Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-24
privilege more than counteracted the bene

privilege more than counteracted the bene
fits to the people.
| scalpers Seized the Opportunity.
So many of the tickets fall into the hand
of scalpers that the middlemen, and not th,
public or the railroads, are the ones helped
| The railroads in the Central Traffic Associa
tion offer the usual one-third off, Coins
West Pittsburgers Will be all right, for they
have reduced rates on the Lake Erie, Balti
| more and Ohio and Pittsburg and Western,
The detision of the Pennsylvania road has
caused a good deal of grumbling 1t il
possible that the officials of the trunk line
have something better in store for the future,
In this connection it was reported in rail.
road circles yesterday that the Pennsyl.
, vsnla road intended shortly. or about the
| first of the year to make uniform rate of 2
cents per mile for long and short hau1s on
the entire system, and to abolish all mile
age books and excursion rates. An at
tempt was made to see Colonel Thomas NJ.
Watt, the district passenger agent, but he
was not in the city, The clerks in the
Office stated they had not been notified, but
the subject of mileage books and rates in
general has been under discussion for some
time by the Trunk Line Association. The
local Pennsylvania people we're little in
credulous, but they thought it would be a
wise and popular move to make.
, Simplifying the Railroad Business.
Many of the agents would like to see a
uniform fare adopted as it would greatly
simplify the business and knock out the
scalperx The present system of mileage
books at cents per mile and limited and
unlimited tickets is very much abused. As
a rule, If man travels great deal, or
makes single trip of anv distance be buys
a l, l,OOO-mile book for S20, uses what he
needs of it, and then sells it at a discount
to some broker who gets rid of it later at
profit The passenger is out so is the rail-
road, and the scalper is the only one in. AS
railroads are supposed to be conducted for
the public, uniform rate of cents per
mile for any distance to all points and for
all occasions would be appreciated BY the
people and would stop abuses.
The New York Central is competled by
the laws of New York to adopt 2-cent
rate, and 1t is uniform the year around.
No holiday or excursion rates are granted.
pennsylvania has no such statutes and
rival railroad men do not think that the
great trunk line will make the radical re-
duction of its own accord.
A Rush May Keep Up Rates.
1t is argued that the rate will be made for
the Worlds Fair business, but General
Passenger Agent E. A. Ford said a few
days ago that the Fair travel promises to
be so heavy that he doubted if any reduc-
tion in fare would be made on the fast ex-
press trains. He added that the Ft. Wayne
did not have the equipment to carry all the
people, and his line of reasoning was that
it would be foolish to reduce rates when
the trains would be crowded at the regular
fare.
However, it is safe to say that the Penn
sylvania road will not be arbitrary about
the 2-cent rate. 1t wouldn't pay. The
company is associated with other trunk
lines, and a straight cut without the matter
being presented to them might result in a
disastrous rate war. The plan is to submit
q proposition for uniform fare of 2 cents
to the Trunk Line Association with the
hope that it will be adopted by all. Penn
syIvania people here are not posted, but
the report was so general yesterday that the
chances are there is much truth in it.