Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-03-26
Fares on GrOtOn and StOningtOn Road
Hearing at Hartford Regarding Reduction East End of
Line-Officials Give Explanations and Petitioners
Set Forth Desires


have about $50 employees at the PRESENT
time and 80 of them live in Pawcatuck.
We can't get help enough in Stoning-
ton. We manufacturers must look to
the Westerly end of the line for help;
we can't get it at the Mystic end. The
reason for this is largely the fact that
if you take Groton out Of Mystic there
is mighty little left.
And think of the wives and children
of these workingmen, gentlemen urg-
cd kT. koelb. "They need the recrea-
ton Of ride in the open air of an aft
ernoon, and the children need the abil-
ity to get to and from school at a rate
such that working people can afford to
pay il. a director of the road has told
me that the working people. at least
and il is for them we are here to plead
should have a five cent fare and he
would see to it that they got It,"
Spoke for Worknemsn.
Mr. Cutler also, who said that on the
payroll of his concern were G. men
who came daily to work from Pawea-
tuck and used this line. was very anx-
ions to have this change made. to ben
eft the workingmau. He forcefully as
serted that the manufacturers of the
town of StOnington had to go to Paw
catuck for their employees in very many
cases, and showed that these employees
We're olibed to pay ten cents for the
ride Of five miles. while the people Of
West Mystic could come to Stonington
a distance of IA miles, for five cents
He mentioned the cases of two of his
employees. one Of whom lived in either
place. The PaWcatuck man getShome
first. but pays twice as much TO 10 it
as the West Mystic man. THE situa
ton" said Mr.. Cutler lis like that Of
trying to put six horses into five stalls
"a " on ha SIC rr-f4 bo,.
IN IT,"
Representative Martin put in pc
tition signed by over 500 people i'm
refutation Of the statement that this
agitation was at the instance Of West
erly merchants, and stated that there
had ben filed with the directors Of the
road another petition signed by more
than l4OO people.
Supt. Riley Heard.
Supt Riley sustained the brunt OF
the cOmpany's testimony and explain
ed the system of iapover fares in force.
He put in a large map of the territory
and explained to the committee just how
the matter was arranged, Messrs. |
Broughton and Wheeler representing
the supporters OF the measure in going
over this subject.
Mr.. Riley stated that the people OF /
Mystic paid q five cent fare to Noank. |
a distance Of but 245 miles, and there
never had been a complaint over this. I
He detailed the experience of the P. n. /
Opie company Of Westerly. which had
twice chartered the road for a ceHtain
day to bring people from West Mystic |
to Westerly. where is ordinarily col |
lect 90 cent fare, for five cents, and !
the registration on the second occasion.
when the matter had been well adver- |
tised. only totalled 1900. as against a 4
normal registration between these !
points Of about 500. showing that the /
people weren't so enthusiastic over re- /
duced fare as was said.
Letters from Railway Managers.
He read a number of letters from |
street railway managers, among them /
being General Superintendent f. p. (
Shaw. Jr., who used to manage t1e /
trolley system and is now
running the Worcester and Boston line |
which yIr. Riley characterized as the /
finest interurban system in New Eng !
land. These letters showed that a fare /
Of Z - cents for a distance of "a /
miles. less than I - cents a mile. is .
not as high as the average fares on 1
trolley roads in southern New Eng
land. The five cent fare zones on the
different roads represented in the let
-ers Varied from two to eleven miles.
As 10 the ten cent Iare Keeping DeO- .
Die Off the cars, Mr.. Riley showed that
he total registration on the whole line
Turing tho first week in this month was
2S,725. and 1852 was the registration
n this distance between Pawcatuck
and StoningtOn. As to the paying
raffic however. that was on the other
End of the line The distance between
Mystic and New London was but 1-2
miles. as against 10 10 for the rest of
he line but this portion pays "a per
cent. of the Gncome and always has
Iveraced about that He quoted fares
On other trolley lines in that vicinity.
put il was stated that these lines
,rossed town lines in every case.
Mr.. Cutler wanted to know why the
books Of tickets were no longer sold
)y conductors, and Mr.. Riley replied
hat this was to remove temptation
rom the conductors who might read
lv have turned i'm SO for a book and
collected 81 in cash fares. for which
hey would turn in the tickets in the
book
Mr.. Moves remarked to the commit
zee that this whole agitation could
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