"Half." Children below five years are carried free of charge, except that a party rate may be quoted if a large group are sent together. A charity organization, for instance, in shipping a large party of children in a special car may be quoted a special party rate in which each child is counted as one quarter. All the above-named excursion and regular reduced fare tickets, so long as they are granted to all persons alike, are not unlawful discriminations, but are expressly permitted by Section 22 of the interstate commerce act. Likewise, clergy tickets granting half fares to an adult are pronounced permissible by the Interstate Commerce Commission. It has, however, been held that the half or reduced fare tickets formerly sold to officers of the government, army or navy, and others not specifically exempted by the interstate commerce law, are no longer valid.2 (5) In addition to the foregoing groups there are various miscellaneous types, such as the drover's ticket issued by western railways to the caretakers of live stock en route. This is especially permitted by Section 2 of the interstate commerce act. At the time the shipping contract is made out, the caretaker, in the territory of the Official Classification Committee, signs a uniform "Contract with Man or Men in Charge of Live Stock," which releases the carrier from liability in the case of injury while on the livestock train. The drover's ticket of the western lines, which returns the drover to his home station, likewise contains such a release, but legal opinion as to its validity is divided. It is usually a nontransferable ticket, limited in time, and containing every precaution in the way of description and signature, so as to prevent fraud. It may be either a free 1 XV I. C. C. Reps. 45 (1909), In re Passes to Clergymen. pass or a reduced fare ticket. The same practice also prevails in the case of caretakers of poultry, fruit, and perishable vegetables. 1 The free pass is the form of ticket which has caused more discussion than any other. In interstate travel, it is now prohibited by Sections 1 and 22 of the interstate commerce act, which provides that interstate passes may be granted only to officials, agents and employees of the railways and their families, and to a certain limited number of other individuals. Seventeen different states have enacted antipass laws similar to this. Nineteen states 2 prohibit the granting of passes to certain public officials and members of the judiciary in order to prevent bribery, while New Jersey had a similar law, but in 1907 enacted one compelling the issuing of passes to specified public officials. Such as are now issued are carefully hedged in with respect to time, nontransferability, signature and description of the holder. The extent to which they are issued is largely determined by the federal and state antipass legislation. Lastly, there is the conductor's duplex memorandum (Form 30), which is issued by the conductor upon the payment of cash fares. One portion is retained by him to be sent to the Ticket Auditor as any other ticket taken up, and the other is given to the passenger as a receipt, and may be redeemed by him at a ticket office for the extra ten cents which he was required to pay. 1 Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Ohio, South Dakota, Oklahoma, New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Florida. 2 Georgia, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Nevada, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Maine. IV. ISSUING AND DISTRIBUTION OF TICKETS All tickets are issued by the Passenger Department, and, under the direct charge of the Passenger Traffic Manager, or General Passenger Agent, are furnished to the local ticket agents. The local agent makes requisition on the Passenger Traffic Department upon requisition blanks. The tickets sent to him are accompanied by an invoice (Form 31) which records each individual ticket. After making a copy for himself the agent signs the original and sends it to the Auditor of Passenger Receipts, or other officer of equivalent designation. On some lines it is sent to the General Passenger Agent, who transmits a duplicate copy to the Auditor. The ticket agent is in this way charged with all tickets sent to him, and he must account for them either in cash or with the tickets themselves. After being arranged in cases, on hooks, or in some other convenient numerical, geographical, or alphabetical way, they are sold to the passengers. From charts of forms, provided by the General Passenger Agent, the local agent can easily determine the various routes available to given destinations and the proper tickets to sell. The chart indicates the form number of the route desired, and the agent can easily turn to the ticket bearing that form number. He is required to make daily reports showing the sale of all local tickets, printed or otherwise; amounts received from the sale of interdivisional and interline tickets; and special reports as to the sale of mileage tickets. He makes monthly reports showing in detail all sales and all tickets on hand. 1 The tickets or coupons are taken up by the train con 1 This is the requirement on the Pennsylvania Railroad and is not the same on all other roads. |