The Important Position He Holds in the Traffic Department of the Railroad.

(By C. H. Pumphrey , in the Baltimore and Ohio Magazine.)

The favourable position occupied by a stationmaster in relation to the development of railway business in his territory is being increasingly emphasised in overseas railway publications. The following interesting article, taken from the “Baltimore and Ohio Railways Magazine,” besides having a general application, contains some useful information bearing upon this subject, and is reprinted for the benefit of our readers.

To get business is the supreme object of the Traffic Department. For the railroad to prosper it must have traffic. People must travel upon it; shippers must send their freight over it. This is traffic, and the volume of traffic must be large enough to provide sufficient revenue to pay expenses and contribute some surplus.

It is the mission of the Traffic Department to secure this sufficient volume of business, and the local agent in the front line of direct contact with the public is a very important representative of the Traffic Department.