The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-07-02
One WAY Tickets Allow No Chance
for Middle Men.
ST. LOUIS MAIL WILL BE EARLIER.
Double Daily Service on the Column
biu Tnp-A HOld-up mt n section
HOusc-COtton Statement.


fight instead OF by securing laws to ac-
complish 1t.
The bill in congress to prevent ticket
scalping failed to pass, but one was
passed by the New York legislature which
is extreme in its terms. The Texas legis-
lature several years ago passed law
against ticket scalping. law which re-
ouires the railroad companies to redeem
all unused tickets. and which makes 1t
a penal offense for the owner of ticket
to barter or sell 1t. This has failed OF its
object. The scalping of tickets continues
although the law is still on the statutes.
Some railroads are fighting the scalpers
continually. and succeed III the fight. The
agents and conductors are able to recog-
nize scalped ticket Immediately they
see 1t, and they refuse It. Conductors OF
some roads will not carry man mile
on Il ticket he believes is sold by a scalper.
and the ticket brokers have learned this,
and there are roads in the country whose
tickets they studiously avoid handling.
1t is believed the plan now being used on
the tickets to the West is an experiment
adopted by the larger roads in the country
| to defeat the scalpers. When the rates
| convention of the Young Peoples Society
| of Christian Endoavor, were announced
low figure was named, but this hgure was
| for one way only. From Houston ana
other points In Texas tickets to San Fran
cisco were sold at $3.50 for the one trip.
For return there are certain days upon
which the same rate will obtain for the east
bound tickets. This gives the excursion
lists an opportunity to make the round
| trip at a cheap rate, but they can only
| buy the tickets separate. Had round trip
| rates been offered the fare would probably
| have been about Si5. just double what is
offered for each, but this would give the
| purchaser an opportunity to sell the ticket
| TO the scalper, and middle man thus
| make something out OF it. AS ii is no
| tickets are unloaded scalpers in san
Frah cisco. When the eXcursionsts arrive
| in that city they have nothing to sell
| They had one way ticket they gaze IL
| 10 the conductor and they are in Frisco.
| When they are ready To return the rail-
roads are ready to sell them a ticket. If
they are not coming back they are not
Ienabled to save money by disposing OF an
unusued portion of the ticket, because
they did not have one. Now. what is the
position of the ecalper? He is not in it.
| The old familiar cry: "Buy and sell your
railroad tickets: cheap rates ia all points"
which one generally hears when he arrives
in city as one OF party of excursion
lists is not what disturbs him. There are
none TO buy and sell
There has also been reduction In rates
to intermediate points. This is made nee
essary by the interstate commerce law
| Where a one way ticket is sold the com
pany must also give cheap rate TO an
| Intermediate point but such Is not the
case regarding round trip rates. How
ever, tho railroads do not lose by this.
For instance, II n man desired TO go VIA
the Texas and Pacific to !ll Paso he would
probably fnd the one way rate TO San
| Francisco cheaper than the rate to FL paso,
unless there was a reduction to inferno
ldiate points. He could buy to Frisco.
and when Ell Paso was reached destroy
or sell the unused portion. The Texas and
Pacific would have to pay the Southern Pa
cilc a portion Of the amount for which the
ticket sold although the Southern Pacific
would never receive the coupon or haul
1.-THE passenger mile. Therefore, there
would be division of revenue on a ticket
whereas the Texas and Pacific would do
all the hauling. AS II Is, however, the
rate to intermediate points Is reduced,
and one way tickets arc sold to those
places, with n privilege of a reduced rate
back In this way the Texas and Pacific
would get the passenger to I'll Paso and
there would be no division of revenue.
The question OF scalpers is a serious one
to some roads They are endeayoring In
every way To get them out of business
but whether the plans adopted will sue
coed it is hard to tell The Houston and
Texas Central railroad was the first to
start the one way ticket plan. ii was done
in 1875 when the races and sam Jones Were
attracting a great deal of travel TO Hous-
Ton. The passenger department of that
road put on cheap rate TO Houston: II
consisted of rate from Dallas and inter
mediate points. For instance n ticket tc
| AL
way: from Corsicana the fare was $3.50
from Austin the rate was ~ 10. THESE
tickets were good on trains Nos. and 4
leaving Dallas November q, and branc!
line trains making connection with thos'
mentioned. To allow corrcspondingly low
rate for return. the company sold tickets
at the same rate 10 the same stations fol
trains returning November and ?. This
limit was about as long as would he nl'
lowed on round trip tickets. II was new
: departure No road had ever tried IL, anc
a passenger conductor VINO was on tl'
s read at the time says il stopped the scalp
ers They had not learned about the on'
way tickets. and when one of the trains
bringing excurs!onists 10 Houston reache,
To- CLANCY Junction three scalpers climbed
aboard for the purpose OF buying up retnr'
: coupons but there were none. IN accouh
u was kept of all business done on thes'
tickets. and it was found that out OF al
:, tickets sold To Houston. INT FAINT '"t'
J was not asked for but by one-fonrth ~
. rpntv neonle for return Had they pur
y chased round trip tickets there Woul'
! have been rs per cent Of those return c .oi
Y mons In the hands of the scalpers. TN
round trip rate from Dallas would hay'
been &c. tho return coupon would nay
i been sold 10 a soalper for 81, and he woul'
y have SOLD II for about 50. Thls was d,
O prevented by the Central. No other roa'
went into it however, Now the large
:. roads have adopted the plan, The ticket
} are now being sold for the West on ina
= basis and IL remains TO be seen II in ~
ture they will sell only one way excursion
:, tickets, SO as to keep return coupons gu
" of the hands OF ticket brokers'