Banning this railway dog is off the rails
HOW mean-spirited and short-sighted of South Western railway to ban a station master from keeping his pet dog in the ticket office (Mail). richard Bunce has run Horsley Station in Surrey for two years, but handed in his notice when he was told he had to leave George at home. The train firm has since said it is in contact with Mr Bunce in an effort to ‘resolve’ the situation following a petition signed by locals and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps asking the rail company to reconsider. Japan has 200 train companies, all privately owned and with few public subsidies. A cat called Tama, rescued as a stray by a railway worker, was officially appointed station master to boost tourism and revenue when Kishi station was threatened with closure. Families flocked to have their children photographed with Tama and to travel on a cat-themed train. The number of passengers on the line increased by 17 per cent and the local economy was boosted by £7 million. Tama was rewarded with a company uniform hat and cat food in lieu of a salary, with a crab meal as her annual bonus. DONALD MACARTHUR,
Seaford, E. Sussex. In 1950, aged six, I lived in a flat above Haggerston Baths in the east end of London. When the ticket office lady arrived, she rang up and our cocker spaniel, Patch, would take down the keys for her to unlock. He stayed with her until the daily newspaper was delivered and then brought it up to my dad. every day Patch visited all the staff in the swimming pool, slipper baths, wash house and those in the depths fuelling the furnaces. He guarded the ticket office when Auntie Gert went to the loo. everyone knew him and he was as much a part of the baths as the Golden Hind weathervane on the roof.