Page 60 - Mick Bister - The Postcode Programmes of France

P.L.M.
ALPHA-NUMERIC LANGUAGE

PROGRAMMING MALFUNCTION

Between late March and early July 1974, mail for the Caisse de Prevoyance SNC.F. at Marseille
treated at the Gare de P.L.M. office received an indexation for Aries instead of for the given
Marseille Cedex destination. The anomaly occurred irrespective of which coding desk processed
the item and so it must be assumed that the error was due to a fault in the programming rather
than as a result of human error. Why the fault was ignored for so long has not been explained.

Left: Le Blanc-Mesnil
to Marseille Cedex 3

20 March 1974

The earliest date
recorded of the

anomaly.

~ Coding Desk N° 07

-ll. llv. Below: Rethel to
Marseille Cedex 3

21 March 1974

Coding desk N° 03

L R A 3 ---1 HDFITAL - HOSPICE ~t~ FRAN\.:A ISE
MATERNITE
--- --- --- --- - 050-
MAIS 0 N OE RETRAITE
DE RETHEL [ARDENNEB] CAISSE DE PREVOYANCE S.N . C.F
17, Avenue du Gnl Leclerc
TEL. [124] 38 D~ RO 13346 MARSEILLE CEDEX 3

Whereas mai I processed at
Paris-Gare de P.L.M. bears the
incorrect 13ARL indexation,
mail processed at Clermont-
Ferrand bears the correct
Cedex variant 13M33.