To the Editor of the "Norru-Catna Darty News."
Sir,—As_ a frequent traveller over the Shanghai-Nanking line, connecting with Tientsin and north, I have often wished to invoke the aid of the publicity of your correspondence column, to stir. the management of this line to improve their car, reserved for through passengers to the north. As the Shanghai-Nanking line is presumed to be the premier railway in China, and does keep such excellent time, they should have a car to be proud of instead of ashamed of. And the present cars are at least newer than those I travelled on four years ago, but what a botch they made of them, from the point of view of comfort, and convenience of passengers.
(1) The windows are so high that one cannot look out at the scenery without rising from the seat, (2) The luggage racks are too narrow, and only suited to the day tripper with no more luggage than a toothbrush.
(3) There is no steam heat, or any other heat (4) The car being at the front of the train, is subject, to hordes of passengers and railway servants passing through and through the corridor, an unnecessary nuisance to passengers.
To correct the above, I would suggest immediate repairs to the ears as follows:
(1) Raise the seats three or four inches, (2) Puta double tier of racks in (there is plenty of room) as is found on the Wagon Lits cars running from Changchun to Moscow.
(83) Ceil the corridor and make the ceiling available for more luggage as on the Tientsin-Pukow and Peking-Mukden lines, from the inside of the compartments.
(4) Instal hot water heat in the car with a boiler at one end as in the Tsin-Pu line cars. Small expense and easily done after the car is built. The temperature in winter is far too low to compel passengers to ride in an unheated car.
(5) Hitch this car and its through baggage car to the back of the train—the passenger car last. I should think the railway would put ona new car with a small observation room at the rear end.
As an example of an English operated line, I should think the Management would burn with shame-at their car being poorer in these respects than the Chinese or Japanese-run lines in north China.
Enclosing my card, I am, ete.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.