(_A Report of a Meeting yet to be held._)
A meeting of the Improved Saloon Palace Coach Combination (Limited), was
held at the Offices of the Company on Thursday last, when Lord
BURLINGTON ARCADIA (in the absence of the Duke of UTOPIA) was called
upon to preside.
The noble Chairman said he was delighted to see so many
benevolent-looking shareholders present. He admitted that he felt a
little nervous, as no doubt the Board of Directors (of whom he had the
honour to be one) had acted to a great extent upon their own
responsibility in conducting the business of the Company. Encouraged by
the comments of the Press, the Board considered they owed a duty to the
Public second only in importance to the duty they owed to the
shareholders. Nowadays, great trading communities had no right to act
selfishly--they must think not only of those who owned the capital, but
also of that vast majority whose comfort it should be their pleasure to
enhance.
The paper to which he specially referred suggested that various
improvements should be made. All the Saloon Palace cars of the Company,
it was proposed, should be repainted in various colours, to facilitate
identification; but this would cost money--(_loud cheers_)--and he was
happy to say they had money to spend. They had spent it. (_Murmurs._) He
was sure that they would be pleased when they learned the manner in
which that money had been spent. Instead of being hoarded up to swell
the dividend--(_groans._)--it had been absorbed in improvements which
would confer great benefits upon the community. (_Uproar._)
A SHAREHOLDER. What have we to do with the community?
The CHAIRMAN explained that as the greater included the lesser, the
community must include the Shareholders. ("_No, no!_") He was sorry to
hear those sounds of dissent, but what had been done could not be
undone. (_Loud and prolonged groaning_). He trusted that he would be
treated with courtesy. ("_Hear, hear!_") He had come to the meeting at
considerable inconvenience. (_Cheers._) As a matter of fact, he had
little stake in the Company, as some time since he had disposed of the
vast bulk of his shares. (_Groans._) However, he would continue. As they
knew, the vehicles were now fitted with warm bottles in winter and
air-cushions in summer. Every passenger had a velvet upholstered
arm-chair. Flowers were supplied in great profusion in the interior of
the vehicles, and costly shrubs arranged on the platform supporting the
cushioned garden-seats of the exterior. As the additional weight to be
drawn in consequence of these improvements was considerable, it had been
considered advisable to increase the number of horses to each vehicle
from two to six. (_Groans._) New routes had been selected--for instance,
special services of carriages had been arranged up and down the Belgrave
Road, the Mall, Hammersmith, the Upham Park Road, Chiswick, and round
Brompton Square. Then he might say----