East Mississippi times. (Starkville, Miss.) 19??-1926, 1915-02-12
To the Public.

roads recently placed in effect il
Mississippi q rule requiring con-
ductors to collect excess train fare
from passengers boarding trains
without tickets at Stations where
Ticket Agent is Oh duty. When
passengers board trains at statlous
where there is no Ticket Agent on
duty, no excess train fare is col
lected.
From 1907 to 1912, under the
Mississippi law, railroads could
have collected l cent per mile in
addition to the ticket fare, but
this charge was considered too
high by the railroads, and it was,
therefore, n, t ia Ell adv antage of i.
Recognizing that the public
have been permitted to pay cash
fare on trains for number o.
years and anticipating there might
be objection to the new rule, if
the public did not know the con
ditions under which it was inau
gurated, it was thought best TO
give the following through the
press.
There is no discrimination
against the State of Mississippi in
placing this new rule in effect, as
an additional collection applies in
nearly 9, cry state in the Union
in great many states the charge
is even higher. For example, in
Alabama, Florida, North and
South Carolina and Virginia the
additional charge is 10 cents, In
Georgia ] cent per mile in addi.
ton to the ticket fare. In Okla,
homa from 10 to so cents, accord.
ing to the ticket rate.
During the fiscal year July 1913
to June 30, 1914, inclusive, 14S,.
279 passengers paid fare on l. Z.
trains within the state of Missis
sippi and during the same period
. GAO, 402 passengers paid fare Oh
Y. & NJ, v. trains within the state of
Mississippi; these fares amounted
to S43, ,S91.G4 on the l. q. and
lS4,955.7S on the Y. & M. V.
In addition there were 1862 pas,
sengers on the l. G.. aud 0,549
passengers on the Y. 4 M. V.
with total revenue of over $780,
100000, paid fares on trains be-
tween Mississippi stations and sta
tions in Louisiana and Tennes see,
making u grand total of S35,S72
Mississippi passengers paying fares
on trains during QUE year, the to-
tai fares amounting to $3.50, 597.9 .93.
Over 80 per cent. of these fares
were paid from stations at which
the railroad company goes to the
expense OF maintaining ticket
agency. Over 81 per cent of the
ticket agents in Mississippi are
paid commission Oh tickets sold
at their station and it is, there.
fore, evident to readers of this ar
ticle that these commission agents,
during the fiscal year referred to,
did not receive the remuneration
they were entitled to, on account
of the failure of passengers to
purchase tickets.
That these commission agents
are entitled to receive their com
mission ON business originating at
their station, there can be no ques-
tiOn, aud the officers of these corn
panies thought it best TO establish
an additional charge for fares paid
on trains from stations at which
ticket agency is maintained, and
therefore, cummenciDg January |,
1915, conductors were instructed
to m Ike collection of 10 cents in
addition 10 the ticket fare.
The primary duty of a conduc'
tor is to supervise the operation
OF bis train. A comparatively
small portion of his time is taken
up in collecting tickets, but the
work incident to the collection OF
cash fares, looking up rates,