Omaha daily bee., 1900-02-02
SALARIES MAY Be ADVANCED
General Passenger officials Considering
Plan TO Compensate Ticket Agents,
OPENS OPPORTUNITY FOR WEAKER LINES
Omaha Passenger Omciai Looks FOR
PrOdipnI Expenditure Of Money
by weak Ronds-NdNc rtisipg
Feature Enters In.

There is no doubt that a proposition IS
being considered by the general passenger
agents OF the western roads looking toward
an advance in salaries Of ticket agents I'm
order to compensate them In a measure for
the losses they will sustain by the sweeping
abolition Of all commissions, which became
effective yesterday. Ii is not likely that the
increase-if decided upon-wil bring
the salaries up to the commission point. but
ahey will placate the agents to a certain eS-
tent. Some of the local ticket agents have
realized enormously from their commissions
and in some cities agents who made as high
as $500 per month off their commissions re-
Ceived salaries ranging from $50 to $50 per
month.
The suggestion has been made that the
,Eailroads agree on a common scale that will
make the salaries of the agcnts of all roads
having similar duties the same. This mat
lder, it is believed, will be taken up by the
general passenger agents OF western lines
at a meeting to be held for this especial pur-
pose in the early future. The plan advanced
is that the larger roads adopt a sc,.- g sal
aries for their ticket agents and the smaller
lines in proportion. Heretofore it has been
the custom for the railroads to pay their
agents whatever they considered their
services worth and this was governed largely
by the amount OF commissions which the
; agent could reasonably depend upon.
A we'll informed local passenger official
states: "The adjustment of commissions is
going to open UP some unexpected problems
for the general passenger agencies of the
western roads. While 1t will accomplish a
great saving there is going to be one feature
that the weaker lines will take advantage Of
and the precedent is likely TO force the
! stranger lines tn do likewise II will Dupn
UP opportunity for the p~rodigal expenditure
of money by travelling passenger agents, who
will stop at nothing to shower favors upon
ticket agents at points from which consid-
cradle business originates. These travelling
agents will have the privilege of spending all
kinds OF money for suppers and the enter
tainment OF agents, and such treatment is
pretty sure to be productive of returns when
rhe agent has an opportunity to favor the
road whose representative has made himself
such a good fellow
Another added expense will come in the
distribution of advertising matter. In the
past ticket agents have availed themselves
OF every opportunity to display the advertis-
ing Of lines paying them liberal commits
sions, for it was to their advantage to
bring these lines prominently before the
public. Now, however, all such advertis-
Ding matter will undoubtedly be consigned
10 the waste basket, and the railroads will
have to pursue other plans for giving public
ity to their advertising matter
The ticket agents affected by the abolish
ment of commissions are wholly at sea as
30 their prospects. Some of them assert
that the present arrangement will not
exist for any great length of time, and
Others who think that the condition is likely
TO be permanent believe that their roads
will increase their salaries sufficiently, so
that the loss of the commissions will not
be so serious q matter.