The San Francisco call., 1909-05-30

~ claimed w. W. WEBSTER as ho
displayed check which had
been returned to him marked no
funds"
IF I had been like an ordinary rail-
roadman and wasn't cursed with SO
obliging a disposition, 1 would not De
out $40. It's not my fault. 1 am not
easily taken in. But that Harold over
there calls out How do you do. doc
tor. and 1 thought it was one his
numerous cousins, so l accepted the
check.
was he smooth? Well. guess yes.
He wandered in here and said he did
not like the looks of the other railroad
offices and their employees. The men
he said were not polite.
You have TO come to the old Pennsy
for politeness.' l told him.
You are right says he. The old
Pennsylvania is mine all the time A
grand old road. Finest kind of men
working for them. You can tell a man
that works for the Pennsylvania at
once. He is a large: broad gauged
man. Intelligent? He has no end OF
intelligence. They are the salt OF the
earth
Then he asked me if would not
/ cash check for him. I did, all be-
cause Harold kept calling him doc
tor Well. I'll have to take my medi-
/
large and intelligent blue eyes looked
as gloomy as November sky.
The Rock Island lines announce the
| opening of their Amarillo extension TO
| Ontario. Tex. which is about 40 miles
west of Amarillo This leaves about
/ so miles to be built to connection
with the main line at Tucumcari. II
is expected that the road will be ready
/ for operation in about three months. as
| the grading has been completed Then
| the Rock Island will have another
trunk line between FL Paso. Memphis.
! Tenn, and Birmingham, Ala. Con-
tracts have been let also for the build
| ing of line between Ardmore- Okla,
and Wa.urika, Okla, which will give
| connection from Ell Paso into the Ar
kansas lumber districts. 1t is con-
4 templated also 10 continue the line
from Hope. Ark to a connection with
the new line which has been COM
! pleted recently between Little Rock,
Ark. and Eunice. La. at which point
the Rock Island intersects the Frisco
lines into New Orleans.
The advent of the ST. Paul into what
was once HilIs territory has COM
PEELED the veteran railroad builder to
look after his fences. and the first work
that he will undertake in anticipation
of the coming competition is the re-
construction of the main line of the
Northern Pacific between Glendive.
Mont. and Mandan, S. D.. in order to
reduce the time to less than three days
between the Mississippi river and
Puget sound. That the ST. Paul ex-
tension is proving a disturbing factor
to the Hill management is apparent
from the recent official announcement
by both northern Hill roads for
through fast passenger service between
| Chicago and Tacoma. Though passen-
ger business over the st. Paul system
is still a year distant moves thus far
made indicate that the management is
planning to give the Hill lines a hard
run for their money.
Il understand" said the veteran rail-
roadman as he stood against the bar of
the Transportation club. that my very
revered friend John Augustus Gill OBJ
has cast reflections on my conduct.
Gentlemen, if a man can't get full at
his club. where can he get full? Is
not a club meant to get full in? 1t
would never be a full club If man
could not get full in 1t.
We'll. let John Augustus kick No
one minds. But. gentlemen, I am on a
serious subject. for my talk will be to-
day on economics.
TO succeed in the railroad business
you have to practice economy When
ever you can, pick up a piece of paper
which has dropped on the floor and
spread it out carefully. If you did that
before Ripley you would be made a
chief clerk before you knew 1T and you
would be James J. Hills bosom friend
1T is the little things that show the
great railroadman. Any duck can run
big system when you have the money
but it's the real smart chap that Will
put stop to run on paper or pencils
You never see that kind of thing on
the Hartman lines. No, Stree. You
can go in any time on the Hartman
lines and bone a pencil, and If you are
uncommonly nice a clerk will step up
and sharpen it for you.
That's not the case with every rail-
road No, indeed 1 begged a pencil
of a road which is forever talking of
what a great philanthropist it is and
what it is going to do for California.
and blessed if they didn't hand me such
a stub of pencil that would have
made Pedro Sais blush for economy's
sake
There is a great deal in the way of
saying that can be done by employees
and isn't done. There is an awful
tendency of some of you chaps to work
overtime. That amt right Remember
you owe duty to your families as well
as to the railroads, and it isn't right
to come piling down town at a. m.
when you could just as we'll stay at
home and do some odd chores around
the house TO please the women folk
If there is one thing the women folk
like above everything else it is for
men to stay around the house and in
st-uct them as TO what they shall do.
Then by getting late to the office, re-
member you are saving chair leather
and the wear and tear on the linoleum.
1T is as well to think of these things
when the bosses of the road are planted
in Chicago or New York. for there is
no one to tell you to save yourselves
and the furniture. There is too strict
attention TO business in this town.
They tell me that other railroadmen
elsewhere don't work nearly so hard
quite believe it, for that is the reason
every railroadman I know is dying to
come here. Look at our good friend