Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-20
TO SCARE SCALPERS.
A New Railway Ticket Which May
Drive Them Out Of Business.
APURCHAsER MUST BE DESCRIBED.
How the Railroads Lose Thousands Of Dol.
lars Annually.
REBATES TO Be PAID ON THE TICKETS.

The railroads running east and west from
this city are about to adopt new mileage
ticket, which will probably take away the
occupation of the ticket scalper and make
the business of handling tickets IN unpro6t-
able one. They are not going to wait until
Congress passes law making the business
of dealing in railroad tickets illegal, but
think that the new scheme will remedy the
evil they have always complained against.
The form Of the new ticket is now in the
hands of the Presidents of the lines in the
Central Traffic Association and there IS not
the least liability that they will not favor
the idea. At the meeting of the general
passenger agents in the association, to be
held in Chicago about February IL, the
ticket will be adopted. About the same
time the roads in the Trunk Line Associa-
tion, which includes the Pennsylvania
Railroad and all Eastern lines, will adopt
the ticket.
The new ticket will be called the "de-
scription mileage ticket" and will be sold
in books of either 1000 or 1000 miles.
When passenger purchases one of them he
will be required to sign his name to II agree
ments. Upon the inside corner of the ticket
book will be full description Of the pur-
chaser of the ticket. The height, build, age,
general appearance and sex of the purchaser
will be denoted by punches made in blank
spaces in the form.
MUST SIGN ON THE SPOT.
When passenger presents one of the
tick, is the conductor will require the man
to write fac simIle of thesignature to the
agreement. He will then carefully note
whether it is counterpart of the signature,
and whether the mans features tallies with
those mentioned in the description. If they
do not, the conductor will take the ticket up
and charge the passenger full fare.
In the words of District Passenger Agent
Watt, of the Pennsylvania Railroad: "The
new ticket will put stop to the frauds
practiced on railroads by travellers: Under
the system it will be almost impossible for
man to use any remnant Of amileage book
he has not purchased from railroad agent.
At present the losses TO the Pennsylvania
Railroad amount to thousands of dollars
annually from this cause. Suppose man
purchases 1,0O0-mile book from the Penn
sylvania Railroad. He intends to 60 to
Philadelphia and return, and pays $40 for
the ticket, or at the rate of 2 cents per mile.
''The distance to Philadelphia and return
is 7O6 miles. The passenger has 294 miles
left in his book which, at the rate of three
cents per mile, or the local rate. is worth
IS SO. He can generally find scalper who
is willing to pay at least S. 80 or $6 for the
unused portion of the book. The scalper
takes it and can easily sell it to a CONNER
cial traveller for about 81 or 81, 80 making
81 50 or 81 by the bargain.
'gThe original passenger who purchased
the book got his transportation to Philadel-
phia and return for S11 18 or little more
than the fare one way, which is $40 80. The
scalper
GETS HIS COMMISSION
for selling the unused portion of the ticket,
and the man who purchases from the scalp
er gets the ticket at much lower rate than
the company would sell the same transpor-
tation. Altogether the company is out
about SO ON the deal"
With the present form of mileage tickets
the party who purchases them from the
railroad company lis required to sign his
name on the book! If a conductor asks
man to reproduce the signature it can
generally be done even if the party present
ing the ticket was not the original pur-
chaser. 1t is only once in a great while
that a conductor will ask passenger to re-
produce the signature, and the chances are
greatly in favor of the latter. Sometimes
passenger using the remnant of ticket will
forget the name written in the book and
then the conductor gets in his work and
collects fare from the holder in addition to
taking up the book.
Another safeguard to be thrown around
the new ticket is that when a traveller pur-
chases one he will be charged at the rate Of
three cents per mile. When the book is
used up. by returning the, cover he will be
entitled to a rebate of $40.
AS an indication OF the growth of the
practice of buying and selling 1,000-mile
tickets by passengers, it is said that the ma
jority of men who travel much nowadays
never think of buying a regular trip ticket
when travelling distance of 200 miles or