Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-05

j.. A. & w. Railway the striking en-
pioyes resumed work last evening, ana
the full car service was In operation.
! The decision resulting in this action
was reached at q conference of railway
and union officials held Tuesday after
noon in Lewiston. The national organ
iyation of which the employees are mem
bers, did not support the men IN their
| action in striking because of dissatis-
| faction with the automatic fare regis
| tering devices.
! The strike of motormen and condue-
| tors of the Lewiston division of the L.,
| A. & w. Street Railway had it's Sc
| quei Tuesday morning on the lines OF
| the Augusta division when the opera :
tives. confronted by a newly posted no.
| tice ordering them TO use the Rookie
| fare register on main line cars were
refused their request that the order be
suspended for "a hours that they might
| deliberate on what course to follow.
1 The men were given the alternative of
| complying with the order or ieayinS
| their work, and they chose the latter
| Asserting that the action of the men
was hasty i'll advised, and in violation
| of an agreement with the company.
General Supt. Bowie issued Tuesday
afternoon an order containing the ulti-
| matum that the striking employees re
turn Wednesday morning to their RIM,
or be considered as having severed
| their connection with the company.
| There were no demonstrations of any
kind on the part of the strikers. ts-io
| throughout the day were in almost
| continuous session at their union head
/ quarters.
| Throughout the day traffic was at
! standstili. Scores of out-of-toWn res
! idents who find employment in this
city, walked to and from their work
| though many awaited themselves Of
train service. Not a few remained at
| home, and consequently several sstab-
:ishments were Inconvenience. Au-
gusta persons working in Hallowell ana
| Gardiner were also among the suf-
| ferers.
| The striking conductors and motor
| men stated with emphasis that objec-
| ton to the use of the Rookie register
1 was not in itself the cause of the ac-
| tion that they had taken, but rather
| the fact that compliance with the or
| der would have forced them to use the
device in territory where brother
+, members of their association were al
ready on strike as the result of dis
satisfaction with the register. 1T was
| because they wanted us to enter the
war zone with something one of the
belligerents object to-" was the way
| one official OF the local union express
! ed il.
! Although the strikers had little to
| say on this subject, insisting that il
/ is not the point at issue, inquiry re-
| garding the cause for the dislike for
| the Rookie registers on the part of the
| conductors brought forth the Informal
! ton that they object to the resulting
| difficulty in getting all the fares when
| traffic is at It's height. and that they
| assert that worn nickels in some cases
| cause the device to register 10-cent
| fares. While only nickels are inten-
| tionally taken with the register, there
| is an indicator which records the fact
when dime is taken.
| James Trask. president Of the local
division of the Association Of Street
and Electric Railway Employees. yes
! terday afternoon made the following
| statement regarding the situation:
! This morning there was posted a
| notice requiring that the conductors
must use on the main line cars the
! Rookie register-the register which the
! Lewiston men refused to use on the
| Mechanic Falls and Bath line. Of
| course VIC would have to use the reg
! listers in Lewiston. We asked for "A
| hours in which 10 consider our course.
! We were willing to take the cars out
/ and were there to take them out on
! time"
DIVISION - i
| the following statement Tuesday aft
ernoon:
! The situation is that a notice was
posted last night 10 the effect that be-
ginning Tuesday morning the Rookie
register was TO be used for collection
of four Of the 10 limits between Gard
iheF ana WaterVilie. The Rookie reg
I isteF mas been in use on several of
the limits here for the past eight
months Inc crews reported at the
uSuai time this morning but refused to
'ake the cars out If tile registers We're
10 be used by any cars other than
those on which they have been in use
IN the past eight months"
Following is the text Of Genera,
Supt. BoWie's notice to. the men iss,,ed
| Tuesday arArnoon:
NeItdiH men on these divisions fa;lso
70 report for their regular duty this
morning in protest against the extension
/ OF the use of the Rookie register for the
collection OF cash fares TO lines of the
+ company where it had not been hcre,o-
fore used. This register has been in use
t9r eight months on other lines and ;t>
practicability and efficiency has been
, thoroughly tested. and without protes,
The management feels that the action
OF these men was hasty and I'll advised
and that many OF them did not realize in
taking this step. they not only broke an
agreement which they had with the COM
pany. and which has always been faith
! fully lived up to on the company's mart.
but they also broke faith with the pub
lie. which should not be subjected to N.
Inconvenience OF partial suspension OF
service without resortng to methods OF
. adjustment provided in the contract.
which the employees, through their ac-
credited representatives. bound them
selves TO follow
On account of their apparent hasty
and ill-considered action, the MANAGEMENT
is willing to overlook the failure of GER