New-York tribune., 1921-10-23
N. Y. Central Acts to Halt
Scalping in Communications"
Insists on Photographs for Tickets by the Month
Loss of Revenue Is Traced to Abuses -
Many Divisions

The New York Central management
considers itself particularly slow
turning worm, but when its patrons
failed to take the trouble even TO look
at the name on the commutation ticket
which they hired for n ride in from
Mount Kisco to New York the traffic
officers Telt It was time to demonstrate
that even q railroad worm can turn. q
regular one-way ticket from Mount kis-
CO to New York costs $1.32. One trip
on a commutation ticket costs al the
rate Of 1876 cents. There is consider
able margin for profit for both ticket
scalper and unscrLpulous commutatlon
ticket user It is said to be fact that
recently conductor took conmuts-
tion ticket as il to punch it from re
spects ble- looking woman getting on at
one OF tho stations on the Harlem Dlvl-
sion OF the New York Central, and, hold
ing the ticket so that the woman could
not see it, handed her slip Of paper
and pencil and asked her 60 put her
name down. She looked blank for a
minute and then asked the conductor TO
let her see the commutation ticket. Tho
conductor thought that The least she
could do to regain "hcr property was
to tell what name was signed on her
Communication ticket"
The New York Contra. management is
inclined TO agree that 3 signature on 8
commission ticket ought to be suff-
cient identification Of the holder. but IN
practice this system Of Identification
has fallen down and the improper use
op commutation tickets has become
pretty nearly as universal IS bootleg
=,
tenn whereby commuters were required
to have g photograph attached to taeir
commutation on ticket as means OF den-
tification, and the New York Central has
now followed suit. The company tried
| It out hrst for stations on the Hudson
division, and next month is to extend
the requirement to all commuters.
Poughkeepsie is about seventy-three
miles out on the Hudson division, and
the single fare between Poughkeepsie
and New York is s2.s5. 4 single ride
on a Communication ticket is at the rate
of 81 cents. The average number o.
communication tickets sold in month
in Poughkeepsie had been, prior to Sep
tember, l19. In September she resu-
lation was in effect requiring the
photographs to be attached to the COM
mutation ticket, and 10 and behold
only ffty-seven commutation tickets
were bought, showing that more than
half Of the communication tickets sold
we're not bought by bona hde commut'
ers.
The total value OF commutation tick
cts that were bought on the Hudson and
Harlem divisions from stations more
than thirty miles from New York on
the average each month was over $685.
900 greater than the value Of the com
mutation tickets bought in September
when the photograph had 70 be az
tached to the ticket: The total dlner-
ence for a wear. estimated or the Sep
ten,ber basis, is se4o,ooo.
The theory on which low communication,
ticket rates IS based is that railroad
company can afford to carry the head
Of family back and forth 20 ousines
at certain times in the day in long
trains filled to capacity at small
fraction Of what it has TO charge on
the average to people who make the