Sir, – Times are not so tough after all. I see the Government is going to spend €16 million on a postal code system that will be the world’s first to uniquely identify every single address in Ireland (Home News, October 9th).
They will use seven digits – better than Canada which gets by with six, or the miserly US which usually uses six.
I guess they were so busy they forgot to read the recent Canadian study that showed with the advent of hand-writing recognition programmes the only use for postal codes was for recognising areas suitable for mass mailings (ie junk mail).
But I guess this is what you get when you rely on postal code promoters as your sole source of advice.
Also, I will never again be able to explain that the Irish postmen didn’t need a postal code as they know where the addresses are. – Yours, etc,
GARRY NIXON,
Tyrone Place,
Off Tower Street, Cork.