Queer Things They Do in New Zealand
f
t
"V,
It '..
? I
o
S .1--
n
SCENE ON HAMARANA RIVER. NEAR NEW ZE LANP GOVERNMENT'S HEALTH RESORT.
MAORI JEWEL CASKET.
i ! ri( fit. 1'V Frank SiIIIhiiii.)
K1 It ' I.. 4 t V I , I 0 U ....
lrjtt r. 1 l . I ' i nn iiti.ii in imii-'i
fM I tlllligH HH Intel est illK Hllll rc-
I . I . .. I... I 1. I .. .. , U ..
lllttintti li' tin nr i.iuiii limn linn
((1111111'' shnpki i'n r In dime on
every l-gal holiday and either
Wednesday or Saturday afternoon, ami 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 outside of Auck
land. Here the sea coast Is low and cov
ered with thousands of squat trees, which
vare submerged by every tide. At these
tltneti the oysters fasten themselves to the
branches, where they wax big and fat, and
from which they are picked In proper
season by the men who ply their trade
when the tide Is out. The, two owners of
thla bed are being made rich by It.
Then everybody Is extremely polite, al
most painfully polite, down New Zealand
way. Alphonse and daston of the comic sup
plement realms ure real characters here. A
train steams Into the commodious depot
at Wellington, the Island's capital. "Wel
lington, please," the conductor gently an
nounces to his passengers. Afler thanking
the conductor for getting them safely in
their destination, tbo travelers disembark.
"This way to dinner, please," the depot
attendant politely sing. The train makes
ready to start. "Seats, please; but don't
hurry," Is the trainmen's admonition. . And
the conductor waits five minutes after the
gates are closed for everybody to get com
fortably seated before whistling to the
driver to get hi engine In motion!
Even law-breakers are treated with unc-
- tuous consideration. The policeman carries
V4her club nor firearm with which to hurt
1 siiTl -ne'a mental or physical feelings.
C 'Whenever, be finds himself compelled to
make an itrest the bluecoat almost begs
the prisoner's pf4M ahd invariably takes
him to Jail In cab! There Is no rougn
handling; even the prisoner Is courteous.
It'a all very strange to a Yankee who
has been brought up on atern commands of
.t'All aboard!" "Step lively, or you'll get
V left!" and "Here, no monkey business;
r you're a prisoner," as a rude hand of the
law grabs you by the coat collar and un
ceremoniously hustles you to the nearest
patrol box.
The time lost In being ceremonious is
made up by the New Zealander by word
trimming. No one aays, "I'll make a memo
randum of it;" It'a always, "I'll memo."
"One pound sterling" Is universally boiled
down to "quid." and even Preml t Seddon
calls a shilling a "bob." The lower classes
In England use these terms frequently, but
in Mew Zealand the highest as well as the
lowest scorn anything else. This cutting
of words Is carried to Buch an extreme that
a stranger really needs the service of an In
terpreter the first week or two he it on the
island.
The right aud only man for the traveler
In trouble over the language or anyth nj
else to seek out Is the postmaster. New
Zealand'a postmasters come pretty near
being "the whole thing." They are regis
trar of births and deaths. They collect
all taxes, municipal and governmental, and
all custom and Internal revenues. Th?y
Insure their fellow cltliens In the govern
ment's life Insurance company and receive
heir deposits In the Postofflce Savings bank
if New Zealand, also a governmental Insti
tution. This bank has 212.436 depositors
und the money deposited by them aggre
gates (32,000,000. Over one-fourth of the
Island's population keeps Its money In this
f institution.
I v But It Is as a performer of wedding cere-
., i. .. tha New Zealand noatuiaster
f UI lull - - -
lost fondly regarded and most famous.
Lrm ! neither fuss nor flurry In the
mony that the poatmaster performs;
neither does it cont a
penny. A mouth be
turi hand the love-elck
swuln Alls out a dur
li.ratlon of Intention
In the presence of a
postmaster. At the ex
piration of thirty days
he and his Mushing
brido seek out the
olllclal and In the
presence of two wit
nesses sign their
names in a court reg
ister and to their own
marriage certificate.
And that's all there l
to it. Custom doesn't
even demand thai
the bride allow the
postmaster to kiss
her.
The post master who
holds the record for
marriages is "a
mald.n lady" in an
interior town. Tho
lads aud lasses of her
district will have none
( f preachers. be
cause 'tis tradition
that every marriage
at which fhe officiates
l - - - - '"-""- - ;j n rri ; -v
J
MAORI WOMEN IN NATIVE COSTUMES.
to steal from you.
Hotel room doors are
never locked; many
have no locks. Hats,
coats and valises arn
left around indiscrim
inately, and the own
ers always find their
property where thev
put It. Neither does
the waiter, nor the
bi ll b' y, nor the
chambermaid hold up
the traveler. They do
everything ask.jd of
them, and do it cheer
fully, without expect
ing tips. Fact is, tip
ping is a lost art
there. As there are
n.) indoor robbers,
neither are there
many highway rob
bers, and the per
cent age of murders la
very email.
