The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-09
AN ANTI-SGALPIHG BILL.
Action to BE Taken by the Rail
road Officials.
General Passenger and Ticket
Agents to Meet ut AsheviIIe. y. G
Next Weck-George ". EOyd on
the Effects of the BrOEcrs' Trade.

General Passenger and ltrtNet
Agents to Meet ut AsheviIIe. y. g.
Next WecL-George w. Eoyd on
the Effects of the Brokers Trade.
PHILADELPHIA. oct. g.-G,usraI Pas
souEcr Agents J. r. Wood, OF the Penn
syivania. and Edison j. Weeks. Of the
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. wiu
l,aV" Monday, in company with other
prominent railroad officials from the
Eastern section Of the country. for Ashe-
VILE y. G.. To attend tho annual COnyen-
ton Of the American Association of Cen
eral Passe nE,r and Ticket Agents which
couvcueS on Tuesday. The Pennsylvania
Railroad. in connection with the South
cru. has placed a special train at the dis
posaI Of the delegates leaving New York.
1t is expected that MI Wood who is now
vice president of the association, Will be
elected president
Among the many important questions
to como before the meeting none will re-
ceive more attention and discussion than
that relating 20 scalping. The Auti-Scalp-
ing bill. which it is proposed to have Con
Eress pass this winter will be approved.
The railroads believe that If Congress can
Dee Influenced TO logislate on this much
State commerce the evils now So generally
complained of viii be remedicd What
makes the business OF trade particularly
injurious 10 the roads and public is the
lack Of uniformity in the legislation -
the different States. hardly any two Of
them agreeing as to the methods Of 70 gu
lation and control
No railroad in the country has fought
the scaipcrs more strenuOusIy than has
the Pennsy lvania. to it being largely. If
not entirely. due the legislation in Penn
syivania AID New Jersey. II is natural
for the companies to look at the question
from their own particular and sometimes
narrow point Of view, but once in "A while
an official gives a broader conception Of
the conditions the business gives rise to
in their effect upon the public. This is
what George w. Boyd, Assistant Passe1-
ger Agent Of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
did IN his testimony before the Inter
State Commerce Committee when the
Auu-SCalping bill was under oJnsidera-
ton
lie said he believed the effect Of the
SCalpyrs' business upon the public was in
furious, in that frauds were perpetr3tcd
on the poor and ignorant class Of people
VINO. more than any others. needed the
protection Of all Well-rcgulater railroads.
This Is accomplished, he said, by the use
by The adoption Of other dishonest means
70 rob that class of persons who travel
occasionally, and who are not familiar
with the railway ticket system in this
country.
"A very large percentage Of the reve-
luc derived by the scalpers is secured
from stolen and spurious tickets" he
said, and ~ per cent Of an the tickets
pauIes find their way into scaiping Of
hcCs, and are resCld 10 the public"
People who deal with the sCalperS ne
sslu- are ottsH given tickets by CirCuiJOus
routes, and are subjected 10 delay and
extra expense by being sold tickets not
valid for passage, The point was empha-
sized that sCalping offices are constant
incentive 70 employees who handle railroad
tickets 70 become dishonest Besides he
SAID. tickets are often sold by the scalp
erS subject 10 conditions entirely differ
cpl from those appearing on their face
often inducing inexperienced travellers to
forge signatures and 10 resort 90 ether
means 10 secure the improper and illegal
use 81 railroad tickets.
Ticket scalpers insist" Mr. Boyd said
that they are benefit TO people who
travel FOR the reason that they sell them
tickets AT lower rates than those quoted
by the very railroads over which the pas
senger must travel and that Is accom-
pllSheu without Inconvenience 10 the ue0-
pie or injury 10 the revenues of the trans
pOrtatiOn lines. II this were true there
could be no serious objection TO the scalp
CT or his methods. but we claim that the
very reverse Is the case.
II has always been the custom OF tho
Pennsylvania Railroad and other leading
lines 20 redeem from passengers an uu-
used tickets. OF parts Of tickSCs, and this
fact Is well known by an persons resid-
ing in the States trayersed by thes, lines
on the average. tickets TO the value Of
$I35, 600 are redeemed annually BIZ the
Pennsylvania Company alone. If the
same tickets had been sold TO ScaIpers5
Mr.. Boyd believes. the patrons would have
received not over 30 per cent OF this
amount Occasionally il is the case that
the rate offered by the scaiper is lower
than that obtainable at railroad ticket Of
fees. but in many cases, Mr.. Boyd as
scrts. the purchasers are EWindIed. Be
sides. he claims, they are aiding 10 put
money in the pockets Of the sCalper to
which he has no legal right. on the ground
that there is mo property I'm a ticket which
can Doe legally sold or trans erred. The
railroad holds that the ticket Is merely an
evidence Of an agreement between the
purchaser and the company. under which
the latter promises To- carry the former to
his destination. Upon the services being
performed. the ticket is surrendered. MT
Boyd is Of the opinion. which is generally
entertained by passenger agents Of the
leading roads. that IL the ScalpeTs were
out Of the way lower rates would prevail
and better aTraugo mcUts would be- made
for special occasions, such as the luaugu-
ration Of the President the Christ tan En-
deayOr meetings, and others Of similar
character. than have ever heretofore been