The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-15
THRALh'S NEW IDEA
ANOTHER ADDITION TO THE MIL
cage BOOK INVENTIONS OF
RECENT DATE.
HARD One TO BEAT, THIS is.
NO CONTRACT SIGNED, BUT SOME
TELL-TALE SIGNATURES ARE
REQUIRED.
RAILROADS AND TRAVELLERS
Both Have Their Troubles, but Each
Thinks the other Largely to
Blame for Them.
AILR0ADS AND TRAVELLER s.

w. A. Thrall, formerly general pas
senger agent Of the Chicago & North
Western, seems to be an expert in de-
Vising new railway mileage books MIR.
Thrall is the inventor of the book now
generally in use all over the country.
This week he comes to the front with
still another book of greatly improved
design. and calculated to relieve the
passenger and the conductor of great
deal of annoyance. and at the same
time providing for absolute prevention
of manipulation. The past thirty days
has seen a number of new mileage
schemes prOpounded, among them be-
ing the Sebastian and the SouthCrs
schemes, both of which have many ad-
mirable fea lures and some faults. The
new book embraces a number of points
which are new. It's two principal feat
Gres are that it relieves the conductor
Of the responsibility of properly identi-
flying passenger, and it is a nOn-sig-
nature book 1t is made for 1000 miles
of travel, and is sold for $40. with the
understanding that when it is all used
up that the owner shall be entitled to
a refund of $40. When the book :s
fcation slip, which must be properly
signed by the passenger, who IS re-
quired to give his address in full. The
conductor then attaches the identiiica-
ton slip to the mileage torn out of the
book. The slips are then sent - the
auditors department, and from there
to the mileage bureau. There the
signatures to the mileage bureau are
compared. and if they correspond the
refund Of SO is paid. The conductor
in this case does not have to compare
the signatures. as that responsibility is
al left to the mileage bureau The
book is sold without requiring any sig
nature to an iron-clad contract The
Thrall, Sebastian and Southers systems
are all before the Western Passenger
association for consideration, bur as
each road in the association has differ
ent opinions, the selection of any one
system will probably drag along for
some time.
All this discussion about a new sys-
tenn Of mileage which has been going
on in the Western Passenger associa-
ton for months has brought out the
fact that there is a difference Of opir~
ion between the large jobbing houses
and their staffs of travelling men. by
the adoption of any one of the proposed
new systems, the travelling men might
find themselves surrounded with re
strictions they would not relish.
The whole question of the issuance
of mileage books has resolved Itself into
a serious connundrum for the railroads.
The latter are far from being satisfied
and the travelling men are also setting
up a great howl. Accusations are
being made on all sides of unfair treat
ment There is probably sin on both
sides. Nothing pleases the travelling
men better, however, than to throw q
harpOon into the railroads. The drum
mers declare that the railroads are
willing parties to every form of ticket
manipulation known to the travelling
public, and that in order to detracl at
tentiOn to their own guilt they have
cast aspersions upon the travellers at
every chance. The G. o e recently
printed the assertion that a jobbar Lad
asked for a proposition from brokers to
supply his house with a quantity of
advertising mileage. The travelling
men say that a railroad which issues
mileage in payment of advertising we'll
knows that the advertising medium
cannot possibly use up all the mileage
taken in payment. The travelling men
say that the railroad officials have
taught the travelling public to look to
brokers for rates which they the Of
hcials, cannot consistently furnish
The travelling men want to know where
the broker gets his supply of tickets
in answer to all these accusations the
railroads maintain that the travelling
men are too eXacting, too ungratefui
and too suspicious. A railroad official
furnishes the public with a sample of
what the-Foads have to contend with
Tir,|r II
age books by travelling men. Two tray
cling men left Western Passenger as
sociation point for Denver One Of the
travelling men remained in the smoker
while the other went back to the par
Tor car. When the conductor came
along he tore out mileage to the end
OF his run from the book belonging to
the man in the oarlor car and gave him
nat check to that point. The man in
the smoking car said he was going but
fifteen miles, and the conductor tore
out that number Of miles The smok
ing car passenger then went back and
got the hat check of the man In the
parlor car who was going $50 miles.
me man in-the parlOr car was to cav
that he had lost his hat check In ca So
Of row, and he could prove that he
had paid his passage by calling on the
conductor to produce his mileage slip
to the end Of the latter's run. The
smoking car passenger felt secure in
the possession of another mans hat
check for $50 miles. The travelling men
worked this dodge clear to Denver. saw
ing something like $28 This is only
one misuse which the railroads have to
contend with. Travelling men nova
days pair off. the railroad men saw.
when there is any long jump to make,
and they form combinations which
even the astute railroad officials cannot
beat The railroads are probably MS
much slnned against as SHINING. in the
ffal Of