| Show President of the U. U P P. P Railroad Co Addresses Bankers at Convention Tells Delegates that this this is is the Customers Day and Encouragement and Friendly operation Co-operation with them will help to build Communities and spread the Gospel of Faith in the COl Country t Summary of address by W W. M. M Jeffers president Union Pacific System before Utah Bankers' Bankers Association As As- North Rim Orand Grand Can yon you Lodge June 19 1939 I have a very comfortable feeling In the presence of an association of Utah people the feeling of being at home That adds very materially mater materi ally to tb the pleasure that I take Inthis In Inthis inthis this occasion Utah IDa isa vital part pad of the great west It has been a avery avery very substantial contributor to th the and progress of the west And I am per cent ceDI westerner The Union Pacific has many things In common with Utah ant a legion of friends hi in Utah And I am percent Union Pacific I have been somewhat In trying to figure out what particular lar message a bankers banker's association wants from me I am familiar with the technique of railroading and might listen in a critical attl atti tude if you attempted to instruct me in this technique My knowledge knowledge know ledge of banking is a layman's knowledge In my association with bankers in a business way way- way and and in ina ina ina a personal way I have learned I something of how banks function but I am not familiar with the tha I technique of banking And there I fore cannot risk a critical attitude on your part by attempting to advise ad ad 1 vise you in hi the technique of your Our own business It was necessary for me to find finda a common ground and that was not far to seek We are all business men As business men we are all aU trying to make our businesses thrive Perhaps the sledding is a little rough But saying it will not make it smoother and think ing lag it and worrying about it will not make it smoother Worrying about personal problems never got a 1 aman aman man anywhere and worrying about business problems never got a business business busi busi- business ness anywhere The energy wasted In worrying over a problem if ap plied to Fo thinking out a solution would go a long way to solving the problem And In these thes times the urgent Job to which business must apply Itself is the calm sober thinking thinking think think- ing out of a solution and then a forcible confident putting put of th the e Into practice Bankers and railroaders have ha haon had d on one quality In common to a mar mared marked mark k ed degree They have both bee been n painfully conservative They have hav e both been worshippers of ent eat The They have proceeded on th the e theory that what whal was good enough for our fathers is good enough fa for r ru us The fundamentals which o our u fathers built upon and believed In are good enough for us and fo for r those that come after us But the th e methods practices and modes o or r procedure that our fathers use used d are not good enough for us be because be cause we do not live in their time I They if they were successful adJusted ad ad- Dusted themselves to their time We W e must adjust ourselves to ours ours' That Tha t does not mean that we must fall for every fancy that may proceed d from the mind of an impractical dreamer or every ism that ma mabe may maybe maybe y ys be concocted by a brain that has ha s detoured from the highway o of t straight thinking There may have hav e been a courtesy that It was ever eve everon everon r on that highway There may ha e been en a time when the railroader r could give the people what the tin e railroader thought was good enough h he for the people There may have hav e been a time when the banker co could old the customer But BUI that tha t time Is past This is the customers customer's customers customer's custom customers ers er's day I know my own game better tha than n any anyone one else's and I know my o own owl railroad better betler than anyone else elsts I. I That is my Justification for tor re recounting re counting in a concise way what y you ou oue already know how we of ot th the e Union Pacific have tried to look a at transportation through the customers customers customer's customers customer's custom ers er's eyes We did not Jump a at t conclusions We made mode a careful ul thoughtful reaching far survey y Then we started to act Here are some of the things w we e gave the customer and by his favorable reaction we know the customer cus tomer Comer likes them lUg JU 2 streamlined pains t 1 The Zoe Challengers tourist car coach h trains clean comfortable e attractive economical in sleeping an and d meals with exclusive cars for women n nd which by the way have delighted Le d women Stewardess nurses on passenger er I trains Women's departments in our ticket offices Fast Post freight schedules Fast merchandising service for fot less than carload shippers shippers' in many cases overnight service between shipper and customer Pickup Pick and delivery service Recreational and vacation centers s such as the facilities developed bythe by bythe the Union Pacific In these Utah parks and the Grand Orand Canyon ha na park and our new Sun Bun VaLley Val ley development arr affording winter and summer recreational opportunities opportunities to our customers We have not solved all the railroads railroad's railroads railroad's rail rail- roads road's problems but we are doing a pretty go gook good Job at solving one of them We have no not nol eliminated our subsidized competitors on wat water r and highway but we ate are giving them a arun arun arun run for their money And we have we-have have found by putting ourselves In the customers customer's place the customer might not always be right he Is right a surprising number of times I am not offering you you you-a. tu a leaf from our book You men are doing your own thinking to toward ward the tion of your problems But I know what you know w that on one essential requisite to business success and especially In this day is to make friends and that the way to make friends Is to attract and please people peo pie and cooperate with them The times call for initiative courage re reo departure from tra tra- tradition where fundamentals are not involved sound leadership Men of influence like yourselves Ourselves are equipped for tor leadership You have been l leaders aders The The banker tra tra- has been the highly re ree respected reo spec ed member of a a community's commercial life Ute He has long been an important factor factor In building his community on a sound financial basis People sought his advice In their contemplated undertakings whether a new enterprise the building building build build- ing of a factory a store or a home the purchase or the stocking of a 1 farm or the making of an Invest invest- investment ment But the point is the people sought him He held himself a. a loof loot and they came to him That was the banking tradition Rail reading was carried on In a similar way The railroad was was there there ready and capable of serving and renderIng rendering render render- Ing big reliable service but letting the people find this out for themselves That was railroad tradition Now Nowa a change has come come about Both the the banker bonker and the railroad d have serl serious us competition the fife railroad in n subsidized competing f forms form r of transportation trans the banker in competing governmental agencies and finance companies The banker has stood by hoping against hope for far a restoration of his composure and well His competitors compe are not waiting f for r the customer They are going after the customer They tell him their story in live tive advertising they offer convenient ent exit facilities for the transaction of his business The banker must do doa a better job Job of merch merchandising This Is s the customers customer's day You can put yourself out among the p people ople you can by encouragement and by friendly cooperation help build up your communities help impress upon upon up up- on the people the importance 0 of right straight thinking for the bet I Ferment of your communities and the th welfare of the country take a abroad abroad broad gauged and active interest Inthe In Inthe the problems of your neighbors and andIn andin in their theft solution and spread the old time gospel which is ever ver new that obstacles are surmounted and pro gross grass made by faith in ht the the- country and confidence in n its citizens en enthusiasm en en- and hard work Ork If we and the other business men of this country set pur our minds to it and put forth the hand hang of of fellow fellowship ship in the spirit of cooperation of tor what is best for all of us and andlor for lor the country we e con can can bring close when on will wUl card the theory that the spending of tax money for the s support of employable will men bring prosper it Uy and in its place will give business busi busl ness mess n a re reasonable chance t to let these men gain their old time independence in In- dependence of earning their living by serving the people as cooper stars In hi private business We can ere re establish re-establish private business to its proper function of creating g and sustaining the prosperity of the country We can con restore stability and confidence a consummation devoutly to be wished |
