Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-10-13
THE RAILROAD SITUATION.

No Relief Yet from the Inconvenience
OF the ChRnges---and Criticism and
Evaporation are the order Of the Day.
The local altitude is now that of waiting
with as much patience as possible to see
what will be the next development in the
Grand Trunk management OF the New
London Northern and Brattleboro 81 White
hall railroads, but meantime the feeling of
evaporation WAKES hotter and hotter at
the way local interests are ignored or de-
fed For the travelling public the worst
ANNOYANCE comes from the discontinuance
of the 1890 morning train for New Lon
don and the setting ahead full hour of the
morning down train on the gauge
road. So far as the narrow-gauge road is
concerned the new policy is little short of
suicidal 1t is black eye to local advant-
ages which have been bought by the West
river towns at dear price. Already the
amount Of passenger travel from the upper
end of the line shows large falling off,
the people either staying at home or going
| by way of Chester.
The inconvenience from the discontinue
ance Of the 1890 New London train is
even greater down the line at Palmer and
Monson than here at the upper end There
has been a flood of protests to the manage
ment, and for the past week it has been
vaguely reported that some change for the
better would be made Tin few days.
The policy of summarily reducing the
help appears to have got everybody by the
ears all along the line. The longtime and
efficient agents at Mortified, Mass,
and at Norwich, Conn, have both re
signed and left, finding it impossi-
BILE to do their work with the help left for
them. The same thing will happen at
Brattleboro. +. +. Brooks, for 81 years
the station agent here, has declared his
wish to be released and while no official
announcement has been made, it is under
stood that J. n. Cabana, now the Fitch
burg agent at Millers Falls, will succeed
Mr. Brooks next Monday. Nearly month
ago two men we're discharged from the
| freight office force, and six from the yard
force, five of the latter being transfer men
on the narrow-gauge work Mr.. Brooks
was expected to keep the work of the sta
ton in hand just as before with the eight
men dropped out, but he says it is impossi-
BILE, even on the basis of working "nights
and SUNDAYS" The freight cannot be
handled, and the Office work has accumu-
lated in such way that the monthly re-
! port, which was called for on Wednesday,
could not be made out. Yesterday two young
men were sent down from st. Adams to do
this. Heretofore all work Of this kind hBd
been promptly done. Mr.. Brooks aays it
would be out of the question for him think
of going through the winter on the recent
basis
Dissatisfaction and disaffection exist all
| along the Central Vermont lines, if reports
are reliable, on account of reduction in
help, cuts in pay, and demands for more
hours of work. Reports have also come of
threats to strike, but we Judge there is no
serious or organized purpose of this kind.
On the railroad side of the case it is I'M
doubtedly true that the Grand Trunk man
| agement has gone to work with determin-
| alton TO make the Central Vermont system
pay, and with this purpose in view salaries
are being cut and help reduced, and every
other means taken TO cut down expenses
This is justifiable within proper limits, and
all criticism must be made with this fact
IN view. 1t is not to be supposed that the
new management has yet got its bearings,
and it is to be expected that changes for
the better will be made as the situation de-
velops. 1t will certainly be mistake not
less disastrous for the company than for its
patrons if the final policy proves to be one
of trying not to keep in touch with local
interests and of meeting the wishes of the
people so far as practicable.