"passenger traffic handles itself." However, this apparent economy is generally balanced, if not outweighed, by the abnormal expenditure demanded for the accommodation of passengers at stations. Furthermore, passenger traffic is more nearly balanced than freight, if normal passenger traffic alone be considered. Yet, if a study be made of special traffic, particularly of excursion movements, it will oftentimes be found that passenger movements are less balanced than freight; in the one case a predominant tonnage movement flows regularly in a certain direction while in the other the number of passengers moving each way is, though seasonally unbalanced, equal for the year. The evils of such unbalanced traffic are no less than if it were unbalanced for the entire year.

Another interesting contrast between the two types of service appears in a comparison of the trend of rates in the two fields. While freight rates show a sharp decline until the war period as compared with a generation ago, passenger rates have, during that period, dropped but little; yet, on the basis of rates practically equivalent to those of a generation ago, passenger business has shown a smaller margin of profit to the railways generally than has freight business with declining average charges. This fact is due largely, of course, to the inability of the railways to avail themselves of increased economies in the movement of passengers as they have in the movement of freight. While the average freight-train load increased approximately two and one-half times in the past 25 years, the average number of passengers per train increased but 40%, this slight comparative increase being the result of several factors, significant among which are the slower increase in the volume of passenger traffic and the constant necessity of adding trains to meet the new demands made upon the carriers by patrons. Then, too, the movement of passenger traffic on regular schedule stands as a permanent bar to the rapid increase of efficiency in the passenger field.

The relative importance of the revenues derived from the

freight and passenger service has already been indicated, but it is not amiss, perhaps, to restate the fact that freight revenue contributes almost three-fourths of the total operating revenues of American railways, while the passenger revenue totals less than one-fourth. Upon individual roads this item varies from little more than 3% on certain conspicuous "tonnage" lines to slightly less than 50% upon carriers which operate through densely populated sections and are known as "passenger roads." This disparity will diminish as the United States becomes more densely populated and as the population is more evenly distributed, though many years will elapse before passenger revenue will total even half that derived from freight operations.

TYPES OF TRAINS IN SERVICE

In the movement of passenger traffic, various types of trains are operated. In general, trains may be classified as "local" and "through," the former concerned primarily with the movement of passengers for short distances, the latter with the transportation of persons between distant centers. Through movement often involves operation over the entire length of an extended line, as from Chicago to New York, Chicago to New Orleans, Chicago to San Francisco or Seattle. In handling local traffic several types of trains are employed. In the vicinity of large cities certain trains are concerned solely with the movement of the "commuter," but the typical local passenger service is that rendered by trains stopping at practically all stations and covering, in the course of the daily "run," seldom less than 100 miles, and often three times that distance. The "local" usually carries only day coaches and renders a service in which railways take no pride, despite the fact that upon its character depends largely the interests of those along the line. Local service is also rendered by the so-called "mixed" train, which combines both the freight and the passenger function. Service of this kind is seldom offered on the main line, ex

cept by the "local" or "way-freight," but it is characteristic of branch-line operations and upon the poorer branch lines such service alone is offered. During recent years yet a third type of local service has gained prominence that rendered by the motor car. Indeed, it seems certain that such service will play an increasingly important role upon lines where service of the old type cannot be rendered economically, or where, for other reasons, the passenger automobile and motor bus have shown themselves particularly inimical to railway revenues. Indeed, were it not for the conservatism which too often characterizes railway management, it is probable that this method of moving passengers would have received much wider acceptance during recent years: a single light car, motor driven, enjoys a distinct advantage from an expense standpoint over even the short locomotive-drawn train, however ancient or diminutive and, therefore, incapable of main-line service that locomotive may be.

CHARACTER OF "THROUGH" SERVICE

"Through" service on American railways differs from local service in two significant particulars. More powerful locomotives, a superior main-line roadway, and fewer stops make possible a much higher average rate of speed. Indeed, an important consideration incident to through service is speed, and this feature is advertised widely in the solicitation of traffic. The second distinguishing feature lies in the character of the service offered. In this field is employed not only the highest grade of standard coach equipment but also a large number of cars built for the purpose of rendering an extra service to the patrons of the road. In fact, many of the important through trains are made up largely or wholly of Pullman equipment. These through trains are usually operated over the tracks of a single railway corporation or its subsidiaries though, in certain instances, they are scheduled over the lines of independent connecting carriers. Such interline service is invariably of

high character with respect to both speed and equipment. Conspicuous among such jointly operated trains are the / Overland Limited between Chicago and San Francisco via the Chicago and North Western, the Union Pacific, and the Z Central Pacific; the Golden State Limited, between Chicago and Pacific coast points via the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, the El Paso and Southwestern, and the Southern 3 Pacific; and the Dixie Flyer between Chicago and points in the South, via the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and the Louisville and Nashville. With the further development of cooperation and the growth of through traffic, such unusual instances may be expected to become characteristic of American long-distance passenger service.

Since passenger traffic is largely self-directed at terminals and junction points, the mechanism necessary to handle it is much simpler than that for the handling of freight. Because of the smaller number of trains and the far smaller number of cars in each, the problem of "making and breaking" trains at terminals and division points is relatively simple. Indeed, the task of handling equipment in the coach yard, where unused cars are stored, oftentimes involves little more than attaching a switch-engine to a train which has just finished its journey and pushing that train into the yard to await its trip out when, after thorough cleaning and reequipment, it is again ready for use. The station problem is also less difficult than for freight traffic, though the modern policy of constructing immense and almost palatial passenger terminals in large cities has thrown upon the carriers a burden of expense quite out of proportion to the revenue importance of the business involved.

CLASSIFICATION OF TICKETS

In the handling of freight traffic the issuance of a considerable number of papers for each shipment is necessary. However, because of the nature of the passenger business the ticket is the only document employed in connection with

the movement of passengers. Tickets vary widely in type and it is rather difficult to classify them under a few heads, though two major groups are distinguishable. The great proportion of the tickets sold authorize movement between points upon the issuing line and are known as local tickets, but others, termed interline tickets, are issued to cover movements over portions of two or more lines. These local and interline tickets are of varied character. Most common among these is the regular first-class ticket, either one-way or round-trip. This ticket is available the year round and sells at the standard rate. A second type of ticket of importance is the so-called excursion ticket, which is sold at a reduced rate for round-trip movement during certain specified periods. Such tickets may have a relatively brief life or, as in the case of summer or winter movements, may be valid for several months. Another type of ticket is that which is offered at a reduced fare for either one-way or round-trip movement, here being included commutation, immigrant, and harvester travel, as well as tickets sold to the clergy, to indigent persons, and to children. A fourth type of travel moves upon miscellaneous authorizations, among these being the drover's ticket, the conductor's memorandum issued as a receipt for cash fare, and the pass, trip or annual.

TICKET ACCOUNTING

The peculiar character of the ticket compels the exercise of great care in distributing and accounting for all tickets issued, and this is true whether they be of the type which authorizes movement between two named points or whether they be forms in blank to be completed by the selling agent. Ticket stocks are distributed through the office of the auditor of passenger revenues and a frequent check is made of the sales records and the unsold stocks of the various local agents against the record of tickets charged. The sale of tickets rests primarily with the various local agents along the line, though sales are also negotiated by