The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-12-28
GUST peanut BOY
An Order Soon to be Issued by Ohio
Railroads.
news AGENT ANNOYS PASSENGERS
And Charges 100 Per Cent Too
Much For His Candy and
Literature.

Managers of railroads that run into
Canton are still considering the plan to
abolish the train news agent, or news
butcher" as he is called.
On some of the lines the contracts
with the news agencies will not be can
celed. but will be changed so that there
will be no agents on trains. The news
companies will continue to control
stands in stations at the principal points
and have exclusive right TO sell news
papers stopping at these places.
These news agents on trains ought
to have been dropped years ago" said
a local railroad man. "They are of no
value whatever, except, perhaps, to sell
newspapers when trains are approach
ing large cities. The literature they
handle is usually of an ancient vintage
and the prices asked are all the way
from so 10 100 per cent higher than tho
stuff may be purchased in any book
store in the country.
FRUIT AND CANDIES UNFIT.
The same is true of the fruit and
candies sold by the peanut boy 1t Is
usually unfit for any person to cat and
seven or eight prices are asked for 1t.
Then these fellows-that Is. many of
them-are anything but honest. They
receive as a general proposition 10 per
cent of the retail price Of everything
they sell. How do they wear diamonds.
support their families or even exist on
that? Many a countryman could prob
ably tell you to his sorrow. No, tha
train news agent is going. 1t does not
pay the agencies any more except 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 Oh journeys
lay in supplies of books and magazines
before starting. The business is a
relic of the past like the old hand brake
and the old-time brakeman. 1t is pass
ing and giving place to more modern
ideas. The station news agency Is tha
thing for the future in this line and
its Office will be principally to handle
newspapers"
The president of the Philadelphia &
Reading railroad was responsible for
the abolition of train news agents on
that system. He was making tour OF
inspection recently. using the regular
passenger trains. He wanted a certain
book to read when he got off the train
one night and bought it of the news
agent.
PRICES ASKED ARE ENORMOUS.
The price asked was just 100 per cent
er than he knew the price to be in
'ook stores. He became indignant over
the incident and as soon as he reached
his office he dictated an order forbidding
news agents further privilege of Phila-
delphia & Reading trains.
This started the other roads to medi-
tation over the novel reform and recent
ly at an informal conference of officials
with power to act in the matter 1t was
decided to consider seriously the propo-
sition to do away with the mercantile
trainman who for many years has been
at once the object Of admrato and
and objurgation on the part of tho
travelling public.
In just what form the action ending In
the train peddlers' undoing will crys-
talliZe cannot, of course, vet be pre-
dicted, but that 1t will come about, and
that. too. at an early day. The rail-
road officials say that, while the gem
eral rank and file of the passengers will
a first miss the familiar nagging Of the
insistent and none too polite youngsters
and perhaps will feel esgrieved at try
ing to buy books or candy in vain they
will soon become used to it and thaEk
the men responsible for the abolition
of what is regarded for the most part as
q nuisance.