A man with daugh
ters need not feel
ashamed In New Zea
land. He's a political
power, a big man in
the district in which
unnii n over 21 years of
Is a hamiy one. always declares, and hauls out statistics h., r..ui.l. All
New Zealand postmasters hold their Jobs to prove It, that less eplrituous and malt age can vote, so the man with many daugh-
rii-nir iiiiig niougn r:r tradition and eoun- liquors are consumed there than in any ters often decides a closely ccntesieu eici:-
tryside saws lo grow up around and about other section of the world. Perhaps the tion. Then, again, women are much sought
Ihrni. Once a New Zealand postmaster, al- Postmaster' Bath Is to blame. Perhaps after matrimonially, for they are outnum-
ways n postmaster, for only misconduct the government's edict against bringing bered by the men two to one. There Is no
on his part can separate him from his snakes into this tnakelees land exerts an need for a woman becoming an old maid
life' Job. influence. If the government arrests a in New Zealand except from choice.
New Zealand's leading utility man is circus owner who tries to slip In the creep- Tbe WOmen are good dressers, and the
easily the postmaster; his oldest competl- Ing things for commercial profit, wouldn't gtyieg are nearly as up-to-date as those
tor la the railroad station agent. As the It also nab a private citizen bent on secur- f London and New York. But the men are
government owns the railroads. It demands Ing wrigglers and coders for mere amuse- almost slouchy in their attire and certainly
of Its agents that they attend to all the ment' sake? strikingly monotonous. Every fourth man
wants of the people that the postmaster New Zealand's chief vice is horse race arrays himself In an Ul-fittlng navy blue
cant conveniently look after. Hence," betting. A dyed-ln-the-wool New Zealander suit, and nearly every mother son of
when a farmer decides to sell poultry, he WOuld rather bet on a horse race than them wears a soft cap. A portly man 13
carU a few hundred squawking barnyard make love to the prntlest girl In lght; rarely seen, and when one doe happen
residents to town and turns them over and the women with peach-blow complex- along people stare at him and wonder from
to the station agent. The agent kills 'cm. g are plentiful down that way. Like what museum he has escaped,
and dresses 'em, packs 'em in refrigerator the men, they are enthusiasts over fa?t This butt end of the earth has many
iars. and sees 'em started on their way horses and spend their holidays and all natural wonders, among which is a geyser
to Auckland, Wellington, Australia, or th,.ir spare time at the race courses, bet- that started business only a few months
Iondon. The government acts as the nn(1 ehnutlng themselves Into a state ago, but nevertheless, la reputed the larg-
farraer's commission man, free gratis, all of hysteria. Everybody bets, for every- ebt U thd world. It name, Walmangu (the
ine wHy inrougn.
The government tries in every way to
encourage the farmer. It will lend bl'.n
money at a low rate of Interest, and sell
him rich land for a few paltry dollars an
acre. It even forbids the railroads to
whistle at country road crossings, so that
John Ikibbln's easy going mare won't get
frightened aud try to run away.
One of the most unique of the various
governmental undertakings is the sanita
rium and hospital at Rotorua, the island's
body, from babts in arms to tottering black water), is appropriate, for its water
grandparents, thinks its all right and sees g certainly the blackest that can be
no barm In utilizing the "totalisator." Imagined. The geyser's streaming surface
The "totalizator" is the technical name of Is about 200 by 3M feet. When it erupts
the New Zealander's method of betting, the entire surface is lifted t.000 feet into
I'nder this plan a sum of money, not less the air, and hot, black, seething mud and
than $:. can be put up by one Individual rocks are thrown about and great cloud3
A whole family often gets up a pool and of steam envelop everything. The periods
enters the bet in tha name of a member, of eruption usually last five hours and are
A ticket is Issued on payment of the money very frequent.
to any one of the several cashiers, whi The great geyser is near the heart of
ritms ud the ticket on the hore selected Maori land. Soon it will be the land of
chief health resort. It is for the benefit ly tho Investor. The register automatically the Maoris no longer, for th-y are rapidly
of all Indigents throughout New Zealand. aJJs ,h0 total amount bet on that particular dying off. They are now a peaceable peo-
lf a man has broken down under the strain horse, and at the same time records the pie and are proud of the fact that one of
of too much work, or ha contracted a bad total amount put up on all the horses for their number. James Carroll, is a member
case of gout or rheumatism, and has not the race. This operation Is in plain view of New Zealand's cabinet. The island's
the wherewithal to undergo treatment, the cf the public, all changes being displayed premier, the Hon. Richard J hn Seddon.
