TELEGRAPH ADDRESSES

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 386, 18 March 1937, Page 3

TELEGRAPH ADDRESSES

WORD-SAVING CODES.

Humour and Ingenuity Used in Compilation. In the naming of race horses real genius is sometimes shown In devising something suggestive of pediigree, but this is not the only field in which inventive originality in naming can be found. It crops up rather surprisingly in a list of inland and overseas code addresses registered by the Post and Telegraph Department. For a small fee, business firms and individuals may register a telegraphic code address, which has* the advantage of enabling at least two wordin every telegram to be saved, as the normal address is covered by the code word and the name of the town. There are over 4,400 of these code addresses registered in New ZSTfand and in the list which has just been reprinted not only ingenuity but a sense of humour is to be seen in the selection of the one word indicative of a particular address.

The sedate business man hunting round for a single Word for Ms Telegraphic address sometimes adopts something conveying a whimTTcal suggestion of the particular activity of the firm. In most cases it is a clear indicator of the business such as “Iceberg” the apt selection of the telegraphic address for a freezing company, or “Agfarm,” the code address of one of the agricultural instructional farms' of the Department of Agriculture, The Government Statistician, whose telegraphic address normally is quite lengthy, as the Department has a long descriptive title, can be reached by telegram with the words “Statistics," Wellington, while the City Council Electric?: Department, Christchurch (five words) may be found by telegraphing "Lakelight, ” Christchurch, a very ippropriate Lwo-Wortl designation for the distributing agenoy of Lake Coleridge power. Examination of thcode list shows also a desire to adopi

tor the Indicator some word express Ing one of the human virtues, an ex cellent method of conveying a goo: impression as well as l showing exact ty where the firm is to be found.