The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-02-12
MAKE A PLEA
Ask for Uniform Regulations
in Minnesota of
Mileage.

The request of the United CONNER
cial Travellers for uniform mileage and
excess baggage regulations in the
state Of Minnesota was discussed Sat
urday at a conference before the state
railroad and warehouse commission of
committee of the United Commercial
Travellers and Passenger Agents of the
railroads. The railroads promised to
take the requests under advisement,
and to give a reply in few days.
The travelling men had a committee
of twelve or fifteen present and among
the railroad men were F. 1. Whitney,
passenger traffic manager of the Great
Northern, A. M. Cleland, general pas
senger agent Of the Northern Pacific,
and George. H. Macao. assistant gen.
eral passenger agent of the Omaha.
The first request of the travelling
men was that they be given a $1,000
mile book good on all railroads of the
state and to be sold to them for 800.
This they did not ask the commission
to order, but they asked it merely as
a favor of the roads,. They stated that
at present they buy a credential for
81 and then buy their tickets at the
full three-cent rate and get their re-
bate of third at the end of the year,
or when they have used up 1000 miles
of tickets. 5
They urged that this is inconvenient
as at all times they must have invested
a considerable sum of money in mil
cage. The credentials are good on the
Western Passenger association lines
and those that travel on the three
northern roads must have separate
book for each of them and in this way
the jobbing house with number of
men have thousands of dollars tied up
in mileage.
To Head OF scalpers.
The railroad men stated that the,
principal reason for the present ar
rangement is the scalpers. For if a
travelling man did not want to use the
book he could sell it to the scalpers,
which they could not very we'll do
with the credentials where they get
rebate. If system of identification
could be devised by which none but
the person for whom the book Is in
tended could use it, they might be
more willing to sell such books.
II the 5,000-mile book could not be
secured, the travelling men said they
would like at least to have system
of credentials by which one credential
would be good on all the lines in the
state SO that one book would serve
the purpose of the three or four they
now use. At present the three north
ern roads, the Great Northern, the
Northern Pacific and the 500, each
have separate mileage books. The
travellers wanted the two-cent rate
made applicable to all points and
asked the railroad commissioners for
an order to this effect.
Discarded Plan.
Mr.. MacRae stated that the 5000
mile system had been tried by the Cen
trail Passenger association and aban-
doned. -|5..
Reference was made to the practice
in the New England states and New
York, where a 5,000-mile book is used,
interchangeable on all the roads and
sold for 500.
Fl can assure you," replied Mr..
Whitney. that when the density of pop
ulation becomes as great on the Great
Northern as 1t is in New York and the
New England States. we will give a
2-cent rate to all, the same book for
everybody or without any book.
The matter Of excess baggage was
also discussed. The travelling men
+ asked that $50 pounds be carried free,
but they withdrew this request and
asked for>an excess mileage book good
on all roads in the state.