1111. HUMOUR OF THE POST OFFICE.
The Humour of the Post Office. By Albert M. Hyamson. (George Routledge and Sons. 1s. net.)-All the departments of the Post Office contribute to the humour with which it increases the gaiety of nations. It would be difficult to assign the palm. A depositor in the Savings Bank has to state his or her condition. One wrote, "Married-worse luck "; another, "Widow, have buried three of them." Societies have to state their rules. One return was "(1) signing the pledge, (2) using bad language." An Irishman, excusing delay in the payment of a life assurance premium, said "it was owing to a pig I had dying with me." A depositor applying for the amount due to his brother said : "I have my brother's children to keep. He keeps writing to me to say he is dead." Another claimed the deposits of a child. Asked whether the father was alive, she replied: "Living, but insignificant." A claimant was proved to have been born before his parents' marriage, and claimed 42 5s. for "shock to system on learning of my illegitimacy." The books are exposed to many dangers. One was stolen by a monkey ; another chewed up by a goat; a third torn up by an elephant. An Irishman took the precaution of locking up his book in a box ; he enclosed this in another box, and this again in a third ; but he hung up the keys in a public place and lost the money. A would-be economist saved sixpence halfpenny and bought a postal order with it; saved as much more and did the same ; and cashed the two to buy a shilling order; once more he did the same, so acquiring one and sixpence for one and sevenpence halfpenny. Another wanted to know whether he could attach used postage-stamps to the form for penny contributions. There is plenty of fun in the book, and some things that are not funny,-e.g., the fact that money orders are sent every day to German lotteries and Dutch bookmakers (Would it not be well for people receiving the lottery prospectuses to send them to the Post Office ? They are posted in England, and the offices from which they are sent out might be warned.)
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