Page:The truth about the railroads (IA truthaboutrailro00elli).pdf/241

Rh directors, (See Table C, page 230.) Of these, three sit on all three boards and eight sit on two boards. Of the forty-eight directors, forty-two live in New England, four in New York, and two in Philadelphia. Those who are also directors of the so-called trunk lines outside of New England are five in number.

These directors are interested in the welfare of the roads they represent, and of the country that those roads are trying to serve. They exercise the final powers of management, and can approve or disapprove the action of the officers, and can direct them. They cannot know all details, and they must rely largely on the reports and recommendations of the officers on whom rests the first responsibility of careful investigation of the problems of management. They demand that the officers give their undivided time and attention to the railroad business, and to working harmoniously with the patrons of the roads, the employees, and the public authorities.

It is difficult to obtain the material things needed for the upbuilding of a railroad, but it Rh