The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-13
Express Patrons Complain
of West River r. r.
Arrangement
BOARD OF TRADE
TAKES NATTER UP
Considered Inconvenience and Injustice
and Detriment to Business Interests
Persons Meeting Evening Train
Must Wait Outside.

Protests on tho 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 j. L. Clark.
superintendent of the American Ex-
press company in Bellows Falls.
Since the protests began to appear
at the board of trade Office that or
ganization has taken the matter up
with Superintendent Clark al 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
tion 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
| eight-hour a day railroad Law which
went into effect Jan. 6.
| Upon the receipt of the reply from
| Superintendent Clark the matter was
| taken up Immediately with f. j. Guth-
RE, division superintendent OF the Cen
tral Vermont Railroad company, at
| New London. Conn, and the board OF
trade is hoping for reply from him
which will lead to the solution Of the
| problem
Among the protests received was one
in which the writer, business man in
the West River valley, stated that he
had known several occasions on which
IL would have been necessary 70 close
a factory or mill all day unless the need
| ed repairs could have been received
on the evening train by express, aud
he considers the eurtailment a great
| Inconvenience and an injustice 10 the
| patrons of the company.
F. Persons in the West River valley
state that so far as they arc cou-
eerned shipments may as well be made
by freight and that they would receive
them as quickly from Brattleboro, a.
the only express service they now re-
| ceive is given them through the freight
train which serves that section, leav-
ing Brattleboro at 9.5S q. IN. and ar
/ irving at all of the West River sta
tions too late for any repairs TO ma
chinery to be made and operations
started that day, whereas If parts had
been received on the train of the pre-
vious evening repairmen could have
done the work at night and the ma
chlnerv would have been ready to oper-
ate in the morning.
The inconvenience and injustice arc
inflicted not only upon patrons of the
express company, but on travellers as
well, the present schedule neesssitatinG
the closing of the railroad stations be
fore the arrival of the night train,
thus making 1t necessary for persons
who in some instances have driven long
distances to meet their relatives OF
friends, to wait outside the station
in the cold until the train arrives, with
no way of ascertaining whether tbs
train is FIVE minutes late, two hours
! late, or whether it may not arrive a.
all, on account of some accident. Thi'
, incony enience also touches the stage
drivers, who are obliged TO wait fo'
the trains in order to receive. the mail
Some, if not all, of the station agents
, would prefer to wait until the arrival o
: the trains, in order 10 accommodate
the patrons Of the road, but under tn
l eight hour law they are unable to d
!. 50.