New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-09-03
Travel Slackers
By Theodore H. Price
Actaary U. S. Railroad Administration.

nIRECTOR GENERAL M'ADOo,s y.
cent statement in which he apne.i ~
to the public to forego travet,;n-
that was unnecessary is given poin. BY
recently published letter from the A.,
ciated Press correspondent in London
which reads as follows:
'The recent curtailrnent of railway trav.,r-
facilities is making itself increasingly fel.
the big London stations where, during tho ~ 81
end long lines of travellers form at the we ~ess
ing offices hours before trains are schedulsS I's
start. 1 70
mo extra trains are being put on inv =,
holidays, and ticket Offices are closed n, M no
ns the seating capacity of the train is full no on
dreds are left waiting - nun-
'On one Lancashire railway tickets for w.
lar seaside resorts have to be purchased I tSa
weeks in advance 'Hp
If it be true that misery loves comn,,,
that portion Of the American public v..
are complaining of the crowded cond;.i..
OF the passenger trains here may find Som.
consolation in the fact that similar cond;
tions prevail in England
The truth is that it is not possible n -.
a quart in pint bottle either in Eng,s,a
or in the United States, and although ~.
passenger traffic officials there, as here ~.
doing all they can to cope with the situate,
the effective remedy is in the hands Of IL.
public itself 1t is very simple, and NAV b.
described in the sentence, "Stay at bon.
unless travel is unavoidable"
During the month of July the railroad.
were called upon to move 100000 ,roo.,
for the government, well as those ~,
diers and sailors who were TRAVELLING .,
their own account.
The workers in the service Of the On,
ernmcnt who must be moved about from
place to place impose a further tax unor
the transportation facilities of the rail
roads. 1t is important that these me-,
should travel in comfort and that tbss
should be supplied with sleeping cars ON
long journeys. New cars cannot be bn;s
in a night, and as a matter of fact thew ara
at present unobtainable because the labo,
and material required in their construction
are not to be had.
The passenger equipment of the railroads
when they were taken over by the govern.
ment was barely equal to the demands then
made upon it. 1t cannot be enlarged A.
present without restricting Some necessary
war activity. Those who travel unneces.
sarily are therefore necdlessy overtaxinc
the railway service. are making themselves
and others who must travel uncomfortable
and are really impeding the prosecution Of
the war. To stay at home" has now be.
come a patriotic duty, and every one who
feels disposed to take a trip" these DAYS
ought TO seriously ask himself whether It
is necessary or cannot be postponed before
he buys his ticket.
If this habit of sclf-examination becomes
general the congestion of pas senger traffic
will disappear, for there are lots of jour.
neys that are waste of both money and
time and home, sweet home,p is a pretty
good and restful place after all. Those
who feel an irresistible desire to roam NAV
be able to control themselves if they will
re-read "Prue and l." the charming stov
in which George William Curtis describa
the imaginary journeys of an old book
keeper and his wife who, being unable 10
afford the cost Of travel, found exquisite
pleasure in imagining that they were visit
ing the places described in the books Of
celebrated travel ers.