Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-01-05
Extracting the Crouch
New York Sun

In the old days when they were arrogant the
railroad companies used to receive and hle COM
plants. Now the personal touch" and the glad
hand" are used in adjusting passenger and freight
misunderstanding. The men who adjust these
differences between the public and the roads are
known as FIX it" men.
Says one of the most successful of the Penn
sylvania's fxers: I'm all the big trunk lines now.
adays fixing it isn't confined to the passenger and
freight departments. The whole operating de-
partment is instructed to wear the Bilkn smile
If you meet man with crouch, extract 1t.
railroad can't afford to have enemies.
In order to profit from mistakes the big trunk
lines keep tabs on complaints with view OF i'm
proving the service. Many grain of wheat
otherwise constructive criticism has been sepa-
rated from the chaf which dribbles in by tele-
phone, mail word of mouth.
Amusing anecdotes are reported every day in
the activities Of the hxers Of the passenger de-
partments. One of them illustrates the kind OF
constructive criticism that counts
The story comes from the Grand Central A
letter of complaint was received by the general
agent stationed in an upstate city. Some items
of suburban schedule were sharply questioned
One of the smoothest hxers sent to see the
writer.
He returned with rueful grin. 81 guess we'll
have to give him what he wants. he told the
chief.
The chief looked at him keenly What's the
natter" he asked Doesn't your head feel
good?'
my heads all right" responded the assist
ant, "as far as it goes Trouble is his goes
further. Further than those of the whole time
table committee" 70.
Make out new one" ironically directed the
chief "The gentleman's recommendations are all
accepted in advance, OF course
Wait till you hear, suggested the assistant
1t developed that the kicker had kicked intell-
gently. He had held about forty railroad jobs
before he was 50 and had then left the rails to
become millionaire. But he had not forgot his
cunning He was railroad man from the ground
up.
The schedule was later revised in accordance
with his suggestions.
In its present obIging attitude toward COM
plants the railroad even goes outside its own
province II passenger has lost property on
sleeper he is more likely to go to agent of the
road that was hauling the car than to the Pullman
company's representative. Then the fix it man OF
the road takes up the matter with the Pullman
people and tries to recover the lost property.
Contrary to somewhat general impression
the fxer is allowed no funds to entertain COM
planants He receives merely his personal ex-
penses.
Inquiry shows that more complaints are re-
ceived from men than from women. This is par
tally explained by the fact that many women
send men to represent them.
Women have all kinds Of trouble with tickets.
For instance, woman buys ticket for Cleve-
land She is told of the limited trains upon which
that ticket is good With the skttishness attrib-
uted to her sex she boards the particular limited
upon which that pasteboard is specified as not
good.
She has to pay her fare and she is advised by
the conductor who listens respectfully to her
opinion of the horrid old road, to take up the
atta with head Cleveland
Headquarters at Cleveland receives scented
note that almost freezes the fingers of the man
who opens it. One of the Brummels of the fix
ing force is dispatched forthwith to the dwelling
OF the complainant.
She receives him coldly and calmly There is
an established injury in her mind. She had bought
| ticket for Cleveland, and she had to pay her
| fare Why? The fact that the agent from whom
| she bought the ticket warned her that it was not
good on that particular train, why that is an
| irrelevant incident.
Sympathetically, with infinite tact, the fxer
| bends to his labors. He does not argue. All his
effort is directed to getting her to forgive the
poor old laundering road in spite of all. And she
| finally does.
She does it because he is nice young man
| and she is sorry for him because he has to work
for such a corporation. She has not shifted her
| point of grievance in the least. She has not
| acknowledged herself in the wrong. She has
| simply shown herself to be large enough to for
| give.
A man--some men-would say: I'm wrong,
| old chap. Have a cigarH BUT a woman-well,
| the hxers say it is always as above recorded.
The successful hxer must know human nature
| like the alphabet. He never approaches two COM
planning persons in exactly the same way. Some
| men he handles in such way that they have the
illusion that they are debating the arrangement
| themselves.
| Such man may say that the offending agent
Va Eyar
agrees, and says that he will recommend that this
be done Then the complainant repents gives up
his idea of demanding the luckless offenders job
and afterwards believes that his change of front
| saved it for him.
Stop, Look, Listen!