A LITTLE SPANISH CUSTOM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 19, 6 February 1937, Page 9

A LITTLE SPANISH CUSTOM

Bribing Municipal Officials

t— THE PRESIDENfFS PICTUEE. Almeria is a preTEy little Spanish town with narrow winding lanes, rustSng fountains and fragrant orange groves. It gives the impression of a' little paradise, a haven of peace, and Kr. John Smith from Milwaukee decid•d that it was well worth the b!essing •f a real American shoe-repair shop. He rented a shop, imported all kinds of costly maehines and had everything ready for the opening, when it occurred to him that he needed a license to exereise his trade, and he duly applied for one to the eity-fathers. But the license would not and did not come. Every day he called personnlly at the city-hall to be fed with pronuses. Every day he was assured that he would have the license to-morrow. Tired of these procrastinations, John Smith decided to bestow the blessing of his xepair-shop. upon a more hospital eommunity and informed his landlord accordingly. This honourable gentleman was greatly eurprised. "But have you eongratulated the mayor upon his birthdayT" he finally asked the Ameriean.

"What the d has that to do with aif license?" burst out John Smith, "How am I to know that the fellow has a birthday?" The Spaniard began to explain that it waa a time-honoured custom in the town of Almeria to congratulate the mayor npon his birthday and preseni him with a souvenir when .... The man from Milwaukee listened and marvelled .... ""When," the Spaniard completed his explanation, "we want something from him." The American .jmderstood. The next 'day he had his license with a polite little letter from the mayor, begging him to excuse the carelessness of the town-hall clerk. It was a xeply to his own letter, wishing the mayor many happy returns and enclosing a pieture ; Of the President of the United States. When his landlord heard about it he •xpressed doubt3 about the mayor having been satisfxed with a pieture, but the American assured him that ho hau aever vet known this particular pieture to fail in obtaining Ihe desired effect. •'This is very interesting," said the Spaniard. "Will you not explain to m* in what the mysterions influence of lll nicturo eonsists?"

But Mr. John »mith only laughed at him: "Mysterious influence indeedl Have you ever, heard that a hundred dollar note did not have the desired effect?" IL — THE LITTLE HOTJSE IN FRONT OF NUMBER ONE. Senor Juan Guerray Hiberna, municipal eecretary of the charming little Spanish town of Medina, had a brilllant idea. He jumped up from the beautifully carved old chair in his office and began to pace the room with long steps. Then he called the clerk and told him: "Miguel, I have some urgent work for you. Sit down at once and prepare a plan for a little house . . . let us call it private washrooms — to be erectccl in the Calle Monterone in front of number one. " Miguel went to work at once and had the pian ready in two hours. It met with the chiefs approval. For rcgularity's sake, the owner of the willa number one in Calle Monterone had to be advised of the plan and Miguel wrote him a courteous message, whicK brought Don Primo Huelva in person to the town-hall, in le&s than one hour.

Why, for God's sake, ha wanted to* know, must that objectionabla little house rise just in front of his villa? The suave Senor Juan was genuinely sorry and sympathetic, but it was not in his power to change the decisions of the municipality. Don Primo appealed to his better feelings, to his proverbial kindness, and finally . took leave with a cordial handshake. Senor Juan examined the contenta of his hand and found it to consist of a few hundredpeseta notes. He summoned Miguel and told him to prepare a similar plan for a "little house" to rise before Medina. After the last of them had called on Senor Juan and Miguel had nrenared twenty-four plans, he finally ventured the question as to where the house would finally be built. "Built?" laughed the seeretary, "My dear fellow, you are a young fool. Who speakof building?" To make a long story short, Calle Monterone has twenty-four beautiful private residences, each the property of well-to-do and respected citizens oi number two Calle Monterone.