The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-05-04
TICKET AGENTS WORK.
Something About the Revenue from
Passenger Service.
WHAT A LIVE AGENT MAY ACCOMPLISH
Its Earning Capacity Very
Rapidly.

The ratio borne by the passenger to the
freight earnings of railroad companies is
not the proper measure to use In determln-
Ing the relative Importance Of these two
branches of the service While, rough
ly speaking, the revenue dcr,~d from
passenger traffic approxlmates one-third
and that from freight two thirds Of the
total receipts of the average transportation
line. the influence exerted by the character
Of passenger service furnished by any par.
tlcular line of respectable proportions is
a powerful factor in fixing the status OF
such line among its cotcattors MS a
freight carrier.
For this reason the selling of tickets
aud the transportation Of passengers ana
baggage with the multiplicity of details
connected with the work, receives a large
share of the attention of the executive
heads of railroad companies
The ticket agent is most Important
piece of this complicated mechanism.
Whether he sells halt n dozen local card
tickets a week Mt Dry Branch or runs
big city ticket office, with three of four
assistants, his work counts largely, either
for advantage or detrlment to the line
that employees him. To please the public
and secure patronage is as much the bust
ness Of Il Ticket seller as of the vendor
"
for sale. The difference IS merely one OF
detail There is no more exacting clientele
than the travelling public and In these
times of sharp competition there is no
room for laggard at coupon ucEet
case.
In the larger offices, city or depot, the
ticket agent who knows his business enn
spout information, comment or chaf like
an oil gusher and never lose second In
fixing up round trip ticket half way
round the world and back again by a
different route.
A. ana u. connects with the Q. and y. ut
Cross Roads, Tenn, and If not, how long
you'll have to wait He knows where,
dining cars and observation cars are run,
east. west, north or south; and the chances
are II you ask him when the next Cunard
boat leaves New York or the Panama steam,
or arrives In San Francisco he is there .
with the information. He is suave and
atfable to all, and equally ready to swap
funny stories with drummer or discuss
Christian Endeavor work with ministerial
patron. But he has keen eye on the re-
ceipts and one of his happlest moments
IL when he can report big Increase over
the preceding month and corresponding
Truth TO tell however, there is occasion
ally to be met with another brand of ticket
agent. He Is usually young man en-
veoped in an arctic atmosphere, being
considerably less easy to approach thnn Is
che president. general manager or trahlc
manager of the road. 1t Is his class that
exrdes frigidity upon the farmer with the
gas metre grip and causes him to elect TO
the legislature man who regards the rail-
road corporation as pestilence that must
be stamped out. He seems to be precluded
by the holiness of his station from giving
any information that he can possibly avoid
communicating Happily. this. variety Of
ticket seer Ws as hs na kG stc Sthf
exterminated-and they usually go by the
time check route.