The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-03
NEW FARE PLAN Georgia Man Inventor
 of System. "RAKE-0FF" IS IMPOSSIBLE Proposed Scheme Makes It Possible For Auditor to Check Train At Any
 Point on the
 Line.
"RAKE-0FF" IS IMPOSSIBLE

President Charles A. W1ckersham, of the Atlanta and West Point Railroad, has submitted to the Railroad Commis- sion Of Georgia, a new form of passen- ger ticket, in which an apparently com piete and effective checking system Is embodied, with the ihQuiry as to whether Its use will invoive a fair and reasonable regulation. It is known as the Travis safety ticket, anu was devised and patented by 0. $. Travis. Georgia railroad man. who has had long experience inj the matter of handling tickets. The new feature or this ticket Is a passengers stub, accolfpanying each ticket. which the passenger IS required to hold. and to be abfe to produce upon the request of an authorized au- ditor at any tune during the trip. The question involved is whether 1t would be reasonable regulation 10 require the passenger 10 hold this stub and produce it on demand. ors upon failure to do so, be required to pay his fare or get off the train.
 1t IS this question upon which the Railroad Commission is asked to pass, and the Commission has referred 1t to committee consisting Of Commis- sioners c. M Candler and Joseph Y. Gray for investigation and report.
 How Plan Will work.
 The Travis ticket Is printed in tho form now largely used on railroads in the South and East for local travel. Upon 1t appear the names of all the stations on the line on which 1t IS soid' and it IS torn from the stub by means of a pointed steel strip which leaves an indentation exactly opposite the station Of destination.
 Attached to this ticket is the pas. senger's stub. dated and torn in iden- tical manner with the ticket and the passenger retains the stub, subject to the call of an auditor wfio may appear upon the train at any point, un- til he reaches his destination.
 It Is urged that the Travis ticket constitutes an absolute checking sys- tenn. by which the auditor may check the train at any time and at any point. and one auditor may check half a dozen trains. or more. in single day.
 The system, of course. contemplates the retention by the passenger of cash fare stub where the fare Is paid on the train, and the exhibition to the auditor of a coupon ticket or a pass wherever these arc used.
 Each passenger on the train would thus have in his possession absolute evidence of the fact that. in one shape ar another. he has paid his full fare. which would enable the auditor to check the train within few minutes after having boarded 1t.
 If the passenger retained his stub or ticket receipt in a slit made in the conductors hat check. and in plain view, the process would De made com parativelv eaSv-
 It Is also urged in favor ot the pro. posed systefn that. with It in opera" ton, it will be impossible for an em- ployee of the railroad company to de- fraud 1t. should he be so inclined. ex. cept by collusjon between four per- sons-the ticket agent. the conductor, the aduitor and the passenger.
 Not Hunting Law Suits.
 Of course. no railroad company ts going to introduce system even for it's own absolute protection, if its en- forcemeut Is likely In any manner to involve a multiplicity of damage suits for putting passengers off train when they had already surrendered their tickets.
 made, and the passenger forced to keep-the stub for exhibition to the aud tor when it is called for. the sys. tenn would scarcely work with satis- faction.
 E It is this question upon which the Railroad Commission Is asked to pass, and it's decision will be awaited with no small interest.
 If it should be generally held by Railroad Commissions that the regula- tion is reasonable, if is not unlikely that the proposed new ticket system may be generally adopted.
 Some passengers might object. it is said, to the requirement that they shall retain these checks, in answer to which it is pointed out that the same requirement. Is now made in the case Qf por redeem proper check must be kept and pre- scented to the baggage agent at desti' nation.
 The chances are the passenger. if he knew the loss of a check meant to pay a second fare or get off the train. would freeze on to 1t like grim death. and they would seldom, if ever. be lost.
 
 Queen Wilhelmina of Hollanl com