The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-16
BY FRANK WELDON.
Copyright, 1902, by Frank Weldon
Editor of the Common Carrier.

(COpNrlSnt, lSU2, Dy FRANK weldon
Editor of the Common Carrier
Our fellow passenger with the an
nual, term or trip pass who travels
two billion miles year, using trans
portation which, if bought at regular
rates would cost $40000.O 600 annually,
will shortly become a memory. The
time is coming when the only persons
holding free transportation will be Of
ficials and employees travelling on their
own company's lines. Indeed, some
presidents seriously propose to discon-
tinue, all passes, even ANIMALS to
themselves. AS President Stuyvesant
Fish of the Illinois Central has said:
THE pass is the only way of getting
value out of the treasury of a railroad
company without leaving a voucher" ="
Certain it IS that the dead-head has
become such a burden that the roads
are anxious to be rid of him.
Beginning with the first of the pres
ent year the railroads east of St. Louis
and Chicago undertook the experiment
VI cutting OtL 6Ildlil CldSSGS VI lOIlnHE
pass holders. Some of the companies
weakened and it is uncertain how far
the agreement reaches, but II all passes
were abolished except to the employees
in that territory, 1T would cut off TO-
100000 free rides, representing trans
portation worth $6.000000.
The lines in the South and West are
waiting to see how the experiment
works in the North. Should it prove
a success there, as It unquestionably
will in time, the roads in other sections
of the country will follow suit Railway
managers have been slow to make a
record for keeping faith with each
other. but since their agreement two
years ago to abolish commissions to
ticket agents. there is no doubt that
they can live up to any pledge they
may make among themselves. If thev
really wish to keep it.
This pass question interests not only
the one million employees of American
railways, but possibly 80 per cent. of
all the congressman, judges. legisla-
tors. in short most office holders. ma
tonal, state, municipal and county.
practically all the newspaper editors
and other politicians, press attaches.
publishers of every kind from pro-
grammes to the great dailies, promot-
ers OF fairs and expositions, theatical
ana circus advance agents, shippers
and the next of kin of all these and
thousands more beside. 1t Is a. fact
that every eighth, passenger on a rail-
road train is a dead-head. The avera ee
is f1Ve dead-heads on every passenger
train in the United States. If this vast
amount of free transportation could be
evenly distributed. there would be a
Tree ride of twenty-five miles once a
year FOR every man, woman and child
IN the country. The average fare is 2
cents per mile and a so cent trip for
every lnhabltant would be practically
S4O,00O 600 worth of TRANSPORTATION.
The discontinuance of passes how
ever would not add anything like that
sum to the net earnings of the roads
Indeed, it is doubtful If the net would
De increased more than $4,000 600 an
nually, but even in an aggregate Of
$525,0OO,O00 which the common carriers
had left after paying operating ex-
penses in 1900, the sum of sS. 900, 900 is
we'll worth considering. 1t would nav
one-sixth of the railway taxes.
Every pass issued by a railroad must
be charged to some "account"-em-
ploye, exchange. advertising, political.
personal, complimentary or something
- HONSNNNSAiN JOhh6 lIldH WHen asked
to state the account on which a pass
could be issued to him, replied
Cheek" That was an exceptional
confession.
Generally speaking, the deadheads.
like ancient Gaul, are divided in three
departments and the volume of travel
ing is approximately:
Miles
per year.
employees ......................8 800, ,000, 900
Exchange ....................4 400, 600, 900
Political and advertising. ..... 800, 900, 900
These figures are not mere random
guesses, but are based on the data of
a typical 1,200 mile system, and they
are rather under, than over, the abso-
lutely correct statistics, If such could
be obtained.
Employees will not be cut off for a
long time. III they ever are, the COM
panies Will have to reimburse them for
money spent in travelling on company
business. And should an employe want
to visit some point on his own road,
he would discover company business
calling him there. The most feasible
plan yet proposed is to issue mileage
book in lieu of passes, and keep a strict
account of the quantity used by each
employe.
Vice President Paul Morton of Atcn-
ison, Topeka and Santa Fe says:
There should be no passes printed
not a single one for anybody"
President Samuel Spencer of the
Southern Railway, says that employees
ought to pay fare just as they pay no.
tel bills and put the cost of the tickets
in their expense accounts, when travel
ing for the company.
Former President s. r. Galloway of
the New York Central, told the Indus
trial Commission that he was opposed
to passes. II would cut the whole
thing off tomorrow IL l had my way"
he stated.
President M. T.. ingalls, OF the big
-Four" thinks that railroad
should pass its own employees. but If
they want to travel over other lines
"let them pay their way, and II it is
on railway business they will be repaid
upon vouchers for their expenses. /"
OF the five dead-hea for every pas
senger train one Is travelling on an ex-
change pass. That is. he is either
employed by another road or he Sc
cured his pass through request made
by another road. Heretofore every
general officer Of a road with any
standing at all. had from twenty 20 one
hundred ANIMALS good over roads from
one end OF the country 10 the other. In
addition TO the general officers. the
travelling representatives. and many d.
vision officers have annuals good on
oil the roads IN their territory. Soiic-
itiDg agents excepted, railway officials
seldom nave occasion IN the course Of
year 10 use more than ten or dozen
exchange passes. The burden is heav-
Lest ou fhe large gyftam and uartlc1.