CIRCUMLOCUTION A FINE ART.

Evening Star, Issue 12982, 19 June 1908, Page 4

CIRCUMLOCUTION A FINE ART.

Let me here sketch the " official" life of an ordinary letter hi a Government department iu London. The letter, on arrival, is opened by the Registry and numbered, and the sender's name, place referred to, and purport of the contents entered in gigantic books kept for the purpose. This being done, it is put with any other papers there may be referring to the same question, and sent to the proper section for dealing with the matter, going iii the first place to some quite junior official. If the letter is lucky in its journey it may reach the junior on the evening of the day of arrival (although more often than not two or three days will elapse before its receipt). Next day it, will be looked at, and, being merely a letter from an " outsider" (for department* always deal with their own inter-departmental work before anything else), the junior will probably rule it "unimportant." In this event some few days may pass before he troubles himself to deal with it, and when he does so, if he possibly can be will send it for " local report" —i.e., to the nearest local official of his department (au easy way of getting rid of the letter, but one that mean? a further delßy of ten days or a fortnight). At last the junior obtains the local opinion; but not having the power to answer the letter for himself, he will suggest a reply to his chief, having first spent a day or so in looking up precedents and carefully explained the " sci ion taken " in each precedent, the suggested reply is written or typed and pinned to the original letter, and sent down by messengar to be placed on the chief's tabic. There it will probably remain a few more days, when the chief will—if he agrees with the proposed reply—add his remarks or the magic words " propose to concur," and pass it in turn to his superior officer. In ibis way the letter may pass through several hands, and if it deals with an important matter it may have to go to the Minister controlling the department. This entails returning it, with the accumulated remarks and initials of his superiors to the original junior official to' "sttffo the case to Board," always a lengthy and somewhat verbose proceeding, involving the delay of another three or four days. Eventually the letter reaches the person who really has the power to reply, and he directs th»» answer to be given._ Then it starts on the return journey, passing by the same devious channels as those by -which it went, nntfl it reaches again the obscure individual who made the original suggestion. He then writes the reply. has it typed, and (ends it for " approval" onco -more through the same channels, the paper accurau'.ating initials, till it reaches the official who has sufficient authority to sign it. After signature it goes to the Registry to be copied, entered, and 1 checked. At last it is despatched.-—" Ex-Civil Servant," in the 'Empire Review.*