New Britain herald., 1924-07-18

IA tas AfN haAeh is sald Aa sAHtH from several hsRdlesps that the PFesr eal management is sRdsafoFing 10 overcome. Thfse, aeeoTiing la ehr sersers are that the road Is made quatsly supplied Nith equipment as shown hy the ehsrgs of more ihan sa kaa, 600 paid in 1898 for equipment rental, An equal sum vas paid for joint facility rents, Which can searees ly he avoided, \ large proportion of the road's present capitalization rep resents lhs purchase of other enter prises that are yielding an inadequate income compared with the purchase price,
 ! The New Haven Is property that simply must he placed upon its feet if southern New England is to be served in an efficient manner, There is hope, and plenty of it, when the histories Of other railroads which once vera on the rocks and now are in first class financial condition is con' sidered, For instance, there is the Erie, nn,a the hut Of million Jokes now entirely rehhhilitated and more than paying rs way There is the Baltimore & Ohio, so years ago run' ning pellmell into an ignoble finish and going Into the hands of receivers: hut only few days ago it Ras an- nounced that tho earnings during 1928 were tha greatest in i,s career. equal linz si3,?i share,
 The other day, as the result Of q wranrie with the Pullman company, the New Haven refused tO dlNnlge lis interest in the Boston & Maine. This is a sample Of the attitude of railroad officials that docs not fit well with the public. What difference would fl make fl the interest In the Boston & Maine were actually admitted? Every body knows the New Haven has an in- terest In that railroad. dating from tho time when an sstigmatic former management attempted 10 gobble up all transportation in New England. Taking tho public into ones confidence would be a good way for the man. agement to cultivate public good will.
 The New Haven, like all other. rail roads when efficiency reaches low ebb. suffered from a plethora of caus- lie criticism. most of it no doubt de- served. The management of the line has become sensitive to criticism, which is a good sign; it means the mana cement feels 1t is improving conditions and that it would like a little commendation for change. Fair-minded men will give it due i credit when such credit is earned. The | line has far to travel before it is as | efficient in all respects as several of the great trunk lines but southern | New England will not be slow to ap- | preciate Improvements when they &C., tually matcrialize. For such as have | been made, without going into details, | the public is grateful; for such as can be achieved as the road increases in | prosperity the public will await with | pleasure Meanwhile patrons will help | the mana agement by offering sugges- tons, and if the management is wise, it will accept them thankfully.
 The management of the Erie, when that railroad was considered a vast joke in the railroad world, frankly admitted tho truth about the line and after such admission let it be known that all suggestions would be care fully considered, The Baltimore Ohio for years left blank space in its time tables on which patrons were to write complaints and suggestions and mail them to headquarters, with. the promise that all would be carefully "p1EnGu ana all gOOu ones put lllU ct- feet In this way the good will of the public was won over and improve ment has been constant until this day.
 The New Haven needs good will quite as much as it needs funds, When a former mismanagement all but put it on the rocks, causing thousands of thrifty New Englanders who had in- vested in its securities to lose. heav fly, it could expect nothing else but verbal brickbats. The public continues critical because such an ex- pcrience does not wear off easily But if there arc opportunities for few the public will be glad to hand then, to the management when they are earned.
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 SOCIAL WELFARE.
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