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ordeal of travelling back from work to Barking, he or
she must inevitably conserve sufficient energy for
this, which, after all, is an arduous undertaking.
This conservation of energy for what should be an
unnecessary hardship, represents loss in production
which can scarce be over-estimated.
On a visit to Town to attend an important meeting,
I left the same hurriedly at the termination of the
business—whilst yet it would have been advantageous
for me to continue informal discussions with my
colleagues—because the time was about four o'clock
in the afternoon, and I had no wish to brave the dangers
of travelling during a rush-hour.
This incident I well remember because, at the
Station on my way home, I met a man from Barking
who pointedly remarked that if I had only waited
another hour, I should have had another chapter to
write in my Annual Report.
I am told, and can quite well believe, that there is
only one way to deal with the situation, and that is to
double the line between Town and Barking. I am
told that this would be a five year's job ; I am told
it would be enormously expensive so far as manpower
is concerned. I do confidently believe that such
expenditure would be an economy so long as so very
many people in Barking and in the neighbourhood of
Barking are constrained to travel to and fro to earn
their living.