government gives him three months of free ou a iarge machine-faced tabulated board, has called this full-blooded Maori "the most
treatment In the sanitarium, with free ae- When the horses are declared to be "off" gifted and eloquent orator in New Zealand."
cess to all the mineral baths. If, at the the machine automatically ctops registering. Mr. Carroll' tribesmen have' generally
end of three month, the patient Is still When the winner is announced by the Judge, adopted European dress, but the costumes
In bad shape, he Is given another three the bettors on the winning horse present of their forefathers still obtain.
mouths'4 treatment. The sanitarium has their tickets to the paying-out windows Just a few more words about this land's
the Island' foremost physician at its and receive their proportion of the dividend, oddities. If you're at work on a building
bead, a corps of graduated nurses and pro rata, less 10 per cent, of which amount and fall off from any cause whatsoever and
the racing club receives 8 per cent for ex- are picked up a corpse, your wilow can
penses and stake money, and I per cent surely collect $500 from the building's
goes to the Government Charitable Aid owner, and often three times this amount.
Fund. Her claim becomes a lien against real es-
When there are no horse races scheduled tate Dd ,ltle eveD ahead of bond and mort-
or In prospect, the DeoDle eek recreation fages.
munity has Its character who has been at outdoor bowling clubs and In yachting If you're an American, publish the fact:
made a teetotaler by this spring. Fact is, parties around the coast. you will be royally recelv.d and entertained,
there are not many "drunks" seen in the Another queer thing about New Zealanl- while a Londoner Is left cooling his h eis
islands, and the patriotic New Zealandor rrs is their universal honesty. Nobody trie in an ante-room. FRANK STILLSON.
splendid clinical and surgical facilities.
The most famed of the baths of Rotorua
is the Postmaster's Bath. Its reputation U
that of reforming for all time the most
confirmed toper who bathe In It all but
scalding waters. Every New Zealand com
Working Women's Home
Hosion's home for working women, known
as the Franklin Square house, opened last
July, wa3 formally dedicated last Wednes
day. There are now 2tit boarder in the in
stitution and it is expected the limit, 400,
will be reached before the end of October.
The minimum rate at which a woman
can live in the new house is $3.fi0 a week,
which includes board, room, heat, washing,
lis?ht. use of library, of gymnasium, of
reading room, of dance hall, medical at
tendance and admittance to a course of en
tertainments which will be given in the ball
of the building.
There has been established a uniform rate
for board of $3 a week, and it is possible
for a woman to have a room for the very
small sum of 50 cents a week, but as much
an $S or $0 a week can be paid for a suite,
which includes a bedroom, small fitting
room and private bath. There are fifteen
of these suites, and in many instances
friends take one together, so that the cost
to each does not go above the average rate,
which is from 4.fi0 to $4.75 a week.
It is interesting to note that the women
who have availed themselves of this Insti
tution are exactly those for whom It was
intended, many being workers of a profes
sional or semi-professional grade command
ing fair salaries, and others being of a
more modest class. Among Ihs occupations
represented are sten ographers, bookkeepers,
dressmakers, milliners, teachers, students,
shop girls and a few factory girls.
The Franklin Square house is the new
name of the building occupied by the New
England Conservatory of Music for nearly
a quarter of a century.
The central office, administration hall and
the postofflce remain as they were in the
days of the conservatory. What was the
music store has been fitted up as a waiting
room, and prettily decorated with potted
palms.
The music hall, with its $8,000 organ and
accommodations for 5(10 persons, has been
renamed Haynes hall, in honor of one of
the largest contributors to the house. It Is
the plan of the management to have an or
gan recital, a concert, lecture or other
form of entertainment at least once a week
during the greater part of the year, to
which the members of the household will be
entitled to two ticket for each event.
The dining room will seat 300. The small
theater used by the elocution student of
tho conservatory will be kept for private
theatricals and used for small dancing par
ties. For larger parties the gymnasium
will be used.
The surroundings of this new home for
workers are particularly pleasant. Th4
I uilding Itself Is a fine, solid-appearing
structure of red brick, with white stone
trimmings, and almost takes tne side of
Franklin square, one of the prettiest little
parks within the limits of the city.
Th Institution is a self-helping enter
prise. The charge at present are as close
to the actual running expanses as possible
and It Is the Intention of the management
to use. In some manner beneficial to the
young women, any surplus which may be on
band at the end of the fiscal year.
The Gentle Home
Brooklyn Life: Once on a time a Gentle
Girl came upon a Wicked Snake swallowing
a frog.
"How cruel!" she cried indignantly, and
got a club and killed the Wicked Snake
and set the frog free.
The next day it rained, but the day after
that it was lovely for fishing.
And the Gentle Girl sat all day in a
boat and held a line with a frog bung on
the hook at the end of It and the frog
was very much alive and truggled beau
tifully and attracted no end of bans.
1