Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-17
ARE CUTTING RATES
General Generalization of Pas
senger Rates In the West.
Is Predicted
is DUE TO THE EXPOSITION
Attendance at the Fair Has Not Been
Up to Expectations and Railroads
Are Doing All in. Their Power to
Attract People in That Direction
Rate Cutting Elsewhere.

Chicago, June 17.-From present in
dications there will be a general demon
alization of passenger rates because OF
the st. Louis fair until the fair ends
Officials Of other roads say that the
lines terminating in st. Louis have re-
sorted to the most extreme measures to
increase the attendance at the fair The
st. Louis lines have told their connec-
tons that they will share in any re-
duced rate that will result in passen-
ger going thru st. Louis who, under
| normal rate conditions, would choose j
direct route and not pass thru st.
Louis.
The present rate situation is illus
trated by the sale by several roads of
tickets from st. Paul to ST. Louis and
return, via Kansas City, at the rate of
$3.50 for the round trip. the tickets
having a return limit of fifteen days.
The regular rate from St. Paul to
Kansas City is $14.15, and from Kansas
City to st. Louis is $3.50, or total of
$21.65 one way and s43.30 for the round
therefore, is S24.10 more than the rate
for which some of the roads today are
selling tickets from st. Paul to st.
Louis and return. via Kansas City.
Another Illustration of rate cutting
being done in order to increase the at
tendance at the fair is found in the fact
that round trip tickets from points in
Texas and Colorado are being sold via
st. Louis at the lowest rates made by
the direct lines from Texas to Colorado.
This is equivalent TO selling man who
wants to go from Louisville to San
Francisco ticket good via New York
at less than half the normal rate by the
most direct route from Louisville to
San Francisco.
AS usual ticket scalpers will reap
the greatest benefit from the cutting Of
rates. Despite the fact that blanket in
functions have been issued against the
scalpers at ST. Louis, Kansas City and
Chicago, 1t is an open secret that the
scalpers have made arrangements with
the railroads to have tickets exchanged
in such q manner as to relieve the
scalpers. from liability to punishment
for violation of the injunctions of the
courts.
Altho the scalpers here, at st. Louis
and Kansas City have been doing an UNI
usual amount of business since the st.
Louis fair opened, not single effort
has been made by the railroads to con-
vict them of violating injunctions
against them.
The plain truth is that the attend
ance at the great ST. Louis fair has
been much less than was expected, and
railroads terminating there are making
desperate efforts to attract people to st.
Louis" said western general passen-
ger agent. They have adopted a pol
icy of making rates which will pull all
business going north, south, east Or
west down to st. Louis.
1.-The result is the routing of traffic
by most unnatural routes at the lowest
rates by the direct lines from all points
The result is that rates turnout the
country are now in chaotic condition
and matters will go from bad to worse
until the st. Louis fair closes"