The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-12-20
LOW RATES WEST.
CoIonist Rates Are Put Upon Low
Basis.

during March and April. The North
ern Pacific made the first announce
ment last week in statement that
through rates from st. Paul to Port
land and North Pacific coast common
points will be reduced to $50.
Intermediate territory west of Helena
will receive unusual rates, although
not so low in comparison as through
fares. Rates o. $s2. 90 will be made to
Spokane, and to Helena, Butte, Ana
conda and common points rate of
$40 will be made. These represent
about half the standard tariff.
An unusual feature of the agree
ment is that tickets will remain on
sale daily from st. Paul and the head
of the lakes. Homeseekers' rates dur
| ing the summer and fall were re-
stricted to- two days of the month, the
first and third Tuesdays.
The new rates are in line with the
! policy of the Great Northernssand the
Northern Pacific of making any con-
cessions necessary to build up the west.
Both lines have been conducting
hard campaign for immigration during
the past five year and in view of the
prospects for heavy immigration. rates
have been placed at the lowest possible
point to induce record breaking
movement.
A general immigration agent of one
of the coast lines says that the total
movement to the west last spring was
more than $50, 900, and that the &C
copied estimate of 66, 600 people who
passed through st. Paul is too low.
Next springs travel, he asserts, will
probably far exceed the 200, 600 mark,
and from one third to half will pass
through the st. Paul gateway.
The time between ocean and ocean
has been considerably lessened by the
New York Central railroad The road
has inaugurated new fast mail train
that leaves New York at s 40 a. m.
and reaches the Pacific coast within
four days time. The passengers from
New York who travel by this new
train will be landed at St. Paul,
Omaha or Council Bluffs on the eve
ming of the next day, and will be out
but two nights to Denver, three to Salt
Lake and four to Los Angeles, San
Francisco or Portland.
Pink hat checks comprised the latest
defeat of the City Passenger associa-
tion of st. Paul in securing evidence
of ratecutting against st. Paul
Chicago line. A ''spotter' sent out to
test the market rode to Chicago on one
of the tinted slips and back upon a
pass, but got no material evidence
against the road at that.
The agent of the association was one
of five who applied to st. Paul broker
for cheap rates to Chicago. He was
told to wait until train time an d
tickets would be furnished. The five
were met at the union depot by boy
from the brokers' Office who handed
each a pink conductors hat check,
and told them to get aboard. The boy
gave the conductor five tickets, for
which the agent and his companion
paid IS each.
The "spotter" was passed by the
conductor, but he never once saw the
form number of the ticket he had paid
for, and nobody asked him for ticket.
When the city association man again
reached ST. Paul the only report he
could file was his personal account of
what happened, with nothing to sup
port it.
"The system has been worked sew
eral times, an agent of rival line
said. 'We have been unable to get
the form number of the cut rate
tickets, and are therefore unable to
convict the line.
The general ST. Paul Chicago rate
situation, he said. was worse than at
any time since Jan. 1, 1901. Two of
the "weak" lines had maintained the
agreement satisfactorily, but third,
he asserted, was openly selling cheap
tickets, and even to 81 within three
weeks.
No. improvement is looked for until
January, when the strong lines will
take measures to brace up rates and
make it interesting for the tariff
breakers.
All the railroads in the interchange
ble..mileage bureau of the Western
Passenger association have agreed to
raise from 1900 to 5000 miles the
minimum distance which holders of
the interchangeable credentials must
travel before they can secure the re-
bate off, cent a mile. The increase is