New Britain herald., 1918-11-07
PUBLIC Be PLEASED,
RAILROAD SLOGAN
Every Effort Made by Employees
to Give Satisfaction.
ely Tneo. II, Price, Actuary to
'aited States Railroad Administra-

&C., which, with all it's drawbacks, is
, the least uncomfortable means or
Z ~aveIing at night on land that has as
It been devised, did you ever reflect
t,,,on tho number of persons and the
Hoan plexity Of the organization upon
which you are dependent for the safe
~ and luxury in which you are able
tl,sfaalSe your Journey? The engineer
&ssd sIle fireman, the conductor and
Inc brakemen, the Pullman conduc-
tor and the porter, the steward in the
dining car and the walters are all
more or less in evidence, and Of their
D presence and the service they render
YOU may be more or less conscious,
but behind them and directing their
activities is an unseen host of others
upon whose vigilance in the perform
a,nce of their duties your life and
comfort depend.
There is the train dispatcher and
Fne telegraph operators, the track
walker who patrols the right OF
way day and night, and The section
gang who must always be ready to
repair any defects, the switcl1men-
and the inspector who used to go
about tapping the car wheels with his
ten-tale hammer at the end of each
division, the "hcstler" who takes care
If the engine and the nachinist who
repairs it, the oar cleaners, the ice
l1r6dl, the commissary chief who pro-
Visions the dining cars, tho ticket
, ; re>-14 and the station master the red
, ~ and the baggageman: if any
49,, of these fails in his appointed
X. tho passenger is almost certain
I; suffer or be Inconvenience. Back
Z these again there used to be the
t,ecutive officers the president the
79rious vice presidents, the general
; onager. and the superintendent,
1ttll scores Of other functionaries who
are the objects of relentless public
l. iticlsIn if their subordinates were
ta~c less or inefficient Now that the
l'.,rcaGs are under the control OF the
rnment the operative duties of
{ \ roilrcad president and the vice
! ~. lcats devolve upon Federal
i. - -. and his assistants They are
/ fl-n responsible to a regional d.
rotor. WHO is the Representative of
J irector General McAdoo at Wash
j ~ton. but in other respects the
operating organization is not much
changed and, because some people,
Forgetting the sxigencies Of the war,
assnr1e that the Governm ent is om-
Ili,botsnt. they are now disposed to be
taoro. rather than less, exacting IN
tTen1an ling perfection CT service from
! fi1ie machine that is called the Amer
lean railroad syste n. Composed, as
tl,is ma chine ISIS of literally millions OF
,1echanical parts whose function1ng
depends upon the co-ord1nated
ratcF1fulness and care of thousands
al falIible human beings, 1t Is really
s,irprising that more accidents do not
occur. ard that the reaction or man
,1aor7 man does not result in irritation
oftener than Is the case. When we
consider that a loose spike, q defec-
tire rail- a misplaced switch, or
80 signal rnav precipitate a
frafn1oad OF people into eternity, ana
that al innumerable number OF
spikes rails switches, and signals, 10
saw nothing of the all brakes, coup
fines electric wires, and steam ana
water supply pipes, w4th an engine
having about $4,000 separate parts
mat make up a passenger train must
al he ar thew should be If we are to
reach our Journeys end successfully
ma ON time, it is little short of mar
yelous that travel Is as safe as 1t has
hecofne. and that under the strain to
V,hich ,fev are subjected railroad en-
oI0veez are not oftener careless and
ironatient 1t Is greatly to the cred1t
~ tina executive officers who through
t,rAa generations had built up the
"a hrff. that is called the American
railroad system that they should have
succeeded in developing the esprit oe
corps BY which the men under them
we're animated This had been &C
.nrnpIished in the face of many dim
.,lT4Tes including especially mass OF
hannpering legislation In 4S dlHerent
states: and when in order to meet
The exigencies of the war, 1t became
necessary for the president to put the
transportation agencies OF the couh-
.rv under the control of Mr.. McAdoo,
his first care was to preserve ana IN
,rease the spirit of idealism in the
performance of their duty that was
characteristic of the Americans who
rad become proud of being called
railroad men," ~
There we're not wanting those who
oredicted speedy decline in what
.ae rome to be called the "nl orale' OF
Us railroad army, and there were
.oyoA who, protesting to discern such
fFaclfne. persuaded others to look
.hrongh glasses that were darkened
=, a aefoatist self-interest in the fail
ire OF Government control.
The Director General, confident as
10 was OF the loyalty of the men, did
.ot share this pessimisnl, but FEELING
,avartheless that it was his duty to
,car4oin whether 1t had any basis, he
tnt@rn1ined, with his customary di-
.Actness, to ask the public to tell him
,~ar1x1v how and where the service
.ould BIO improved.
accordingly he issued an order es-
j, bItsntne a. Bureau for Suggestions
,nd Com plants, and on the I'D of
,entero her. 1918, the following notice
vas posted in every station and pas
,Anxer coach under the control OF the