The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-07
W. Id sroP scALPINa.
General Passenger Agent Halle sug-
gests a Good Law.

] The present session Of the IcKa leCis-
| lature has passed an auti-scalpcr's law
| that seems 70 III the bill The Texas
railroads which secured the passage OF
/ the act seem well satisfied with its pro
I visions. Copies Of the act have been re-
/ ceived by the railroad authorities at
/ Savannah with the request that in future
/ they will conform TO its provisions on all
| excursion tickets TO Texas points.
/ The law is made to apply to excursion
1 tickets. IL makes it a penal offense for
/ any purchaser or holder of a ticket to
sell, barter or transfer it for considera-
| ton in the state of Texas To come I'M
/ der the law, however the ticket must
have printed upon it a statement 10 this
| effect. II must also state that the
ticket or any unsued portion of
il is redeemable by any authorized agent
Of the railroad company, or companies,
over whose lines it was purchased, if pre-
sented for redemption within ten days
after the right to use it has expired by
limitation of the time stipulated upon the
ticket.
The railroads are required to print
upon the tickets both the excursion rate
and the regular rate, and on a round trip
ticket both the round trip rate and the
limited rate, one way must be stated
This Information is to facilitate the re-
demption Of unused parts Of tickets The
railroads are protected against persons
making use OfeXcursiOn tickets for a short
distance and redeeming the remainder of
the ticket by the provisions that the
amount paid in redemption shall be the
full price paid for the ticket, less the
regular tariff rate for the distance travel
ed.
This protects the railroads from scalpers
and others who would buy long distance
tickets for short distance travel if the re-
duction made was proportionate to the
amount of the mileage travelled.
When married ladies purchase tickets
they are required to sign their given
names in full and not their husbands
names or initials.
Any person violating the provisions of
the act as to the sale or transfer of tickets
printed in conformity with the law is
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and is
subject, upon conviction, to a fine not ex-
ceeding $500 for each offense The rail
roads are required to provide for the re-
demptiOn of tickets and parts of tickets
sold by their agents. If no part of the
ticket has been used by the holder,
he is entitled to receive
the full amount paid therefor,
aud when the ticket has been used in part
the purchaser is entitled to receive the
full price paid after deducting the reg
uldE fdJt lOE The Instance between BAG
points for which the ticket was used.
The railroads are made liable for fine
of not less than 500 nor more than 800
for each refusal TO redeem tickets as pro-
vided by the law.
The provisions of the act appear to be
fair, both to the railroads and the travel
ing public. The purchasers of tickets
can lose nothing whore they comply with
the law and the railroads are protected
from the scalpers.
General Passenger Agent Halle, who
received copy of the act, says he regards
II as very satisfactory, and he would be
glad to see similar law enacted in this
state.
The trouble with the railroads in this
state has been, however, that while they
were very anxious to have the legislature
pass laws to protect them from the scalp
ers, they Were never willing to make any
adeq uate provision for the redemption of
unused tickets, and the legislatures hav-
ing more regard for the interests of the
travelling public than the railroads,
have refused to pass the bills
desired by the railroads. An act similar
TO the Texas law would probably meet
with general favor, and if the railroads
desire its passage they could doubtless Sc
cure it, If holders of railroad tickets
knew they could redeem any unused por-
ton of the tickets, they would not be so
much inclined to dispose of them to scalp
pets, as the latter seldom pay anything
like the first cost of the ticket.