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CORRESPONDENT last month related the difficulties 

 often experienced in the transport by railroads of packages 

 of nursery trees. The case stated was a hard one, and 

 not uncommon ; it is a matter that requires immediate 

 redress ; we have no doubt when it is properly brought 

 before the respective boards of management, they will 

 give directions to their agents to sin no more. But this 

 will not be sufficient to insure the proper care, if we may 

 judge by what is daily seen on some of the most prosperous 

 lines. 



That railroad travel and transportation is yet in its infancy in America, must be 

 true, for we cannot believe that a civilized people will forever bear the hardships 

 which are imposed upon them by an irresponsible body of subordinate agents, (of 

 course we do not intend to assert that there are no exceptions to this general con- 

 demnation — every traveller will remember some ; we speak of the mass — of those 

 left in authority, while those who appointed them are out of the way,) to whose 

 unblushing wilfulness, travellers and freight are constantly subjected. Duties are 

 performed in a slovenly, careless manner; freight and baggage are treated as if 

 utterly worthless, or as a nuisance, and hence the necessity of employing sub-agents 

 or expresses, at a greatly increased cost. This is the case in the ocean steamers, the 

 railroads, and the steamboats on our lakes and rivers. It would seem at the first 

 sight of our heterogeneous methods of getting about — the pushing and jostling, the 

 impertinence and deceptions of hack-men, cab-drivers, and most of the employed 

 about our modern systems, that the human freight was looked upon as a drove of 

 cattle. We cannot always submit to this. 



Remedy must come by degrees ; stockholders must be impressed with the need of 

 electing men as directors, who will attend to their duties ; for this purpose they must 

 not seek the wealthiest holder of stock, and ask him to merely fill a chair at the 

 meetings and declare dividends ; they must begin at the other end, and choose men 

 who will see that dividends are earned. You should enter a railway car with as 

 much certainty of cleanliness, civility, and safety, as when sitting down to your own 

 table ; if the present prices of travel are not sufficient to accomplish this, and to 

 accomplish it thoroughly, raise the prices. Freight should be delivered with the 

 certainty of a well-conducted po.st-office ; till this is done, railroad profits will not 

 meet the expectations of stockowners. Thousands of people now stay at home rather 

 than encounter the numerous inconveniences which are more or less attendant upon 

 every transit ; higher prices, we say, by all means, and more comfort; better pay to 



VOL. 5. 



K 1. 



