The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-03-15
AN IOWA INVENTION

The book ticket to take the place
OF the yard or more of form, tick
cts heretofore used by railways, and
which is the invention OF an Iowa
man-W s. Parker of Ottumwa, Joint
agent of the Burlington and Rock Is
land railways-has been adopted by
the Burlington railway and in the
larger offices of the company the big
cases for the form tickets will soon
disappear and the small case for the
| book ticket will take its place. The
wonder is that the new style of pas
senger ticket for long trips has not
been thought of heretofore.
The following from the Denver Re.
publican of February 16, explains the
Importance of Mr.. Parker's inven-
ton.
The millennium has arrived in part,
at least, for the seller of long distance
railroad and steamship tickets, for
the auditors of the railroads and best
of all for the poor forlorn traveller
who has heretofore had to pack with
him when going on long journey a
couple of yards of that commodity
known as coupon ticket At least
these important statements are true
if the passenger goes by way of the
Burlington.
All large stations of the Burlington
will begin the sale of the Parker uni
versal leaf ticket" which is expected
to prove far ahead of the old ribbon
system. The Parker ticket. is named
after W. S. Parker. joint agent of the
Burlington and Rock Island at Ottum-
wa, Iowa, who is the inventor.
This ticket is in the form of book
let, three by four and one-half inches
in size, containing as many leaves as
there are roads and transfer compan-
les interested in the ticket issued to
passengers. One leaf, properly filled in
with the name of the road and the
stations between which the ticket is
to be used is taken by the first conduc-
tor of each road patronized on a Jour
ney The book agent is bound by the
selling agent By the use of machine
which goes with the new ticket out
fit, and is practically indestructible
1t is easily carried in pocket or in
i a pocketbook and the wonder of all
who have seen it is that it was not
adopted sooner.
The new system is expected to do
away with the huge ticket cases that
occupy most of the space in the Bur
i lingt ton ticket Office here. Where there
have been 700 forms" of tickets in
use on the Burlington there will here
4 after be only 76. A simple card in
1 dex will be maintained in single
! drawer.
1t is said that the greatest saving
will come in the auditing department
as the new form will eliminate most
! OF the bookkeeping now necessary to
record ticket sales. A filing system
| will be substituted. The new leal
ticket contains a column in which the
auditor will list the proportion OF the
/ ticket sale to be received by his roc d.
The auditor will receive an exact du-
plicate of every ticket sold. In the cid
/ OR ribbon system, the agent had to
make a report of every ticket sold,
/ copying all the details in a book kept
4 for the purpose. This was the o~'y in
formation the auditor had, except in
1 case of an error. when the ticket had
TO be hunted up. 1t is believed the
new ticket viii be particularly service.
\ able to the conductor, who can collect
a trainfull of tickets in half the time
required under the old system