Nothing in this act shall prevent the carriage, storage or handling of property free or at reduced rates for the United States, state, county or municipal governments, or for charitable purposes, or for relief in cases of general epidemic, pestilence or other calamitous visitation, or property to or from fairs and expositions for exhibition thereat, or the free carriage of destitute and homeless persons transported by charitable societies, and the necessary agents employed in such transportation, or the issuance of mileage, excursion or commutation passenger tickets; nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit any common carrier from giving reduced rates to ministers of religion, or to municipal governments for the transportation of indigent persons, or to inmates of the national homes or state homes for disabled volunteer soldiers, and of soldiers’ and sailors’ orphan homes, including those about to enter and those returning home after discharge, under arrangements with the boards of managers of said homes, or to veterans of the civil war; nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent a common carrier from transporting, storing or handling free or at reduced rates the household goods and personal effects of its employees, or persons entering or leaving its service, and of persons killed or dying while in its service, or exchanging passes or tickets with other railroad companies for their officers and employees; nothing in this act shall prevent the issuance of joint interchangeable mileage tickets, with special privileges as to the amount of free baggage that may be carried under such mileage tickets: provided further, that passenger transportation may issue to the proprietors and employees of newspapers and magazines and the members of their immediate families, in exchange for advertising space in such newspapers or magazines at full rates, subject, however, to such reasonable restrictions as the commission may impose.