The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-05

| the ceremony that the postmaster per-
forms; neither does 1t cost a penny. A
month beforehand the love-sick swain
| nils out a declaration of intention IN
| the presence of a postmaster. At the
| expiration of thirty days he and his
| blushing bride seek out the Official and
in the presence of two witnesses. sign
their names in a court register and to
| their own marriage certificate. And
that's all there is to it. Custom doesn't
. even demand that the bride let the
postmaster kiss her
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
preachers. because tbs tradition that
every marriage at which she officiates
is happy one. New Zealand post
masters hold their jobs plenty long
enough for tradition and countryside
saws to grow up around and about
| them. Once a New Zealand postnlas-
ter, always postmaster, for only mis-
conduct on his part can separate him
from his lifes job.
The Station Agent as a Poultry
Dresser.
New Zealands leading utility man is
easily the postmaster; his closest COM
petitor is the railroad station agent
AS the government owns the railroads,
it demands of it's agents that they at
tend to all the wants of the people that
H the postmaster can't conveniently look
after. Hence, when farmer decides
to sell poultry, he carts a few hundred
squawking barnyard residents to town
and turns them over to the station
agent. The agent kills 'enn. and dresses
he t.,
orator cars, and sees 'em started on
their way to Auckland, Wellington.
Australia, or London. The govern
ment acts as the farmers commission
man, free gratis, all the way through
The government tries in every way
to encourage the farmer. It will lend
him money at a low rate of interest.
and sell him rich land for a few paltry
dollars an acre. 1t even forbids the
railroads to whistle at country road
crossings, SO that John Dobbin's easy
going mare won't get frightened and
try to run away.
One of the most unique of the vari-
GUS governmental undertakings is the
sanitarium and hospital at Rotorua, the
islands chief health resort. 1t is for
the benefit of all indigents throughout
New Zealand. If a man has broken
down under the strain of too much
work, or has contracted a bad case of
govt or rheumatism, and has not the
Wherewithal to undergo treatment the
government gives him three months Of
free treatment in the sanitariun with
free access to all the mineral baths.
If, at the end of three months, the pa
tient is still in bad shape, he is given
another three months treatment. The
sanitarium has the islands foremost
physicians at its head, a corps of grad
uated nurses and splendid clinical and
surgical facilities
The most famed Of the baths of Ro-
torua is the Postmaster's Bath. It's
reputation Is that of reforming for all
time the most confirmed topper who
bathes in its all but scalding waters
Every New Zealand community has its
character who has been made tee
totaler by this spring. Fact is, there
are not many DRINKS" seen In the
Islands and the patriotic New Zealand
er always declares, and hauls out sta
tistics to prove it, that less spirituous
and malt liquors are consumed there
than in any other section Of the world.
Perhaps the Postmaster's Bath is to
blame. Perhaps the governments edict
against bringing snakes into this
snakelesS land exerts an influence. If
the government arrests a circus owner
who tries to slip in the creeping things
for commercial profit, wouldn't ii also
nab a private citizen for mere amuse-
ment's sake
Even Bubfes Bet
New Zealand's chief vice Is horse
race betting. A dyed-in-the wool New |
Zealander would rather bet on a horse
race than make love to the prettiest |
girl in sight; and the women with |
+.