The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1919-02-25
EFFICIENCY EXTRAORDINARY

be that as it may, we can't feel right
until we have told you few facts
which happened to US yesterday, and
we wonder if, as we have heard it
isaid, employees of public utilities which
are now under operation by, or under
government supervision, are really
giving the poorest service they can
possibly get away with, in hopes that
the people will become disguised with
the government ownership plan and
howl for the return of these public
utilities to the individual corporations
which owned and operated them be-
fore the war, thus surrendering their
blrthright and asking that they be
used to fatten the few at the expense
Of the many, in the vain hope that
they will receive SERVICE?
SERVICE is what is desired-the
American people demand it, and they
have had it under private ownership.
They should have BETTER SERVICE
under government ownership-but
they have failed to get it in almost
every instance.
But to relate facts. We found it
! necessary to use a train Nothing
strange about that. We did not 90
to the minister, the drug store or the
restaurant to find out about the sched-
ules of the trains. Where did we go?
Why, to the same place, no doubt, that
you would go--to the railroad agent,
at his place of BUSINESS in the A. C.
L. depot. We remarked to the agent
I that we had heard the schedule of
trains over the A. C. L. out of Tampa
had recently been changed and VIC
wanted thu correct information about
them. The agent told us that there
was a train leaving Tampa al twelve
| O'Clock, noon, for Jacksonville-the
Tampa Special. That just suited us
line. so we put all cares away and
arranged to make that train today.
We left Tarpon Springs at 10 a. m.
and arrived at the depot in Tampa
about II 80, and took our time about
checking baggage, etc, as there was
no place at Tampa's union station
where a ticket, could be purchased or
reliable information given about
trains.
As the clock ncared the noon hour
We began to very about having time
70 buy ticket and check baggage.
We went out and looked at the pub
lie time board and there was no train
written up for noon. Further inquiry
from depot hangers on elected the in
formation that the train which used
% leave at noon had been changed to
oleven-thirty and no other train was
leaving until 5:15 on which we could
get to our destination. We then went
% the city ticket office in the HILLSIDE
'ough hotel and had talk with an
eiFabIa gentleman, Mr.. Beasley, gem
"a! passenger agent of the Seaboard,
)ofore the consolidation. He gave US
he desired information, but had no
words Of praise for our local agent
Who had steered US wrong. This is
2ot said to cast reflections on our To-
al agent, but with the hopes that it
, nay ave some others from the great
Inconvenience we suffered today and
:pur our local agent up to find out
something about the A. c. L. trains.
Enough of trains. We then went to
he central telephone Office in Tampa
md asked to be connected with the
CENTRAL station at st. Cloud, knowing
The central at that place, and that
place being our final destination, we
hoped to persuade her to tell our
friends, who had prepared a dinner
and invited guests, that we could net
make it on time, but would come on
the 5:15, and for them to meet US in
kssimmee with an auto, as we would
have missed the train connection over.
SERVICE. Did we get it? Well,
after asking long distance" three
times at intervals of five minutes we
finally persuaded her to connect us up.
We could hear central at St. Cloud ali
right, but she evidently could not hear
Us, though we tried every vocal tone
We possessed. That only cost us rs
cents, and we then HE'D ourselves over
to the Western Union telegraph office
and filed telegram. But the good
Lord only knows if it will ever get
there.
But to get down to facts. What are
We going to do about it?
We all know, when we pick up the
phone right here in our own little city,
how long it takes to get an answer
'gom central-anywhere from one
half to one minute. We are not criti-
czing our central, for we do not know
why it is that the reply is so slow in
coming-perhaps so many persons call
1t the same time that one central can
not answer all immediately-but when