WORDY LETTERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 255, 23 July 1919, Page 3

WORDY LETTERS

TIME AVASTKI) IN BUSINESS FORMULAE. A British business firm heads its notcpapor with this notice:—"On account of shortness of staff, we aro trying to save timo by. omitHng needless words from oiir correspondence. If tho usual formal courtesies and signature are not present you will understand why.

If any normally written business letter be. dissected, it will be found to contain several lines of meaningless courof facts redundancies, and, recapitulations of facts known to the addressee. Phrases like "Wo havo pleasure in informing you," "Replying to your favour of the and "In reference to your esteemed , inquiry," aro needless. The receipt of' an answer is proof enough to tho addressee that his "favour" is replied to: when .lie'reads the reply he is informed and his inquiry is satisfied.

'If the words "Dear Sir" or "Dear Sirs" were dropped from business correspondence, clerks would type /several million, fewer words every day.

Ail equal saving would bo made by aVondoning the words, '"Yours faithfully," not to speak of rigmaroles such as "Assuring yoii always of our best consideration," "Trusting that wo hear further from you," or "With best compliments."

Great ami iittle matters get the same almost Oriental treatment in correspondence in many business houses. A woman who dealt with a big London store, for her household food recently received, writes the "Daily Mail," this letter regarding a haddock eho had had to return :—

Dear Madam,—We regret exceedingly that you found yourself obliged to return a haddock per our delivery carman on the 15th inst.

We be;?.to inform yon that, upon examination in our fish department, tho haddock was found unsatisfactory. Wo therefore bep to apprise you that another haddock, in place of the haddock returned. will bo sent to you by our next delivery in your neighbourhood. We trust that this will satisfy you, and we ask you to overlook the incident, in view of tin: still-prevailing dislocation of the.fish market and the difficulties we are experi-. eneing as regards reliable supplies.

.Assuring you at all timo of our .best consideration, and with compliments,— We are, madam, yours respectfully. Business con'esnondeneo reform would have simplified tlw haddock correspondence to a. postcard:—"Haddock as reported. Substitute, next deliver}-." No busy housewife would be offended.