The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-08
HOW BAGGAGE IS
 HANDLED ABROAD The SIipshod Method In Great No EFFICIENT SYSTEM British Public Is Just Now Goinu Through Its semioccasionaI Fer.
 mentation Over Trading ln-
 conveniences.
No EFFICIENT SYSTEM
From the Rochester Herald.

From the Rochester Herald
 Even moderately enterprising American is not infrequently aston ished at the conservatism of the Brit. lsh people, shown in their long and quiet submission to shiftless and dila- tory methods of business. While in some respects and directions the Eng. lishman is much our superior and can teach us valuable lessons in demand ing and securing at all costs his per sonal rights. in others the patience and stolfd indifference with which he sub mits to blundering methods and actual abuses which might easily be corrected are amazing.
 Just now the British public is going through it's semioccasiona fermenta- tion over the absence of any efficient system upon the railways of the king dom for handling the baggage of tray elers over their lines, and this may serve as a sample and illustration of what we have said. The American public is so accustomed when setting out upon journey, long or sh ort, to make formal transfer of it's baggage to the railway company in moment 8 time, placing responsibility for it's safe delivery at the end of the route and furnishing means of mutual identifi- cation of property, owner and public carrier. all by single act that 1t can not easily realize the fact that Britons, who still persisit that their railway systems are in all respects superior to ours, are almost totally lacking in method for the protection and identi- fication of the baggage of the travelling public.
 The American system, originally sim pie and good, has been improved until q traveller with much or little baggage may receive checks for each piece in his quarters in a hotel. say in south western California dismiss all thought of 1t from his mind and make his jour ney to his home In Maine assured that his belongings, though never seen en route, will faithfully follow him all the way and will meet him at his journeys end. In the very rare cases when his baggage is lost he will receive full compensation for it.
 The traveller in Great Britain deliv- CTS his baggage to the railway com pany at the outset of his journey, but gets neither check nor other means of Identification in return. The company assumes no responsibility. At the jour ney's end 1t is dumped from the lug gage van, or baggage car, upon q plat form in huge mass of similar parcels from which the owner or any one else may hunt 1t out and carry it away First come, first served is literally the rule. The word of theft is oi equal weight with that of the proper owner and one stands an equal chance with the other of gaining possession of a valuable trunk. In case of missing parcel the railway company denies all knowledge of the delivery of any such parcel to it, and the owner has neither check nor any other means or proot that he made any such delivery. Small wonder that thefts of luggage increase from year to year and that the con stant rumble of complaints grows occa- sionally into threatening uproar. me British method, to honor 1t with a name which 1t hardly reserves, pre- supposes a degree of common honesty which the facts do not justify.
 Thus far no acceptable remedy has heen found. For some inscrutable req son British railway managers Will not adopt the American system, though a ma joYity of them have personally tax en advantage of 1t and their patrons have in large numbers been demanding if for years Perhaps they will even tually make use of 1t. When they oo we shall expect to find them soon a1ier it's adoption insisting that 1t originated with them.