The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-03
GRAFT IN TRANSFER TICKETS.
PEBLIC SERVICE CORPORATION
SAID TO HAVE LOST SIJO,OOO.
Patrons Of the Road, Clerks in bic stores.
school Children. MOtormen and Con-
duct DTS All In 1.-THE Field Is Broad
and There Are Many work ers.

Patrons Of the Road. Clerks In Bic stores
school Children, MOt0rInen and Con
tiuctors All In 1.-THE Field Is BrUat
and There Are Many work ers
Detectives employed by the Public Service
Corporation Of New Jersey have unearthed
a plot in which trolley car conductors
motormen. discharged employees. clerks
in stores, regular patrons OF the road and
even school children have been taking
part to cheat the corporation by a fraudu-
lent use OF transfer tickets.
1t is said that the companys losses for
the last year by the successful operation
Of the scheme amounted to at least $50 900.
The leading spirits in the game have their
headquarters in Paterson. They have agents
in Newark. Elizabeth. Jersey City. Hoboken,
Bayonne and other cities along the line Of
the Public Service Corporations trolley
system where sufficient number OF crooked
transfer tickets can be worked Of with a
profit.
The investigators who are getting at the
bottom OF the plot have, 1t Is said, found
evidence connecting nearly 100 conductors
and discharged employees with the crooked
ness. which has been going on for months.
Every transfer ticket turned In by con-
ductor Is supposed to represent a nickel
5000 900 to 10, 900 900 Of tickets are received
every month by the company from Its
1000 conductors and thousands Of these
bear evidence Of having been fraudulently
issued There are several ways In which
the transfers find their way into the hands
Of the travelling public, and then into the
Office Of the company. Conductors In the
conspiracy punch large numbers OF tickets
and give them to other conductors, who
a corresponding humber Of nickels The
proceeds are sometimes whacked up, but
as rule conductor gets as many punched
tickets as he gives out, working on the
principal Of reciprocity
The detectives have learned that at least
Ave conductors punches, originally used
by discharged men, have been In the pos
session OF employees of department stores
in Newark for some time: 1t IL believed
that many tickets punched IN these stores
came in punches from regular conductors
at any time Of day desired by the pros
peotive purchaser and they were sold at
two or three cents apiece. The manipu-
lators of these contraband punches also
used them in rep,lnching. transfer tickets
on which the time punched had elapsed.
They filled in the first hole punched with
the small bit Of paper clipped out by the
second punch Thousands OF these crooked
tickets have been detected in the auditors
office.
It is said that cert ain persons have made
regular business OF gathering up transfers
which passengers asked for with no inten-
ton Of using. The transfers would he
repunched and sold at reduced rate to
anybody who wanted to buy them. Small
boys made a regular business Of picking
them up wherever they could and selling
them to the men who knew how to work
them off on the company.
The identities of many who have been
engaged in the Wholesale plot to swindle
the company we're learned by detectives
who secured jobs in stores and factories
and also worked on the rolley cars "a green
motormen and conductors.
The fact that the scheme to defraud the
company has been working NO beautifully
for such long time without dissection has
led to the belief that somebody In the
auditors Office was mixed UP In the con-
spracy. General Auditor Matthew j. Boy
Ian il said to be the man who discovered
the wholesale frauds.