The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-29
FORM OF INTERCHANGEABLE
MILEAGE WON'T Do.
BIG MERCHANTS MAY KICK.
LITTLE ADVANTAGE TO THEM,
WHILE HELPING OUT THEIR
COMPETITORS.
WHAT A MINNEAPOLIS MAN SAYS.
Great Northern in Washington
Mr.. SIade Promoted.

The passenger men from ST. Paul
who returned yesterday from Chicago
after having taken part in the adop-
ton of the Sebastian form of the inter-
changeable milage ticket, which goes
into effect Nov. /, are not inclined to
discuss the matter at any great length.
The gossip is that the Sebastian form
was not adopted because it was best,
but because it was to be depended up,
on to show how entirely unsatisfactory
this Interchangeable business is when
it applies on all roads in the territory.
The strong lines naturally did not
want the new plan. They each had a
list of roads upon which their LOCO and
1000 mile books were good. The job
bers did not force the action either. In
fact some of the railroaders insisted
that the big merchants would kick just
as it turns out they have. The pres
sure came from within and was put
in motion by the weak lines, and now
that the books are to go In the same
complaint is made by the jobbers.
While it is early to predict at this time,
it will probably be true after a fair
trial that the strong lines can go back
to their LOCO and 1000 mile books,
which in fact they will still leave on
sale along side of the new form.
Although the determination to put
the new book in Nov. 1,was reached
only few days ago, the sentiment
is already strongly against the innova-
ton, coming chiefly from the North
western wholesalers. A Minneapolis
jobber said yesterday:
with the mileage in use, a deposit
is put up with the road from which
transportation has been taken out.
Many small house has been unable
to keep a man in the field because a
been obliged to get over territory
which could only be reached through,
say, ten different times. Two much
money was tied up in the purchase of
mileage under such conditions and the
result was that the small outside deal
ers confined their attempts to secure
trade to their own localities or branch.
ed out very gingerly when they did any
soliciting.
NOW it will be different with the
interchangeable mileage. They will be
able to get over the most of the de-
sirable territory on the investment Of
one mileage ticket at a time, say $50
in all
Their activity will invade our in
terests at every hand. Small houses
in the smaller towns will put at least
one agent out. The manufacturers of
specialties, too, will be heard from.
Every small maker of any one article
will now consider keeping a man on
the road,
I'm a way all this will be to the
benefit of Chicago perhaps more than
to any other city. She has myriads of
small manufactures. Heretofore they
have kept out of the territory. Now
they will fairly swarm over the route
our agents follow. OF course the new
arrangement will be to the benefit and
convenience of all the travelling pub
lie. the big concerns included, but the
chief harvest will come to the small
foreign dealers who has heretofore
been excluded by the capital required
to keep a solicitor busy"
The Wisconsin Central people have
given notice that they will hold off
their contemplated action in regard to
their own form Of mileage books until
the new form can be fairly tested.