The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-28
Abuse of Pass Favors.

Abuse of Pass Favors.
There seems to be determination with rail
road managers and superintendent at the be-
ginning of new year, to turn over new leaf in
the matter of issuing passes. To begin with,
the number of ANIMALS is to be considerably re-
duced on majority of the roads. Then num-
Der OF roads will issue no passes to women.
Ministers are to pay cents per mile on most
roads. Newspaper men are not to be allowed to
tax the good nature of railroad officials by asking
for passes for every man who ever wrote line
Tor newspaper. and the practice of issuing
passes to shippers and their families to secure
their business is to be generally cut off. Then
exrailroad men, VINO are now in other business.
are not to be given transportation for themselves
and families whenever they may wish to jour
ney. Theatrical troupes are not to be furnished
with five free passes to every troupe where there
Is ten in number. 1t has now come to
pass that carrying theatrical troupes is the poor
est paying business railroads do. To illustrate,
one indianapolis line recently hauled theat
real troupe OF twenty persons 1876 miles at one
cent per mile per person, after the value Of
passes given was deducted. This same troupe
had on the train three carloads of scenery for
which the railroad company got just one-tenth
the amount for hauling it that they did for haul
Ing one express car on the same train. This
was shown by actual figures Then, railroads
are imposed upon in the charity pass business.
This matter is to be watched more closely. It
is stated by one who is il position to be post
ed that over one-third of the travel on one In
dianapolis line in the year 1885 was on passes.
A passenger agent, who disbursed Sc veral hun
dred passes during the year, assigned a
reason that it was good way Of advertising the
road; yet ask eight out of ten of these thus ia
v0red why they chose that route they would
simply answer, because they got free transporta-
ton over it. The fact is that general managers
and superintendents have come to the conclu-
sion that general passenger agents are carrying
too much of their business on low rates or passes
and have called a halt on some roads, withdraw
ing the privilege of issuing passes from passen-
ger agents, most Of whom, however, are glad to
be relieved of the annoyance Freight agents,
as we'll as passenger agents, in their anxiety to
curry favor from shippers, are issuing too many
passes. on the request of shipper, to outsiders.
In this there has been more imposition since
competition became so strong than in previous
years. One general manager goes so far as to
say that thirds of the passes issued do not in
any manner benefit the road that issues them.
This manager says there should be no passes is
sued to any body. Let railroad officials pay fare
whenever they ride over another road and then
charge to their expense account He remarked
that there was good deal of unfavorable COM
ment when Colonel johnson, of the street rail
way, issued an order that drivers should pay on
other cars than the one they were driving. the
same as passengers Yet the principle was a
correct one. Employees on a railroad were paid
good wages for their work. and it was only Gus
tom which had made the issuing Of passes to
them SO common. AT any rate, he said, rail
roads would be obliged to protect themselves in
some manner against this abuse of pass
favors. He said he knew family of eight
persons who had been travelling months of last
years over railways of this country. and they
boosted that transportation cost them nothing,
SO it was about as cheap to travel as it was to
stay at home. When asked why they were
given transportation they answered "a friend of
theirs who had been dead several years, was, way
back in the ffties president Of a railroad" Said
the official $50 long as such impositions are
practiced so long will passenger earnings make
unfavorable exhibits" He added these views
might seem rather extreme and it was hardly
probable they would be carried out in this gen.
GRAFTON, but such extreme views would lead pos
sibly, to curtailing the big leaks in this direc-
ton.
The Pennsylvania Injunction Continued.
HARRISBURG, Pa. Jan. 2-In the injunction
cases brought by the Commonwealth against the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the South
Pennsylvania Railroad Company. ct al, Judge
Simonton made the following DEGREES:
ut is ordered, adiudged and decreed that the
said injunctionS be and the same are hereby con-
tinued until final hearing. as against the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company, the Bedford e.
Bridgeport Railroad Company and the Pennsyl-
vania Company, defendants herein and as to the
other defendants. it is ordered that the said in
functions be and the same are hereby dissolved"
Wayne MacVeagh, Of counsel for the Penn
sylvania Company and the Bedford s. Bridge
port Railroad Company, filed a protest which de-
clares that the Pennsylvania Company and the
Bedford 81 Bridgeport Railroad Company, each
for ITSELF excerpts to said Decree and say that in
view Of the opinion of the court delivered in
said case, they do not believe it is in accordance
with the intention of the court that any injunc-
ton should be continued as against them or
either of Them which is not limited to enjoining
II. L.
agents or trustees of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company. and that said decree should be so
limited as not to interfere with the independent
action of either the Pennsylvania Company or
the Bedford s. Bridgeport Company in its own
interests and on its own behalf.
In the case of the Commonwealth against the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the Beech
Creek, Clearfeld & Southwestern Railroad Com
pany Judge Mcpherson filed a decree continuing
the Injunction until final hearing against the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the North
ern Central Railway Company, but dissolving it
as to the other defendants.
Mr. MacVeagh, as counsel for the Northern
Central Railway Company, has filed protest
in its behalf, worded exactly as the protest in
the South Pennsylvania case.
The Committee of Eighteen.
CHICAGO, Jan. 27.-M. E. ingalls,, chairman of
''the committee of eighteen" composed of gen.
eral managers of various roads east of the Mis-
sissippi river. but west of the Western terminals
of the Eastern trunk lines. has called meeting
OF the committee to be held in Chicago, Feb. %.
This is the first step towards the formation of
what is to be called the Central Traffic Associa-
ton, Western organization to govern east
bound freight The meeting will attempt the
creation of subsidiary pool at st. Louis, Gin
cinnati, indianapolis. eJc., covering junction
points. Another matter to be considered is the
ratification of the choice of George r. Blanchard
as commissioner and Hugh Riddle as arbitrator.
Appropriated Horse.
John Hensley a young man from about An
derson, hired bay mare and canopy top buggy