New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-09
TIE ANNUAL BAGGAGE SCANDAL.

TIE ANNUAL BAbG1GE otdNDdL'
A family of our acquaintance, returning from
n journey, gave their baggage checks to an ex-
press agent in the cars, and waited from Satur-
day until Tuesday night before the trunks were
delivered. In reply to n mild expression of dis
content, the man who brought the trunks re-
marked that the owner might think himself
lucky TO get them at all I; aud as the owner had
about come to that opinion himself, he made
no further complaint. OF the three days delay
in this case two prov ed to be attributable To the
railroad and one to the express company. The
in stance is an extreme one but detentions oil IA
day or two when travel is heavy are not uncom-
mon and the papers just now abound with de-
scriptions, half humorous and half exasper-
atng, of the scenes of confusion which attend
the delivery of baggage at every New York
station. We like TO boast OF the superiority OF
the American plan of checking and distributing
trunks over that which prevail. abroad; but
once year the whole apparatus breaks down
and during the month Of September the Ameri-
can baggage delivery system in our principal
cities becpmes the most imbccie in the world.
Expressmen try to excuse themselves, and
even ask for our sympathy, on the plea that at
the close of the watrrng-pl season there is
a sudden TusH Oh Guy uoiucndIu, all
that more business is then thrust upon the COM
panies than they are able TO dispose of. This,
of course, ia not a good defence for their regu
lar annual failure. The rush is foreseen. 1t
can be calculated to day. The companies
have year to get ready for it. There is at no
time any lack of extra horses and wagons to be
hired in New-York by a concern which will pay
for them; and there il no reason why trunks
should not be delivered as promptly in the busy
as in the dull weeks, except that the express
companies believe that they can make more
money by doing their work badly than by doing
it well. They solicit business which they have
not provided themselves with the facilities to
handle, and their agents go on inviting con-
tracts which they know they are not prepared
to perform. They have virtual monopoly Of
the lines on which they are permitted to oper-
ate To the exclusion of competition and the
notorious reluctance of American travellers to
"make fussr or to contend for their rights,
they trust for immunity in course which no
other country than onrs would tolerate.
The railroad authorities might apply
remedy, if thpv saw fit, by obliging the bag
gage companies to fulfil their agreements
promptly under penalty of torf,itinR the privi-
lrges of the road. Uutil the rivalry of com
peting lines induces them to undertake such n
reform, we fear that our only hope is in stmu-
latng contentious and exacting temper in the
American traveller. If this patient and much
put-upOn person could he induced, while he
waits three days for his trunk, to badger tie
officers of the company at ticquent intervals,
and if especially lie would bring snt for dam
ages whenever he has been injured by the delay
is he very often is-the baggage impostor
might be led to consider the propriety of either
performing his September contracts, or retiring
from business which he seems to DO incom-
peteDt To manage.