THE QUESTION OF REDUCED RATES.

EDITORS HARVARD HERALD: The correspondent in this morning's HERALD, who wants reduced rates, is a little more confident of the liberality of the railroad companies than are those who have had experience. He is very much mistaken if he supposes that his plan of getting reduced tickets has never been tried before. Last spring was the first time for some years that the great majority of railroads refused reduced rates to students. When, as usual, students made application at the railroad offices last June for reduced tickets they were told that the companies had decided to make no concessions. The facts of the case were that all roads running out of Boston (for the West, at least,) had made a combination whose object was to prevent "cut" rates. Several students took the trouble to write to New York to the railroad headquarters asking for reduced terms to clubs. By return mail they received a large bundle of hand-bills and time-cards, setting forth the merits of the various roads, but their request for "cut" rates was politely but firmly refused. The reasons given for discrimination in favor of Yale, and against Harvard students, were perfectly satisfactory. New Haven is a way station, so to speak, and as the tickets issuing from there are not in great demand in the market, no one but bona fide students made use of the "cut" rates. But a ticket from Boston for any other city is always in demand, and the railroads found that some students were making a speculation of their privilege, and that their tickets were rapidly finding their way to the "scalpers." To prevent this, it was necessary to refuse the privilege altogether. However, it is not impossible that if strenuous efforts were made in time this year that rates could be obtained, but it must not be looked upon as a favor to be had merely for the asking.

'84.Nov. 24, 1882.