SOME OF THE COMPANY'S NEW OFFICER'S
J. L. Fielding, chief rate clerk in the General Freight Department at Los Angeles is promoted to assistant general freight agent at El Paso. Mr. Fielding started his railroad career with the Union Pacific in 1909 as a stenographer and clerk in the Division Engineer's office at Cheyenne, where he worked three months and then came to work for Southern Pacific in the same capacity in the superintendent's office at Dunsmuir, under J. H. Dyer, now general manager of Southern Pacific. Owing to his father's ill health he returned to his home in Denver and worked for the Denver and Rio Grande. later working for the Colorado and Southern. He re-entered the service of Southern Pacific in 1920 as chief clerk to the district freight agent at San Diego. He was soon transferred to tlie General Freight Department at Tucson as head rate clerk and held this position until March, 1921, when he was transferred to the General Freight Department at Los Angeles as chief rate clerk.
September, Page 14
SERVICE TO PUBLIC TOPIC OF SAN DIEGO MEETING
Plans for greater efforts in the solicitation of business and in courteous contact with the public were discussed at a meeting of agents of the San Diego & Arizona Railway Company, held August 5 at the office of Superintendent J. R. Lowe in San Diego.
F. E. Watson, general passenger agent, and F. E. Scott, general freight agent, of the Southern Pacific at Los Angeles, were the principal speakers at the meeting. Both speakers emphasized the point that the public gains respect for the railroad through its contact with courteous and friendly individual freight and ticket agents and other employes. There also was a general discussion of suggestions for improved service.
Those present included A. D. Hagaman, assistant general freight and passenger agent; F. B. Dorsey, traffic manager; F. M. Frace, operating assistant; S. A. Lamey, trainmaster; W. A. Douthett, C. P. T. A.; G. 0. Culley, T. F. & P. A.; L. D. Carroll. C. F. & P. A.; C. F. Matlin, T. F. & P. A.; J. C. Turner, Agent San Diego; W. A. Finley, agent Tia Juana; A. B. Raine, operating department; W. W. Foster, traffic department; F. W. Pispenbrink, ticket agent; J. H. Hammond, cashier; W. G. Boynton, ticket clerk; H. P. Snow, agent Chula Vista; Don Little, yard clerk; Wm. Goneen, C. C. to trainmaster; Joe Bartlett, clerk; V. Barnhill, agent Lakeside; A. W. Livett, agent La Mesa; H. L. Huff. agent Lemon Grove; C. M. Grover, asst. agent San Diego; W. J. Small, agent El Cajon; L. B. Holt, warehouse foreman.
November, Page 13
S. P. RECEIVES BOOST FROM SAN DIEGO TRAVELER
General courtesy of Southern Pacific employes met on a recent extended trip is commended in a letter from L. T. Adams, of San Diego. Mr. Adams mentioned in particular Conductor E. W. Trousdale, Agent R. B. Powell of Lakeside and Henry L. Archbold all of the Salt Lake division. He was impressed with the fine road bed and mentioned that Southern Pacific's "on time" performance was far ahead of other railroads he traveled over.
December, Page 9
Ticket Carries Promise to the Traveler
By F. B. DORSEY
Traffic Manager. San Diego and Arizona Railway
I WILL take cheerful but aggressive issue with any man or woman in or out of the transportation service who intimates that the ticket agent, the "man behind the counter," is not the most important link in the chain that binds the traveling public and its transportation systems in bonds of friendship. Furthermore I doff my "lid" to the rank and file of present day ticket agents, who conscious of the responsibility they shoulder when they begin to serve the public, are taking pride in making everybody with whom they have dealings admire the manner in which railroad companies treat patrons.
After all, the business of the ticket agent, keeping pace with that of salesmanship, has become a profession. The man who is just "a good fellow'' generous with cigars, an artificial smile and a handshake is a back number- in fact to a large extent he is extinct in the railroad business.
Today there are comparatively few lines of business that require so much from their men on the firing line making the initial endeavor to procure customers as is demanded of ticket agents. The man behind the counter has to be courteous under the most trying circumstances, keen minded, alert and a human information bureau as regards every feature of service on his own and connecting lines besides a knowledge of the world's geography, cities, towns, recreational and commercial opportunities, the extent of which was never or may never be taught in any university.
The ticket agent of today is doing more to humanize the railroad corporations in the eyes, minds and hearts of the nation's population and visitors from abroad than can be accomplished by the most able and ingenious executive. Furthermore, railroad officers need only scan carefully the creed subscribed to by all members of the American Association of Railroad Ticket Agents to realize the comfortable feeling that the company's outposts in the passenger field are holding and extending the front.
I am beginning to feel an aversion toward the word "efficiency". It's a good word, although used to death and often abused. The dictionary says it means "effectual agency." Well, that can be just as well applied to a machine and when ticket agents commence to operate like machines they have shot their bolt. The good ticket agent has not been paid the highest compliment possible in my opinion, when he is described only as being efficient. Rather should it be said of him that he is in addition to being efficient, an adherent to the doctrines of accuracy, courtesy, and accommodating service.
The ticket agent is entitled to close cooperation from every employe of the company who comes in contact with the man, woman, boy or girl who has been sold transportation. No person but the agent or the passenger has any knowledge of what effort was required to produce the business. The ticket agent, though, sold service as well as the card or strip of coupons. That carried with it an assurance of kindly treatment in the baggage room whether the passenger is familiar with methods of checking or not; willingness of train crews to volunteer or at least impart information about train stops or points of interest when inquiry is made; helpfulness from the porter whether a tip seems in sight or not, and courteous attention from dining car employes.
If passengers get all that the ticket agents sell them, and they are entitled to it, ninety-nine cases out of a hundred it means not only repeated business from the individual but added patronage from relatives or friends. If a slip up occurs anywhere along the route, a gruff, sharp answer to a request, or an absence of service to make the passenger comfortable in body or mind, the problem of inducing that person to make another journey over the same line is one that the ticket agent has to face, seriously handicapped, although he made the first sale confidently relying on cooperation all along the line.
