The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-17
DIsPLEAsED WITH SERVICE.
Express Patrons Complain of West Riv-
er r. R. Arrangement-Board of
Trade Takes Matter Up.

Protests on the curtailment of the
express service on the West River
branch of the Central Vermont rail-
way are pouring into the office of the
board of trade, and it is learned that
many also have been sent to.JaI Clark.
superintendent of the American Elk
press company in Bellows Falls.
E Since the protests began TO appear
at the board of trade office that or
ganization has taken the matter up
with superintendent Clark at Bellows
Falls. A reply from him states that the
express business is not sufficient on
that road to warrant the company
keeping special agents, the railroad sta
tioH agents acting in that capacity, and
that they were obliged TO take the ex
press messenger off the evening north
bound train for the reason that the
stations are closed before the arrival
of the train. The closing is due TO the
Ieight-hour a dav railroad law which
went into effect Jan. g.
! Upon the receipt of.,the reply from
/ Superintendent Clark the matter was
taken up Immediately with L. j. Guth-
Irie, division superintendent of the Cen
| trail Vermont Railroad company, at
New London. Conn, and the board of
trade is hoping for a reply from him
which viii lead to the solution of the
Iproblem.
i Among the protests received was one
in which the writer, a business man in
the West River valley, stated that he
had known several occasions on which
| it would have been necessary to close
| n factory or mill all, day unless the need
ed repairs could have been received
on the evening train by. express, and
he considers the curtailment great
/ inconvenience and an injustice to the
patrons of. the company.
+ Persons in the West River valley
state that so far as they are con
tcerned shipments may as we'll be made
by freight and that they would receive
them a. quickly from Brattleboro. as
the only express service they now re
eeive is given them through the freight
ltrain which serves that section, leav
ling Brattleboro at 9.5S a. IN. and ar
irving at all of the West River sta
lions too late for any repairs 10 ma
chiherv 10 be made and operations
started that day, whereas if parts haC
been received on the train of the pre-
vious evening repairmen could hav,
done the work at night and the ma
chinery would have been ready TO oper
. ate in the morning.
! The inconvenience and injustice ar
inflicted not only upon patrons of tn
express company, but on travellers a
wen, the present schedule neeessitatinI
the closing of the railroad stations be
! fore the arrival of the night train
,, thus making it necessary for person
who in some instances have driven Ion
l distances to meet their relatives Q
friends. to wait outside the static
: in the cold until the train arrives. wit
Il no way of ascertaining whether th
train is five minutes late, two hour
e late, or whether it may not arrive a
S ALL, on account of some accident. TIL
Z Inconvenience also touches the stag
: drivers, who are obliged to wait f.
the trains in order to receive the mai
9 Some. if not all, of the station agent
e would prefer to wait until the arrival {
IS the trains, in order to accommodate
n the patrons of the road but under II
eight hour law they are unable to