Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-26
THE JOINT AGENCY.
How IL Is Proposed to Run the
Coast Business.

Coast Business.
The following from the Cleveland
Leader will be interesting to railroad
men, as it is the full purport of the
scheme that has been set on foot to es-
tablish joint agency on the Pacific
Coast:
1t transpires that at the late joint pas
senger meeting at Buffalo Messrs. Dan
iels and Pierson presented grand
though visionary scheme for the consoli-
dation of all Central Traffic Association
and trunk line passenger interests on the
Pacific Coast. In the report which they
submitted it was estimated that of the
business from the Pacific Coast to points
in joint committee territory, from S5 to
60 per cent is second and third class,
and to large extent, if not entirely,
eontrollable. The entire volume of Sec
ond and third class traffic in which the
joint committee lines are interested is
roundly estimated at $4,000 passengers
per annum, with q possibility that the
number may be much greater, divided
into four classes, as follows: Chi
nese business, from 5000 to 5000
passengers per annum; cheap excur-
sion business, approximately as large as
the Chinese; Italian and Swiss, 800
passengers. 1t is estimated that to
secure this business costs sos 600, or an
average of $453 per passenger. Messrs.
Daniels and Persons propose to estab-
lish Joint agency which would repre-
sent all the lines east of Chicago and st.
Louis, conduct the advertising, soliciting
and special contract features OF the busi-
ness, and at the same time influence to a
considerable degree its distribution be.
tween these lines so as to approximate
agreed proportions, at an expense oi
10000 per annum, as follows:
General agent at San Francisco at
salary Of ....................... $4,000
Rent OF office ce.................... ...... 2,OO(
Ticket agent and solicitor at a salary OF 1900
Btenographer at a salary Of ........... 9O(
Office. boy at a salary OF ................ 4Ol
Kmigrant agent (Fugazzi) .............. $500
Travelling. agent Portland, Ore, at a %,
Trayellng. agent at Los Angeles at so,
Travelling and incidental expenses ~ 3,1OC
Total. $50. .OO(
This would effect saving according
10 the plan of $25, 900 year. 1t is pro
posed that the cost be apportioned
among the lines according to benefits
and that all Independent coast agencies
be withdrawn. This report provoked
considerable discussion and while it was
generally approved it was so enlarged
that the plan would be impracticable
without the cooperation of its lines west
Of Chicago, all of which have indepen-
dent representatives. on the Pacific coast.
Such an agency would, says the report,
supply all the requirements for first
class business as well as the controllable
business referred to, and thus the cost
per capita of the traffic from the Pacific
coast would be reduced to reason
able proportions. While it might not be
possible to exactly divide this business,
such an agency would be able to influence
its distribution between these lines so as
10 approximate agreed proportions.
The 'so-called" weak lines are obliged
10 put forth extraordinary efforts to Sc
cure what they regard as reasonable
proportion of the traffic, and would un-
doubtedly be quite as willing to main
tain their relative volume at a minimum
cost through joint agency as to do it in
the present expensive and unsatisfactory
method.