The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-17
MIR. WU WAS THE GUEST Passenger and Ticket
 Agents Meet. A HOT FIGHT ON SCALPNG Vi0latOrS of Law Will Be Re- lentlessly Pursued. s. H. Hardwick, General Passenger Agent of the Southern, One of the New Members Admit
 ted Yesterday.
A HOT FIGHT ON SCALPMG

AsneVllle, N S., OCt 10.-flSoTouS war fare is to waged by the American Asso- citation of General Passenger and Ticket Agents against ticket scalping. The warfare will be extended also to all forms of forging, counterfeiting and unlawful manipulation of railway passen- ger tickets. Violators of the law in these respects will be pursued relentlessly. It will be the effort of the association to protect not only the railroad companies, but also the travelling public from ticket frauds that are being perpetrated daily throughout the country.
 While definite action has not been taken yet 1t was perfectly evident from the tone of the discussion of the question at the first business session of the association held in the ball room of the Battery Park Hotel soon after Il o'clock today that drastic action against all sorts of railway ticket frauds will be taken at tomorrow's session.
 Eighty-five members of the association responded to the roll-call today and many subsequently entered the meeting.
 On behalf of Thomas Cook & Sons, of London, England, the Secretary of the as- sociation, A. J. Smith of Cleveland, pre- sented to the president, H. c. Townsend, of the Missouri Pacific, a handsome gav- el fashioned from wood taken from Ad- miral nelson's famous battleship, and beautifully mounted in gold and silver.
 Hardwick a Member.
 Seventeen new members were admitted to the association. among the number be- ing S. H. Hardwick, general passenger
 oA atIN xvh a done much to make the present conven- ton a success, and F. G. Smith, general passenger agent of the Oahu Railway, the only railroad in Hawaii. It is seven- ty-five miles long and all under one management"
 The discussion of the ticket fraud ques- ton was precipitated by the presentation of two reports, one by George H. Dan- iels of the New York Central, on anti ticket scalping legislation, and the other by F. C. Donald, of the Western Traffic Association, on the establishment Of a protective bureau. The whole subject finally was put over until tomorrow morning.
 Mir. Daniels's report revived the work of his committee during the past year in punishing frauds upon the railroads and upon the public, perpetrated by counter feiters and forgers of railroad tickets The report indicated that Legislation against ticket scalping was being pressed upon the Legislatures of many States and that already favorable action had been taken by some of the Legislatures. The establishment and maintenance or bu- reau of protection by the railroads or the country was recommended, the entlre work of prosecuting violators of the law in relation to railroad tickets to be per- formed by the bureau without reference to the particular line O. railway against which the fraud was committed.
 S. w. Cummings of the Vermont Cen tral presented the report of q committee recommending the organization of life insurance benefit insuring the members of the association. The proposition was opposed vigorously and finally went over until tomorrow.
 Invitation to Charleston.
 An invitation was received by the asso- citation from Col. J. c. Hemphill of Charleston. S. C., to visit Charleston on Friday as the guests of the promoters of the Charleston and West Indian Expo- sition. It Is likely that many of the mem- bers will avail themselves of the invita- ton.
 This afternoon on the special invitation of George w. Vanderbilt the entire party of more than 400 took carriage drive to Biltmorc MT. Vanderbilt's great estate.
 Tonight the association and assembled guests were rendered a banquet by the Southern Railway at the Battery Park Hotel Those who responded to toasts were His Excellency, Wu Ting Fang. the Chinese Minister w. A. Turk, As sistant Passenger Traffic Manager of the Southern Railway; F. E. Boothby of the Maine Central; P. s. Eustis of the Bur nngton Route and George H. Daniels General Passenger Agent of the New York Central.
 The guests arose en masse and cheered as Minister Wu's name was announced. After paying fitting tribute to the enthu- sfastic reception accorded him, Minister Wu said that as director of railroads. he had the honor of organizing the first railroad in China. He had encountered many difficulties both in the transporta- ton of passengers and of freight, but in a measure these had been overcome. The best methods of both American and Flu ropean railways had been followed by China in the conduct of its railroads, but even yet the operation of the lines was far short of perfection. The conduct of the freight traffic, he said had caused the most serious iculty in China-more diff f1culty. indeed, than had the passenger traffic. Just now there was no need in China of the general passenger agent who performed in the United States such the general passenger agent will be very much needed in China, and then he will be given a cordial welcome"