WORD-SAVING CODES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 56, 22 March 1937, Page 13

WORD-SAVING CODES

Telegraphie Addresses HUMOUR AND INGENUITY In th© naming of racehorses real genius is gometimes shown in devising something suggestive of pedigree, but this. is not the only field in which inventive originality in naming can be found. It crops up rather surprisingly in the list of inland and overseas code addresses registered by the Post and Telegraph Department. For a small fee, business firms and individuals m'ay register a telegraphie code address which has the advantage of enabling at least two words in every telegram to be saved, As the normal address is co^ered by the code word and the name of the town. There are over 4400 of these code addresses registered in New Zealand and in the list which has just been reprinted not only ingenuity but a sense of humour is to be seen in th© selection of the one word indicative of a partieular address, The sedate business man hunting round for a single word for his telegraphie address sometimes adopts something conveying a whimsieal suggestion of the partieular activity of the firm. In most cases it is a clear inddcator of the business such as ' 1 Iceberg, ' ' the apt selection of the telegraphie address for a freezing company," or *' Agfarm," the code address of one of the agricultural instructionanl farms of the Department of Agriculture. The Government Statistic'ian, whose telegraphie address normally is quite lengthy, as the Department has a long descriptive title, can De reached by telegram with the words "Statistics," Wellington, while the City Couneil Electrical Department, Christchurch (five words) may be found by telegraphing "Lakelight," Christchurch, a very appropriate two-word designatidn for the distributing agency of Lake Coleridge power. Examination of the codelist shows also a desire to adopt for the indicator some word expressing one of the human virtues, an , excellent method of conveying a good impression as well as showing exactly where the firm is to be found.