"TICKETS, PLEASE!"

BY H. M. LOME

How the Millions of Railroad Tickets Used Annually in the United States Are
Printed, Distributed, Counted, and So Carefully Kept Track of
That it is Impossible for One to Go Astray.

Continued from July, 1914, Magazine.

Easily Working System.

(Copyrighted)

way station for transportation that calls On reaching the ticket department, for an interline ticket, the agent, prothe requisition is stamped with the date vided that the desired destination is but of receipt. It is then given a consecu- little known, turns to a railroad guide tive number and entered in the journal for the information. Armed with this of requisitions. The department then knowledge, he next consults his "Chart issues an order to the printer, based on of Form," which gives him the route bethe requisition. The printer, on the tween any two points in the United completion of the work, ships the order States and the names of the railroads to the department, which, in turn, for- over which the passenger must travel. wards it to the agent with an invoice of Each route is numbered, so that when the tickets. sending in a requisition for the desired transportation, he simply states the desired number.

The agent checks up and signs the invoice and forwards it to the auditor of passenger accounts. Then the transaction is closed so far as the ticket department is concerned.

The new system is in strong contrast to that on a good many of the roads some years ago. Then the railroads had large ticket vaults in which were carried a supply of tickets sufficient for the needs of every agent. The system was cumbersome and expensive.

If it became necessary to change a ticket in any way, the stock on hand had to be destroyed. To-day not a single ticket is wasted.

A railroad like the Erie will receive from 800 to 1,000 requisitions a month. These necessarily vary in quantity and variety of tickets required. Some requisitions do not cover more than two or three lines of a form, while others will fill from eight to ten of such forms.

Requisitions of this kind are wired to the ticket department and are honored by the next train to the station from which they emanate.

Few railroads keep tickets in stock other than local blanks and interline blanks. While the bulk of these are stored at headquarters, the agents of the larger stations carry on hand a supply of the latter, ready to be filled as the needs of passengers demand.

In the ticket department of the Erie Railroad there are 1,500 large boxes filled with interline blanks. All such railroads are prepared to ticket a passenger to any part of the United States with the aid of these blanks, and will sell transportation to foreign countries west of the Pacific coast and to points north and south of the United States.

There is no duplication of the numAt stations at which there is small bers of tickets so far as those issued by passenger traffic, agents are supplied a given railroad are concerned. When with tickets with a blank space for the the numbers reach, say, 100,000, a letdestination. This is as far as local traf- ter is prefixed, so A-100,000 would be fic is concerned. If it happens that the the next in order. travel from one station to another on the same system reaches or exceeds ten a month, printed destination tickets are used.

The "Chart of Form."

In the event of a would-be passenger applying to the agent of an out-of-the

Can Locate Every Ticket. The whereabouts of every ticket, its number, the date of its issue, whether sold or on sale, the approximate status of the stock of the agent at every station, can be ascertained by a glance at the ticket ledgers. Not the least admirable

feature of these departments is their ingenious bookkeeping. Occasionally tickets get lost or stolen, but in such cases the railroads suffer no loss, as all of their fiscal agents are bonded.

When tickets of all kinds have been collected, they are forwarded to the ticket department, examined, compared, and made into convenient packages, thus to be kept until a reasonable time has elapsed, when they are destroyed.

Tickets are an important factor in the duties of the baggage agent. The fat "B" made by the baggage punch when the baggage is checked, is familiar to all travelers. If the little sharp jaws of the punch didn't get busy, the ticket owner could establish a baggage-forwarding business of his own. On the strength of one unpunched ticket, he could ship over the road, selling the ticket, as much baggage as he liked and as often as he liked.

Importance of the Punch.

The importance of the punch in this connection is made manifest by the specific instructions issued to baggage agents by the railroads. The rules read:

rules and precautions. If an agent is in doubt as to the character, condition, limitation, or any other feature of a ticket, or the true meaning of an order of instruction regarding a class of tickets, he is directed to have the matter made plain to him by immediate inquiry at the office of the general passenger agent.

"It is a false and dangerous notion for any one who is in doubt regarding the true meaning of an order not to promptly admit the fact," says the book of instructions. "False, because through a foolish dislike to acknowledge a lack of understanding the person so acting prevents himself from acquiring the intelligence that is needed to properly fill his position. Dangerous, for the reason that a ticket or other misunderstanding may result in disaster to the company and serious liability to the employee."

Agents are also required to make themselves familiar with the various kinds and classes of tickets so that they may answer the queries and supply the wants of patrons with as little delay as possible.

When a Passenger Won't Pay. Instructions for the treatment of unThe "B" punch must be used for canceling tickets when baggage is checked. desirables, with or without tickets, are Cancel near center of ticket. In cancel very specific. They begin with the propoing a through ticket. punch the contract sition that it is reasonable to suppose and each coupon, provided that baggage that a person in a railroad car is there is checked through to destination. If checked to a point short of destination, lawfully as a passenger, hence he should punch only the coupon reading to and not be ejected until it has been made over the line on which said point is lo- clear that he is without a ticket or is cated and make notation on back of ticket over agent's signature as follows: trying to beat the road. "Baggage checked to.”

Among the instructions issued to agents and conductors by one of the big roads, this paragraph appears:

If a passenger refuses to pay fare after a reasonable demand, either by presenting ticket, cash, or other proper evidence of being entitled to transportation, conductors will stop their train at any regular station and request the passenger to get off.

