Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 163, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1913 — THINK LITTLE ABOUT FARE [ARTICLE]

THINK LITTLE ABOUT FARE

Passengers on Russian Btate Railroads Appear to Have Something of an Easy Time. It costs nothing for some travel on tbe Russian state railroads. The statistical report just published shows an amusing array of figures that travel was rather cheap in many cases during the past year. Among the dismissals and punishments inflicted in the course of the year, 316 guards and 133 subordinates disand 6,675 guards and 10,473 fined, are all catalogued as having helped wayfarersalong their way without suffleieht regard for the law, which decrees that journeys by railway in Russik, as in England and Slam, shall be paid for. But these odd 20,000 punishments can scarcely be said to meet tbe needs of the case, as In the course of a year nearly a million passengers defranded the state railways management The exact number is 904,118. Altogether as much as $660,000 was found to be due for fajes unpaid. Nearly half the money was paid at once, a quarter was paid later of free will, and for the payment of the rest the authorities were compelled to go to law. Naturally most of the guards and subordinate employees received slight “commissions’’ from the passengers they helped. Calculating that only a third, or at the highest estimate a half, of the cheap travelers are caught, the effect on the railway balance sheet most he very considerable. It is amusing to note, however, that for the time being the department expresses Itself almost satisfied. In earlier years, it is explained, the number of passengers without tickets who got off free was much greater.. ■