USE OF PLAIN LANGUAGE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 138, 23 March 1948, Page 3

USE OF PLAIN LANGUAGE

CIVIL SERVANTS AND MINISTERS (Special Correspondent—N.Z.P. A.). JLOiNDOJN, March 21. Mr W. G. Hall, Financial he ere tai-y to the Treasury, after a discussion in tiie House of Commons on cliches used by civil servants announced that a new textbook,--‘Plain Words,” was to be published shortly for use by civil servants. • The discussion was started by Mr E. H. Keeling (Conservative, Twickenham), who complained that a large number of the words and phrases used in the Government’s economic survey for 194 S were not understood by most people. Must everything be in short supply r he asked. Could it not be scarce? He urged that the Government would be better understood if they said “use” instead of implement,” “give” instead of “donate,” and “go”- instead of “proceed.” Mr Keeling recalled that in June, 1940, Mr Churchill had not said, “The position in regard to France is tremely serious.” He had said: “The news from France is very bad.” Could not people work together? asked Mr Keeling. Must they always co-operate in a co-ordinated manner? Ministers would say that an operation was one of considerable magnitude because that was more likely In be accepted as an excuse than if they said, “It’s a big job.” Ministers were always giving things “active consideration.” Could they be considered otherwise than actively? Did Ministers ruminate like cows? “I am told by a civil servant that this statement really means that they have lost the file but are trying to find it,” he said. “There was a police report which said ‘He was conveyed to his -place of residence in an intoxicated condition.’ How much simpler it would have been if it had just read: ‘He was taken home drunk.’ ”