The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-02-02
THE GATE SYSTEM.
Ticket Collecting System TO be Adopted
BY the Southern Pacific.

BY the southern RaclHc.
The Southern Pacific company is con.
templating the adoption of the gate sys-
tenn OF ticket collecting as now In vogue
on the Chicago and Alton railroad.
For the purpose of investigating the
operation of this commendAble system and
familiarizing themselves with the intrica-
cies and details of its workings, Manager
w. G.. Van Week and Assistant General
Passenger Agent l.. j. Parks of the sun
set lett last evening via the International
and Great Northern for ST. Louis. whore
they will confer with the officers of the
Alton and spend several days going over
the road, acdt,ainting themselves with the
practical workings of the new system OF
ticket collection.
There are numerous schemes and devices
for the defraudng of railroad companies Of
their honest dues tho clever and success
full manipulation of which cost railway
corporations many thousand dollars an
nu,iiy. BY many persons who would scorn
the idea OF Intentionally appropriating
anything belonging to another the cncat-
ing of railroad company out of few
dollars is never looked upon as a dishonest
act. OF the many and various methods
practiced upon the railroads whereby they
are daily deprived OF revenue justly and
properly belonging to them, the one which
the Sunset proposes to defeat Is probably
one of the most effective and most fire.
Quently attempted, and against which tho
gate system seems to be the only remedy
so far discovered
Tho purchase of tickets TO points of less
distance than tho destination of the pas
senger with the intention OF thereby saw
ing the fare of several miles ride is a
practice not uncommon among certain
class of travellers, and the imposition has
grown TO such an extent that the Southern
Pacific has determined to adopt measures
for it's prevention.
As an Illustration OF the scheme say n
passenger desiring to go from Houston to
Orange purchases a ticket to Beaumont,
which is twenty miles this side Of Orange.
The passenger Is not required 10 exhibit
his ticket before boarding the train under
the present system and after presentation
Of his ticket to the conductor on the train
all evidence Is destroyed as 20 the positive
destination of the passenger. When the
conductor. after the train passes Beau
mont presents himself and deman Is fare
of tho passenger from Beaumont TO where
ever ho intends going, the passenger be
comes very indignant and Dc clarcs that
he gave the conductor ticket TO trar &c.
The conductor while positive he colectod
passage only to Beaumont Is placed IN a
very embarrassing position. as he may
have twenty other passengers VINO rie-
scented tickets TO Orange and X SIMPLY
remains his word against that of the
passenger. An exercise Of he conduc,cr's
authority to collect the unpaid fare OF put
the passenger off the train rs IN extreme
" dangerous procedure in such cases and
is seldom resorted to. There Is alto an
other plan on the same principle some
times worked by less venturesome travel
ers and that Is the purchase 81 two tick
cts one to his destination AMI the other
to a point anywhere from ten 10 twenty or
perhaps fifty miles this side or whe'e he
De- ~
reading to the proper destination to a
fellow traveller and the presentation of the
short mile or skeleton ticket to the Cum
ductor, the passenger secures himself With
proof of having had ticket to hts pro-
per destination. When tho conductor dis
putes the case he is confronted with the
evidence of tho second passenger, who
voucbes having seen the accused in the
pnssession OF ticket reading TO the
noint claimed. The unused ticket. of
course. is redeemable and the passenger
never loses a cent by the purchase of
two tickets.
Now as to the gate system and rs op-
Grafton. At every station on the ROAD 'he
company will have ticket collector. 10
whom all tickets must lie exhibited before
messengers board the train and who Will
also collect all tickets from passengers
arriving at his station. Under tie resent
system tickets are collected by the con-
ductor, but under the new i'lan the con
ductor will simply cancel the tickets as
presented. which makes them valuelosr SO
far as the passenger is concerned for fur
thor use and return them to the passc n
ger. JJpon arriving at destination rassen-
GERS will have to eS,ibit their tickets cad.
in.- to that point 20 ;he collector, who
will take up same. Should the ticket eN-
hibited read to any point nf less distance
than that station the holder 90 same viii
| 10 No m fthlg tharp will
he no room for dispute or n rlisunlor-
standing and of course no ilccnvensrce
to tho traveller.
The system is said 20 3e n splendid one
and has been successfully operated on the
| Chicago and A.tor Tor long time.