The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-31
TIP. THREATENING
TRAVELLING MEN WANT INTER-
CHANGEABLE MILEAGE.
CHAMBER OF C0MMERCE'S AID
WILL BE SOUGHT THROUGH ACTION
no BE TAKEN BY POST A TODAY.

Should Efforts of Chamber of Com
merce Prove of no Avail Boycott
Will Be Observation-Disclosures
VIII Be Asked Not to Ship or Re-
ceive Goods over the Southern
Where 1t Is Possible to Use An
other Effort to Bring South
ern Into Agreement Has Been
Continued for Some Time-Success
Means Big Convenience to Mer-
chants Employing Travelling Men.
Another effort to get the Southern
Railway to adopt the interchangeable
mileage will be inaugurated by the
Travellers Protective Association at a
meeting at the Screven House this aft
ernoon. Steps win be taken to bring
the matter before the Chamber of Com
influence to the end sought by the trav-
cling men.
An order that such steps be taken
was sent out from the headquarters of
the Travellers Protective Association
some time ago, and such posts as have
not already complied with this order
will do so at their next meetings.
Should the efforts of the commercial
bodies fail to have the desired effect a
boycott against the Southern will be
instituted by the members of the Trav-
elers' Protective Association, and not
only will they not ride on that line
where it is possible to use another, but
will oil fo ina
chants to route their freight by another
line wherever it is possible.
An Old Fight Renewed.
This effort to bring the Southern
Railway into line with the great ma
jority of the other big lines is no new
thing. The T. P. AS have agitated
the question for a long time. The
good offices of the Chamber of Com
MERGE were sought shortly after the
organization of that body, and other
efforts to accomplish the desired end
have been tried, but without avail.
There are still three of the princi-
pal roads of this part of the South that
refuse to enter the interchangeable
mileage compact. They are the South
ern, which the T. P. A. is inclined to
consider the leader in the refusal; the
Central of Georgia and the Georgia
Southern and Florida. The T. P. A. is
of the opinion that if the Southern can
be induced or forced to grant it's re-
quest the other roads will either fall
into line of themselves or can the
more readily be forced into the COM
pact also. Negotiations have been con-
Quoted with Mr.. S. H. Hardwick, gen.
eral passenger agent of the Southern
for a long time in the effort to get
the Southern in line with the other
roads in the agreement, but without
success, and, according to Mr. Joseph
Lovenstein. secretary of the I. P. A,
without the offer of any excuse that
is worthy of consideration.
Differs with Mr.. Hardwick.
The claim recently made by Mr..
Hardwick that the Southern allows in
Interchangeable mileage over some 5000
miles of the system, is all right so far
as it goes, Mr.. Lovenstein says, but
this interchangeable mileage Is allow
ed only as far south as Chattanooga.
and therefore is utterly worthless TO
men travelling in this territory. Even
this was refused in Virginia, Mr.. Low
enstein says, until a boycott or the
threat of a boycott combined with the
efforts of the Richmond Chamber of
Commerce forced the road into the
agreement.
The disadvantage of the present atti-
tude of the three roads who refuse TO
enter the compact, are, as was stated
when the matter was first brought TO
the attention of the Savannah Chamber
of Commerce. that travelling men now
have to carry four mileage books, at
a cost of $25 each. whereas If the In
Interchangeable system was in general
operation they would have to carry but
one, and thus their employers would
be saved the outlay at one time OF
three-fourth of the sum now needed, no
little consideration where a number of
men are on the road.