POSTAL PUZZLES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 196, 12 April 1932, Page 7

POSTAL PUZZLES

CLEVER DECIPHERING CRYPTIC ADDRESSES SOLYED BY POST OFFICE OFFICIALS. SOME MISPLAQRD HUMOUR The Post Office is frequently called upon to deliver letters to addresses, the deciphering of which would often do credit to Sherlock Holmes (says the Wellington Post). Sometimes these cryptic addresses are the work of those whose idea of humour seems to be to put other people to a lot of trouble for nothing. At other times the struggles of the foreigner with the New Zealand language are patent, while a third category of cryptic addresses may possibly result from tiacj handwriting ejnanating from New Zealand, the person in some other country answering the letter makjng a shot (often a pretty wide one) at what the scribbie is intended to ]be. Post Office sorters do not exactjy love those people who think it funny to try and perplex them. Such people haye to be tolerated, like other nuisances, and the officials have to do their job and deliver the letter if possible. Not long ago there was posted in Wellington a letter which as an address bore several hays of music and the word Dunedin — nothing else. Within a day or two it was duly delivered at the office of ihe Evening St^r Company. Wagner's "Tannhauser" excerpt "O Star of Eve" were what the jbars of music represented, so delivery was but a small puzzle to the postal sleuths, one of whom at least must have had a good knowledge of music. With regard to the delivery of this letter, the postmaster at Dunedin wrote: "The letter was posted at Courtenay Place on the 24th, was reeeived on the morning of the 27th, apd was delivered within a few minjites of receipt. The exhibit may possibly be of some interest, and certainly indicates the intelligenee of postal officers."

The Missing Letter. Another self-styled humorists tried to flummux the Post Office by addressing a letter as follows:— "Mrs. ABCDE FGHIJ KMN QPQRS TU YWXYZ," Spud Street, Windy." It was duly delivered to Mrs. Noel (no "L"), Murphy Street, Wellington, for whom it was intended. For Jokes of that kind, however, postal officials have no great appreciation, however funny the senders of such letters think themselves to be. But when it comes to deciphering addresses obviously not intended to perplex them purposely they leave no stone unturned to decipher the sender's intentions. For instance, "Ogarie King, c/o Er. B. Ltd," presented few difficulties, and the letter thus addressed went to Ellis' and Burnard, Ltd., Ongarue, King Country. Where else, exeept to Barraud Street, Dannevirke, would one expect New Zealand's astute postal officials to send an overseas letter addressed Banana Street, Docean Ke?" A letter addressed to Kaupi Kanine, Wellington," ^ ultimately got to the place it was intended for, namely, Kaupokonui, Taranaki. "Jugesne Street, Manganiri," was rightly translated to he intended for Ingestre Street, Wanganui.

Foreigners' Mistakes. A foreigner's attempt to address a letter to Shakespeare Road, Napier, rpsulted in "Sha Kesneera Road, Napfea," but the letter found the addressee. The somewhat vague "Wa H. On, K 78, N.Z." was on a letter "which arrived recently from China. It was duly delivered to Wah On, a compatriot of the sender, who lives at that number in Molesworth Street. A letter to the Cafe De Luxe in Willis Street was addressed "Coile De Waxe, Yfes St., Niceineton, New Leacamp," and it got there! Few would guess yighly to what address a letter with "Orent, St. Olla Bei, Neva Zelando," on it should be delivered. The Wellington post officials took it to Trent Street, Island Bay, and they were right. Hundred of instances might he quoted of wrongly-spelt place names on letters. The following few will suffice : — "3 A. E. Koa" for "Paeroa" "Emclohsina" Eketahuna; "Molincka" for Motueka; "Gildrie" for Geraldine; "Camarv" for Oamaru; and "Lake R^w" for Tokarahi. On one letter "Wolliglesoan Geoft" was deciphered as being an attempt at Wellesley St., Auckland, and on another "Thinane, Theodscia" was rightly interpreted to be Theodocia Street, Timaru. Who can accuse postal officials of lack of intelligenee after that? New Zealand Post Offices naturally dp nqt get as many quaintly addressed letters as do the busier English Post Offices. The latter at times have had some "prize winners" to deal with, some of which were quoted to The Post man who was collecting the examples quoted above. For instance, there was the letter, bearing in three ' lines as an address the words:

Wood John Hants. What simpler than to deliver it to John Underwood, Andoyer, Hahts ? An Indian student with little English at his command tried, and successfully too, "In No Jamtshere" for Northamptonshjre. If addresses on letters have their humour sometimes, so do postpiarks. In a recent law suit, counsel examining a witness, said: "The whole case hangs upon the destroyed letter. You saw the enyelope; now think— what did the postmark say?" "Buy British kippers," was the ready answer.