The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-16
Ills statement Of No Compat riot
Fit for Railway Man.
ager Attacked.
THORNTON TO BE WELCOME
Newspapers Believe Infusion Of
American Ideas Will Do
Much Good.
spsc.di Cable Despatch to Tsr srs.


tonroN Feb. t6.---The appointment Of
Nsnry W. Thornton of the Long Island
Railroad as general manager Of tho Great
Ixs,ern Railway. or rather the circum.
sAnces which led to his selection arc still
belng canvasscd as a matter OF FIRST ciass
significance.
The morning papers again devote some
columns OF interviews and criticisms TO
the subject No one objects 10 the choice
Of an American for the position. Many
think II excellent and indeed there Is
pretty general agreement that. in the
words Of the Daily Chronicrc. tho inter-
change OF ideas and methods between
ourselves and America in railway mat.
,.rs must be an advantage The
Stasdard adds to this that tho manage
ment OF English railways has plenty Of
room for such Transatlantic methods as
may apply TO our very different con-
d tons
Lsrs uauAiiton Attacked.
Tho lamcnts which were voiced IN soms
quarters on Saturday have given place
to an all round attack of Lord Ciaud
Hamilton. tho chairman Of the board of
directors of the Great Eastern Railway.
who said In announcing the appointment
that no capable man could bo fond In
Great Britain. The attacks on Lord Claud
Hamilton are made because II IL asserted
That he has misstated the conditions here,
and cases are cited where numbers OF
English business men have won high
In
'ie,r own merit.
number OF the mos. successful and
r'ost prominent railway men and others
Who are in the front In Industrial and
commercial affairs ridiculc the statements
made by Lord Claud Hamilton. They say
pointedly that II was not the non-existence
o. English talent but his inability 20 find
II that led to Mr. Thornton's appointment
In other places the English system is
frankly attacked. Thus the Daily Nems
cad Leader says:
The obvious answer to Lord Claud
Hamilton 10 that system which has
succeeded in destroying all Initiative and
originality In its star in self-condemned
II 10 not the inefficiency Of raw material
from which We are suffering. but the lack
Of opportunity. lack Of education and the
serilising influence Of tradition and prop
ety. There IL no better illustration of
this than the case Of railways, the control
OF which has fallen into the hands Of the
ounger sons Of the aristrocracy. Mem.
nerships on boards OF directors are re-
garded Al the perquisitc Of men of family
and the system thus becomes vitiated.
This calls for drastic overhAuiing and
4 We are TO have American managers
there can be no better task for them to
start with than to reform the appoint
Tnent Of directors"
Wants More Americans.
Tho Nous and Loader contends that lit
would not be a cause for alarm IL the
appointment Of Mr.. Thornton proved TO be
the beginning OF a real Infusion OF Amerl-
can genius INTO our business and public
NE We ha vices as well as virtues OF
long history. The hand OF the feudal pas,
70 heavy upon us. American genius Is
free OF this atrophy OF the past and faces
the problems OF modern life with the
freshness and initiative which are un-
known here"
Mr. Bellamy. president OF the National
Union VI Railwaymen. told those present
a, q meeting at Preston that Lord Claud
Hamilton's statement that he had beer
unable TO find an Englishman capable OF
NlinE the position amused him. Beliamy
added. III he begins to Americanixe his
gsllwsy he will find that he will have "a
Amer!canize the wages and conditions d
the EMPLOYEES"