The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-28
TICKET AGENTS UNEASY,
They Complain That Brokers
Are Demoralizing
Business.
TO CONSIDER RATE. CUTTING.
T. II. Goodman of the Southern
Pacific Calls Meeting for
Monday.

The railway passenger ticket agents, or
at least some of them, have been kicking
over the traces of late, and there is trouble
all along the line. For quite long time
the agents on Market and Montgomery
streets have held together on rates as
directed by their respective companies
after meeting at Chicago, at which
Western passenger rates were definitely
settled. The Passenger Association made
it clear to all agents that cutting rates
should then cease, and to all lntents and
purposes it did stop Immediately.
But in view of subsequent developments
it seems that the Western Passenger Asso-
citation rules were only made to be broken.
So the story goes on the street, and it is
for this very reason that an effort is to
be made to whip into line some agents
who, in their zeal for business, found a
way of their own out of the dilemma In
in which they were placed.
With this object in prospect meeting
has been called for O:30 A. NJ. tomorrow
in the Palace Hotel
Every agent in town received a letter
yesterday from General Passenger Agent
T. III. Goodman of the Southern Pacific
Company asking him to be present at the
meeting. The invitation announced that
matters connected with overland passen-
ger traffic from San Francisco and vicinity
will be considered at the meeting, and it
| urged upon agents the necessity of attend
Ing or sending a representative.
The railroad men claim to be at a loss
regarding the nature of the questions to be
discussed, and little could be learned from
Southern Pacific officials further than
statement that purely business matters
Il I'll ID
sirous of saying nothing about 1T, though
from two of them it was learned that the
meeting was called for the purpose Of stop
ping cutting through brokers.
'Some of the agents have been paying
brokers an excessive commission to allow
them an opportunity of cutting rates and
thus getting the business. This has given
rise to constant irritation and frequent
complaints from offices that were daily
losing business because they refused to
have any dealings through brokers. Means
will be devised on Monday to put stop to
this brokerage and put every Office on an
equal footing to sell tickets on its merits.
Such was the explanation of an agent
who for business reasons did not wish his
name quoted in connection with the
matter
The Southern Pacific agent said that nc
broker could do business through his Off
ticket for himself and signing it in his own
name, in which case the ticket could not
be transferred. He regarded brokers as a
nuisance and the cause of endless trouble
in the different ticket agencies.
"What the Union Pacific and Santa Fe
representatives may be doing I cannot say
| though it certainly disturbs things" was
| the vague insinuation that these offices
have been getting large share of the
passenger traffic.
1t is foregone conclusion that unless a
radical change be made Immediately sew
eral railway companies will raise decided
objections to continuing under association
restrictions regarding passenger rates, anG
then enter into an open fight by cutting
rates. In this connection the Santa Re
and Union Pacific people say they have
lost certain proportion of overland bust
ness through the Southern Pacifc's Sunset
| Limited train, which has been advertised
all over California, and, consequently, they
feel that they must offset the competition
| in some way.
There is not a very wide gap now be.
tween association rules on passenger rates
and free fight at reduced prices for over
| land tickets may be at hand.