The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-14
The New Mileage Making Friends.


A passenger official who ranks among the
shrewdest and most successful men in that
department of railroad service, in COM
menting on the new interchangeable mile
age, said that the book was steadily max
ing friends. The business men who pur-
chase the books have written Chairman
Donald of the Central Passenger Associa-
tion. he states, favoring tha book with
few slight notifications, which the roads
are now arranging to grant to as great an
extent as the protection of the mileage VIII
admit. He states that the business men
who investigate the matter admit that the
roads have made but little out of passenger
business the last two years, while the seal
pers have made large sums of money and
this. all business men know, in the end
must force the roads to giving poorer serv-
ice when one thinks, said the passen-
ger official, that the interchangeable mile
age is good over thirty-two roads and can
be purchased by any person, and what a
saving 1t effects, he can but be fr1endly TO
the book For instance, one can, III pur-
chasing this interchangeable mileage, save
81 on a round trip from Cleveland 70 %.
Louis or $40 on round trip from builalo
to Chicago.N the value OF the book 10 u
person who travels is readily SHOWN. Inc
passenger officials are very deSirous or SO
modifying the book as to meet the views OF
men and are now arranging to nave a
coupon which Will do away with much OF
the trouble complained of when person Is
10 go from one road to another. The trav-
eler is now Obliged to make an exchange
of mileage for a ticket at such connecting
point 1t is a new thing. and its use mas
demonstrated that some changes can De
made which will greatly lessen the. COM
plant of it's complexity and the red tape
connected with it's USE and Within snort
time the new mileage will be in such form
as to do away with the chief objections 20
il There is one thing certain, ana tnat Is
that since the book was placed on sale the
earnings of the roads from passenger SerN-
ice have increased very handsomely ana
the scapers are squirming. which Is evil
dence that it is an effective DOCK IN the
prevention of scalping. 1t has put stop
to checking baggage from one point 10
over another line, as was frequently the
case when the old books We're in use; OFTEN
baggage has been checked from Indianapo-
lis to Chicago. or from Chicago TO another
gage was carried. both the railroad com
panies and the express companies thus be-
ing deprived of doing the business. lie
said if the business men and the travelling
statesmen will give the officials q reasonable
time he was satisfied that the interchange
hle mileage would be so modified that any
reasonable man will say IL is satisfactory
and of benefit to the person VINO Travelled
on IT, as Ii discriminateS against no person
and on long trips can be MADE great
that Commissioner Donald, of the Central
Passenger Association, is daily receiving l60
to l75 covers to pay the $40 rebate on, ard
that these rebates are returned with the
greatest promptness; goes Tar 10 remove
objections to the mileage, and he felt con-
fident that before many months pass other
passenger associations would be using the
same form of modified book.