Arrests You and Takes Jail in
CabThe Railroad Agent Who Kills Dresses
Chickens for the Farmer Is the Postmaster's
Close Rival.
copyright, 1902, by Frank StiIIson. ]
Close Rival.

New Zealand can boast of other
things as interesting and remarkable
as it's labor laws that compel shop
keepers to close on every legal holiday
and either Wednesday or Saturday af-
ternoon and fix the lowest wages that
can be paid any one at $1.25 per week.
For example, oysters grow on trees IN
New Zealand.
Tree oysters thrive all along the
coast, but the biggest bed is just out
side of Auckland. Here the sea coast
is low and covered with thousands of
squat tres, which are submerged by
every tide. At these times the oys-
ters fasten themselves to the branches,
where they are picked in proper sea
son by the men who ply their trade
when the tide is out. The two own
ers of this bed are being made rich
by it.
Then everybody is polite, extremely.
almost painfully polite, down New
Zealand way. AlphonSe and CASTOR of
the connie supplement- realms are real
characters here A train steams into
the commodious depot at Wellington
the islands capital. wellington,
please" the conductor gently an
nounces to his passengers. After
thanking the conductor for getting
them safely to their destination, the
travellers disembark. This way to
dinner, please" the depot attendants
politely sing. The train makes ready
to start. Seats, please; but don't hur-
ry,' is the trainmen's admonition. And
the conductor waits five minutes after
the gates are closed for everybody to
get comfortably seated before whistlins
to the driver to set his engine in mo-
ton!
To Jail I'm Cabs.
Even law-breakers are treated with
unctuous consideration. The policeman
carries neither club nor firearm with
which to hurt any ones mental or
physical feelings. Whenever he finds
himself compelled to make an arrest
the bluecoat almost begs the prisoner
pardon and invariably takes him to
Jail in a eab There is no rough ham
. ding; even the prisoner is courteous.
It's all very strange to a Yankee
who has been brought up on stern
commands of "All aboard!'' "Step
lively, or you'll get left" and Here,
no monkey business; you're a prison
err" as rude hand of the law grabs
you by the coal collar and unceremo-
niousiy hustles you to the nearest pa
troll box.
The time lost in being ceremonious is
made up by the New Zealander by
word trimming No one says, I'll
make memorandum of it, it's al
ways, "I'll memo" lone pound ster-
ling" is universally boiled down to
"quid." and even Premier Seldom calls
a shilling a bob The lower class
in England uses these terms frequent
w h1rf in
well as the lowest scorn anything
else. This cutting of words is car
ried to such an extreme that a stran-
ger really needs the service of an in
terpreter the first week or two he is
on the island.
The Postmaster a Utility Man.
The right and only man for the
traveller in trouble over the language
or anything else to seek out is the
postmaster. New Zealand's postmasters
come pretty near being the whole
thing" They are registrars of births
and deaths. They collect all taxes.
municipal and governmental, and all
customs and Internal revenues. They
insure their fellow citizens in the gov
ernments life insurance company, and
receive their deposits in the Postofice'
Savings Bank of New Zealand also
governmental institution. This
bank has 212, 436 depositors,
and the money deposited
by them aggregations $32, 0O0,-
OO0 over one-fourth of the islands
population keeps it's money in this in
stitution.
But ii is as performer of wedding
ceremonies that the New Zealand post
master is most fondly regarded and
most famous.
There is neither fuss nor furry In