Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-10
WORK OF GEOGRAPHIC
A EXPLAINED
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, April 10:-The
Will Hays of the map, the United
| states Geographic Board might jok-
ingly be called. arguments ABOUT
| names Of places are automatically.
hut officially, settled by this august
| tribunal, mainly for the benefit of
| the government. The board estab-
| fishes a form as correct, and hence
| forth the name is so written on all
| government maps, charts, and docu-
| ments, and in the postal guides.
About $4,000 decisions have been
| made by this Geographic Board since
it was established in 1890. Okefeno-
kee Swamp was spelled twelve differ
| ent WAYS when the board settled on
| the form given here as most accept
| able.
| that unpronounceable name fastened
| to a little New Hampshire brook,
| was officially discarded by a decision
OF the board, and it became simply
| Beaver Brook. Endless lanes end
ing in borough have had the ending
shortened to boro, and a good many
scarcely esthetic names have been
changed to others suggesting pleas
anter associations.
LllO / O8I SiAlCO 0SP6A
Of the government Offices that makes
frequent use of the boards powers to
settle questions of this sort. When
mail is addressed to a place in q
| number of ways, the post Office has
to keep track of the possible varia-
lions. This is troublesome, and then
too, the chances of a letter being de-
layed or lost are greatly increased.
The board serves every govern
! ment bureau that makes maps or
c~harts--the War and Navy depart
| ments, the Land Office, ONCE OF In
dian Affairs, Geological Survey. Coast
and Geodetic Survey, and Census
Bureau, to mention a few.
1t is also appealed to by the State
Department for the correct usage of
| foreign place lame to be written in
treaties and other government docu-
ments.
The board states that: THE forms
of foreign names recommended for
adoption are determined on consul
tation of established usage, the best
authorities upon chronological and
| political history and derivation, and
current geographic and political in
formation from authentic sources"
1t holds that geographic names,
like personal names, should not be
translated, that local usage should
be followed. This is done in most
cases. A few OF the foreign names
in common use are firmly established
in Anglicised form in this country,
and 1t seems TO be practically inn
possible now, the board admits, to
substitute such forms as Espana for
Spain or Italia for Italy. The hope
is expressed, however, that some day
the untranslated forms will be
adopted.
Fourteen Members of Board
All of the government offices that
are vitality concerned with the COR
rect usage of geographic names are
represented on the geographic board.
The fourteen members from these
different departments meet onc a
month, and at these meetings the
fate OF questionable names is settled.
Where several are in use
and there is a dispute as to which
should be established. or where
spelling is in question, the board
consults all available evidence be-
fore making its decision. 1t ex-
amines mother maps and local his
tories and aliases, and IL writes back
to the locality to find out from the
postmaster and other residents what
the prevailing usage has been.
There are various reasons why a
name may be brought before the
Government Geographic Board for a
decision. In some cases a town or
village has been named as a railroad
station, but the post ONCE at which
mail is delivered bears an entirely
different name. This auSes confu-
sion. Differences OF opinion rs to the
correct name of a mountain or lake
are frequent. Sometimes five or si1
names are given on as many maps
Sometimes even the inhabitants of O
region disagree oyer the name OF a
local landmark. Spelling Is another
frequent source of controversy. and
whether or not to write a name in
two words, to hypenate II, or tc
write it as a single word is still an
other cause for argument.
The board has no fixed rules
about these points. 1t knows thai
where a name is firmly established
it Is almost impossible to change II
and It Is rarely advisable to try. The
board does follow a few guiding
principles, and these principles car
ried out in the majority of the 25,00t
decisions SO far made are having