Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-18

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pal and governmental, and all customs
and internal revenues
They insure their fellow citizens In
the Governments life insurance COM
pany. and receive their deposits in the
Postoffice Savings Bank Of New Zea-
land. also Government institution.
This bank has 212.436 depositors, and
the money deposited by them aggre-
gates So. 1000. 000.. Over one-fourth of
the islands population keeps its money
in this institution.
But 1t Is as a performer of wedding
ceremonies that the New Zealand post
master is most fondly reeasded and
most famous. There is neither fuss
nor fiur{y in the ceremony that tAe
postmaster performs; neither does it
cost penny.
A month beforehand the swain fills
out declaration of intention in the
presence Of postmaster. At the ex-
piratiOns Of thirty days he and his
blushing bride seek out the onlciRl. and
In the presence Of two witnesses, sign
their names in a court register and to
their own. marriage certificate. -, a
= And that's all there is to it. Custom
doesn't even demand that the bride
shall let the postmaster kiss her. ID
The postmaster who holds the record
for marriages Is a maiden lady. in an
interior town. The lads and lasses of
her district will have none of preach
ers, because it is a tradition that every
marriage at which she ofiiciates is a
happy one.
New Zealand postmasters hold their
jobs long enough for tradition and
countryside saws to grow up around
| and about them. Once New Zealand
postmaster. always postmaster, for
| only misconduct on his part can separ-
ate him from his life's job.
New Zealand's leading utility man is
! easily the postmaster; his closest COM
petitor is the railroad station agent.
| AS the Government owns the railroads,
II demands of its agents that they at
tend to all the wants Of the people that
| the postmaster can't conveniently look
after.
Hence, when a farmer decides to sell
| poultry, he carts a few hundred fowls
| to town and turns them over to the
station agent. The agent kills them
and dresses them, freezes them, packs
them in refrigerator cars. and sees
/ them started on their way to Auck-
| land. WELLINGTON, Australia or London.
The Government acts as the farmer
commission man, free, all the way
| through. a..
The Government tries in every way 70
| encourag e the farmer. 1t will !eno MN
| money at low interest. and sell MIN ricn
land for a few dollars an actH 81 com.
| try road crossings. so that John Dobbin s
easy-going mare won't get frightened ana
| try to run away. e. tho
lsanitarium and hospital at Rotor9a. inc
island's chief health resort 1t Is Tor INC
benefit of all INDECENT persons through
| n a man has broken down under the
strain of too much work. or has con-
| tracted bad case of govt or rneuna
tism. and has not money 10 pay n 10, three
months of free treatment In the sanltari-
UNI, with free access to all mineral Da ANS;
If at the end of three months the pm arihbar
is still in bad shape. ne gets ahotnei
three months trea tment
The sanitarium has the island's fore.
most physicians at its head. CORPS s;o oi
and surgical facilities. -
The most famed of the baths of Ro-
torua is the Postmaster's Bath. us repu-
the most confirmed topper who battles in
tits all but scalding waters.
Every New Zealand community has us
citizen who has been made a teetotaiet
by this spring The fact Is. there are nor
many drunkards seen In the island ana
the patriotic New Zealander always de-
clares and hauis out statistics 10 prove
lit, that less spurious and malt liquors are
consumed there than in any other part OF
the world. :.
Perhaps the Postmasters Bath is to
blame. Perhaps the government cue
less land exerts an influence. If the GOV
eminent arrests a circus owner VINO tries
to slip in the creeping things LOT com,
citizen bent on securing wrigglers ard
golfers for mere amusement's sake!
New Zealands chief vice is horse-race
betting dye s,har het on horse-race
than make love to the prettlest giri in
sight, and the women with peach-blow
compilations are plentiful.
Like the men. they are entnus iaStS over
fast horses and spend their holidays ana
all their spare time at the race courses
betting and shouting themselves into, d
everybody, from babes in arms to totter-
ing grandparents. thinks it's al right =
Another queer thing about New Zea-
landers is their honesty. Nobody tries TO
Hotel room doors are never iocKeo
many have no locks. Hats, coats ana
valises are left around indiscf ;n nery,
and the owners always ma tnclr. propert!
where they put 1t.
Neither does the waiter. nor the bell
boy. nor the chambermaid hold UP the
traveller They do everything asked OF
them, and do it cheerfully. without ex-
pecting tips. Tipping is lost art there
AS there are no indoor robbers, neither
are there many highway robbers. and the
percentage of murders is very small
A man with daughters in New Zealand
is political power. a big man IN the as
trict in which he resides. All women over
q can vote, so the man with many
daughters often decides closely contest
ed election.
sought after matrimOnially, for they are
outnumhered by the men two to one
There is no need for a woman's becoming
an old maid in New Zealand except from
choice.
This butt end of the earth has many
natural wonders. among which Is a gey-
ser that started business only a few
months ago, but, nevertheless. is said to
be the largest in the world. Its name,
Waimangu (the Black Water, Is appro- |
pirate, for its water Is certainly black
The geyser's steaming surface is about /
900 to $50 feet When it is in eruption the L
entire surface is lifted 1000 feet into the
air. and hot. black, seething mud and
rocks are thrown about and great clouds