Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1904-08-19
LOW RATE TICKET
CLOSELY OBSERVES
Railway Officials Making Every Eesr
to Stop Scalping Of Nontrans.
ferabIe Transportation to
st. Louis.

Passenger officials are making ever,
effort to prevent the nontransferabla
railroad tickets to the Fair helm,
used by any other than the Original
purchaser.
Legislation, both Federal, State and
city, has been invoked, and the courts
have, without exception, held that tho
sNe of nontransferable ticket sucb
as Is Used for excursion traffic to tha
Fair is illegal and the purchaser is in
many instances liable for forgery, in.
asmuch as these tickets have to be
signed in the name of the original pur.
chaser. e
With the law behind them, the
steady fight which the passenger men
arc making against the ticket brokers
it is believed, is bearing fruit.
At the same time, an enormous mum.
her of cheap tickets are sold to Der.
sons either passing through St. Louis
or returning from the Fair.
In many instances the conductor
does not discover the fraud until the
purchaser of the ticket is far out on
'iN iihC iioLl ~. I-ouio, anu lIS pas
senger is unable to pay his fare.
In this instance it is the duty Of the
conductor to put the purchaser off
the train.
AS result the passenger Offices are
flooded with complaints made by per.
sons who have suffered this treatment
and who have made their way back
to St. Louis and are unable to get
home.
The only recourse for them is to
prove which was the broker from
whom they bought the scalped ticket
and demand the return of their
money. In this case they get their
money back, but generally the assist
Ece of the police is required.
In an affair of this sort the railroad
renders all possible assistance, but in
many instances women, not Informed
If the law providing that brokers
shall give receipt, purchase scalped
and changed tickets, and, unable to
way their fare, have been put off the
train, suffering many hardships there.
by.
In order to prevent instances of this
sort many of the St. Louis lines have
arranged for system of ticket inspec.
ton before the person can get on the
train at Union Station.
In this way the fraudulent ticket is
often noted and the person saved the
discomfort Of being put off the train
when St. Louis is far behind.
Many incidents wherein not only
men but women and children are put
Of trains because their tickets are not
valid have come up since the opening
CT the Fair, all of such incidents be-
Ing presented to the notice of the
Chief OF Police ard Mayor.
On the desk of almost every passen.
ger official in st. Louis can be found
large lunches of tickets which have
been manipulated by brokers.
In many instances not only has the
date teen changed, but the original
Lestir alton erased and another sub.
stituted. in which way ticket cost,
ing originally 81. or s. may be good
for a passage. costing $50 or $50.
AT the three validating Off ces estab.
lished by the railroads many tickets
which have been manipulated have
been detected, and the purchaser
saved not only the discomfort and hui
n:iliation of being put off the train.
but directed as to the best means by
which he can recover his money.-St
Louis Republic.