The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-25
RAILROAD NEWS.
Ousting OF News Agents a Gem
eral Move.
The System Is a Relic of Bygone
Times.
TRAIN-BOY MUST GO.
Departs With Old Hand Brake
and Old Time Brakeman.
He Annoys Passengers and
NEroM<o1 E-ov.hs4~-kT-
TRAIN-BOY MUST Go
He Annoys Passengers and
Charges ExOrbitantIy.

The Erie railway system is the latest
to issue orders abolishing train boys or
news butchers" On all trains on its
system west of Salamanca, N. Y, the
order goes into effect December 81 at mid
night East of that point just one month
later.
Managers of railways in all parts of the
country are considering abolition of the
train news agent. Several of the larger
companies have given notice of the abro-
cation of the train news agencies, until
the Erie the last two being the Chicago &
Alton and the Philadelphia & Reading
roads.
On many of the lines the contracts with
the news agencies will not be Cancelled, but
will be changed so that there will be no
agents on trains. The news companies
will continue to control stands in sta
tions at the principal points and have ex-
elusive right to sell newspapers on trains
stopping at these places.
ssThese news agents on trains ought OF
have been dropped years ago." said a
local passenger agentN They are OF no
value whatever, except, perhaps, to sell
newspapers when trains are approachl551lSs
is usually of ancient vintage and the
prices asked are all the way ~ my o.
be purchased in any book store IN the
country. -. e..,,,+ - an-
dies sold by the peanut boy 1t is usu-
ally unfit for any person to eat and seven
these felfows-that is, many of them
anything but honest. They receive. as a
general proposition, 10 per cent of the re-
tail price Of everything they sell How
do they wear diamonds, support their lam
tryInan could probably tell you to his sor-
row. No, the train news agent is going.
cept in a few spots in the country, and
there is absolutely no demand for them
on the part of the travelling public. -
Nowadays people going on journeys lay
in supplies of books and magazines be-
fore starting. The business IS relic Of
the past, like the old hand brake and the
old time brakeman. 1t is passing and Civ
ing place to more modern ideas The sta
ture in this line and its office will be
principally to handle newspapers
The president of the Philadelphia &c
Reading railroad was responsible for the
abolition of train news agents on that
system. He was making 9. tour of inspec-
ton recently. using the regular passen-
ger trains. He wanted a certain book to
and bought it of the news agent
The price asked was just 100 per cent
higher than he knew the price to be in
book stores. He became Indignant over
the incident and as soon as he reached his
office he dictated an order forbidding
news agents further privilege on the Phil
adelphia- & Reading trains.
A train boy oIered 20 sen a trashy 1y
ley and they were soon called off that
These incidents started the other roads
to meditation over the novel reform and
recently, at an informal conference of Of
llCldlS Will power " dCl III Lie AAdltSAs IL
was decided to consider seriously the
proposition to do away with the mercan-
tile trainmen who for many years had
been at once the subject of admiration
and objurgation on the part of the trav-
cling public.
In just what form the action ending in
the train peddlars- undoing will crystal
but it wa come about, and that. too at
an early day. The railroad officials saw
that, while the rank and file of the pas
sengers viii at first miss the familiar nag
ging of the insistent and none too polite
youngsters and perhaps will feel ag-
grieved at trying to buy book candy
in vain, they will soon become used TO it
and thank the men responsible for the
abolition of what is regarded for the most
part a nuisance.