St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-31
The Local Passenger Situation.

Use OF some creamery concerns.
The Local Passenger situation.
Though not at all warlike, there is an
uneasy disposition shown by the ticket
scalpers toward the railway companies.
The matter is that they are not allowed the
commissions on Eastern business they were
securing in times gone by. and they are
hardly rs friendly toward the railway COM
panies as they were previous to the cutting
down of their commissions. When the pas
senger agents of ST. Paul and Minneapolis
made their first agreement the commission
on tickets TO Chicago was cut down from
-. 80 10 50, and when they made the sec
Ond agreement the commission was again
cut down TO 81. The scalpers then made
an agreement among themselves 70 give 90
cents of the 81 10 commission 10 the paSsen-
ger and hold 80 cents themselves, and this
agreement was iron-clad. This worked all
well and good for a time, but one of the
scalpers discovered a way by which he
could make money another way, and sur
prised his brethren by giving the passenger
the benefit of his full commission. 81. Tie
other brokers then did likewise and sold
tickets secOnd-class TO Chicago for SIS, the
regular rate being SO. This, 10 q
certain extent, paralyZed the sale of
tickets by the regular ticket agents, and
they were compelled TO adopt some scheme
whereby they could compete with the
Scalpers on business over their own line
and commenced selling at $50, getting a
broker to sign voucher and giving him so
cents for his commission.
The managers of the roads allow the
general passenger agents to pay commits
sion of 81, but II they were TO report the
sale of ticket from ST. Paul 10 Chicago for
IS it would not be accepted unless the re-
port was accompanied by broker
voucher, showing under what circun-
stances the ticket was sold. But since the
brokers are allowing the passengers the full
benefits of their commissions, it is eX-
tremely difficult for An agent to
SELL At TARIFF
over the counter. Now If one goes into a
regular authorized ticket Office and inquiries
tine rate TO Chicago, the answer is. ''S9
second class. but We will sell YOU for
$3.50" Ii this is not satisfactory to the
purchaser the agent will invariably sell at
IS and risk having broker sign voucher
without receiving any commission. This is
the situation at present, and the brokers are
a little dissatisfied, but they have them
selves to blame for il, rs the railroad ticket
agents claim that they have brought diSas-
ter upon themselves by being SO
liberal with their commissions. Now
that such is the state of affairs
at present, there is a likelihood of
another agreement being made between the
passenger agents of the east-bound roads,
there not being any in existence since the
Minneapolis IL St. Louis withdrew about
two months ago.
When another agreement is made, and
there will surely be another as soon as the
Minneapolis * st. Louis runs into st. Paul
the passenger agents will consider the adj
visibility of dispensing with the commission
allowance. St. Paul is the only city in the
country where the ticket agents of the rail-
ways have 10 call upon scalperS to sell tick
cts for them, and the passenger agents TOR
some time past have been seriously con-
sidering whether they should abolish the
practice. and they are all agreed on one
point. that the scalping system is nuis-
ance i'm the way of the legitimate disposal
of tickets by the railroad companies.
There is one thing for which the local agents
are entitled to praise. That is, the main
tenance of rates when there is no existing
agreement for their adherence. The man
ayers have been conservative of revenue,
and their wishes being lie known TO the
general passenger agents, have been OBJ
served.