5 NOVEMBER 1954, Page 14

PATRONAGE AT EUSTON

S1R,—The Public Relations Officer of British Railways (LMR) now discloses that it ig normal for four seats on main line trains to bear bogus reservation labels. But he avoids telling us who has the authority to shoW passengers into these bogusly-reserved seats, when and why, or how the lucky passengers are selected.

I myself was once shown into such a scat (not on the LMR). 1 can only say that I was left in no doubt that an enormous favour was being conferred on me, for which suitable recompense was, to say the least, expected. It was only after the transaction was corn. pleted that I discovered that there were plentY of unreserved seats elsewhere; but my porter had selected my ' reserved ' scat, and that was that.—Yours faithfully,