Be polite in the conduct of your business; treat every one with whom you come in contact in a pleasant, gentlemanly manner. The good reputation of the company depends largely on the manIf he refuses, the conductor may emner in which its patrons are treated by ploy such assistance and use such force its employees, especially agents and con- but no more than is absolutely necesductors who, more than any other class of employees, come into direct contact sary-to eject the passenger without with the public. Keep in mind the fact doing him injury. The conductor must that comparatively few persons travel then obtain the names and addresses of often enough to become familiar with several passengers who witnessed the the schedules of trains; the various kinds removal and report in full to the general of tickets, and so forth. Both in the sale of tickets and in answering numerpassenger agent. ous and oft-repeated questions, exercise If a passenger claims that he has lost a uniformly courteous and considerate his ticket, he must pay up and look to

manner.

The importance of the ticket to the railroad is emphasized by a multitude of

the general passenger agent for relief.

The railroad ticket is regarded as the test of the efficiency of the agent, inas

much as his sales prove his fitness for unless specially permitted to do so by the the position. It is to his interest to general passenger agent. ticket a passenger through to his destination, even if he happens to be many roads removed from his own railroad. This is where the possibilities of an interline ticket enters.

Eyesight and Automobile Drivers.

Owing to the rapidly increasing numbers of automobiles, used for business as The rules regarding damaged or well as pleasure purposes, every state changed tickets are drastic. If a misshould require that all applicants for a take is made in preparing a ticket for license to drive a motor vehicle pass an sale, it must be marked "spoiled" across eyesight test. All railroads and many its face and returned to the auditing electric car-line companies require such a department with the agent's monthly re- test. Yet, in the great majority of states, port. To alter a ticket in any way is the prospective driver of an automobile strictly forbidden. Conductors are in- need only affirm in his application that he structed to refuse to accept a ticket has no physical or mental infirmities. bearing any evidence of alteration. The When one stops to consider that a railreason of this regulation is obvious. road engineer drives over a steel track, In hammering in this rule it is in- guarded by signals and watchmen, and structed that "under no circumstances over a route with which he is thoroughly should a route as printed on a ticket be familiar, whereas the autoist drives over changed, or should a coupon reading 'to any road he chooses, not protected by blank,' by a specified line be used in lights and signals, and in some cases travticketing a passenger to a point on any eling almost as rapidly as a locomotive, other line than that for which it is it is plainly imperative that he possess printed."

The stubs of tickets have a very definite use. On those attached to "to blank" tickets, the agent, at the time of sale, must make entry of destination and any other record that is needed. Such stubs are kept by agents as part of the office records.

Stamping tickets is another detail regarding which there are a multiplicity of regulations. Inasmuch as the impression of an agent's dating stamp on a ticket is an evidence of its sale, the necessity of the stamp being kept in good order is apparent. Agents are so instructed, and, in addition, must keep the stamps carefully guarded when not in use.

When a stamp is worn out it is returned to the ticket department of the railroad for repairs. or a new one issued. If a ticket is stamped and not sold, it is marked "spoiled" and returned the auditing department..

to

as good sight as the man in the engine cab. If one eye is highly defective the field of vision is greatly impaired and the driver less able to maneuver his car in an emergency. Paris, Munich and other European cities have seen the necessity of an examination of the eyes of all taxidrivers and are strict in the enforcement of this protective measure. It is more than likely that defective vision is next in order of frequency to the overuse of alcoholic drinks as a cause of automobile accidents. We can, and should, protect pedestrians and drivers of vehicles from injury to a much greater extent than we do. Each applicant for a license to drive a motor vehicle should be required to give satisfactory proof of at least moderately good vision.-The Journal of the American Medical Association.

New Publications-Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.

Agents are strictly prohibited from The Bureau of Mines has copies of the receiving from other transportation comfollowing publications for free distribupanies any commission for the sale of tion, but advises that it can not give passenger tickets or orders,, or any more than one copy of the same bulletin "side-cut" salary or other consideration to one person, and that requests for all for any service whatever. They are not papers can not be granted without satisallowed to buy, sell, redeem, or exchange factory reason. In asking for publicatickets, or in any manner deal in tickets tions, same should be ordered by number not furnished by the employing company and title, and applications should be ad

dressed to the Director of the Bureau of Royal Society of Arts on electricity and Mines, Washington, D. C.:

Technical Paper 57. A preliminary report on the utilization of petroleum the plants and crops. In some cases an and natural gas in Wyoming, by W. R. Calvert. 1913. 23 pp.

Electricity and Radium in Agri- amount to grow. The address is reported

by the London correspondent of The Journal of the American Medical AssociaBritish tion.

TO WAGE EARNERS

The Sundry Civil Appropriation Bill containing the labor exemption clause passed the United States Senate on July 8th last, all efforts to alter or eliminate that clause proving ineffectual. The labor exemption clause provides that none of the funds appropriated by the measure for the purpose of prosecuting trusts-illegal combinations in restraint of trade-shall be used to prosecute labor unions, or co-operative farmers' organizations.

That quite a substantial majority of the members of Congress view this matter from a standpoint of justice, of right, and of square dealing, is indeed gratifying. These men refuse to be influenced by the arguments of high-paid corporation attorneys and lobbyists, and other representatives of the powers of wealth and privilege to the effect that because labor unions stand for a fair wage and when necessary their members collectively refuse to work for an unfair wage, they in the contemplation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Law should be classed in the same category with those plundering combines that monopolize, trade on and speculate in life's necessities and thus extort enormous profits from the public and build up fabulous fortunes. It is difficult to under