Remarkable strides have been made in improving the amenities of railway page 23 travel. In a recent paper delivered before the Institute of Transport, Sir Harold Hartley, vice-president of the L. M. & S. reviewed progress in this direction. Means to attain increased travel comfort, it was pointed out, fall under the principal headings: (1) Elimination of vibration or irregular motion; (2) reduction of noise; (3) heating and ventilation; (4) lighting; and (5) aesthetics and general amenities of trains. Track improvements have materially cut out vibration, and also noise. Good riding, together with regular maintenance of the adjustable parts of passenger carriages, has done a great deal to eliminate noises due to excessive oscillation, flange blows, body working and rattling of brake gear; while bettered ventilation has also cut out much noise. Modern apparatus, such as air conditioning plant, has vastly improved heating and ventilation. Lighting has made prodigious strides, and passenger eye strain has been reduced to a minimum. The actual comfort of the seat, it was remarked, probably does more than anything else to determine the passenger's satisfaction during his journey. It must not be too high, nor too low; too hard nor too soft; and it must give support to the small of the back and to the head.