. THE POST .OFFICE [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—It is not often necessary to criticize the service of the British Post Office,. but the following example of slackness will show that there is still room for improvement, particularly in the Telegraph Department.
One of our correspondents, now travelling in Germany, sent a telegram giving his address'as Hotel Rappni, Natnistadt." As we-were convinced that there was no place of this name; we with the Post Office Telegraph Department; and were informed that that was the name of the place of origin of the telegram. Books of reference were then vainly consulted, and we then telephoned to the Post Office to ask for an official confirmation of the telegram. The following morning-we were notified that the name was " Freudenstadt.": This informatiOn led us to consult the guide book to confirm the name of the hotel, which we suspected was also wrongly spelt -in the telegram. It was. The correct name was
Rappen " and not " Rappni."
It has lately been whispered that our Telegraph Service is not the most prosperods of our Government Departments. Is it not possible, Sir, that the Departinent might be more successful and, at the same time, more useful to the business community—(who it may be assumed, only send telegrams when the matter is urgent)—if the officials dealing with incoming foreign telegrams had some knowledge of foreign languages, or, at least, were equipped- with Some system of reference, whereby names unusual to English eyes and ears might be verified ?--I am, Sir, &c., Crvis BRITANNICUS. •
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