Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-10
CONDUCTORS BALK AT HAND REGISTERS.
fospects That Many Will Not Work Today--Men Don't Ca It Srike Just Refuse to Work With Rooke Regis ter-Wl Seriously Cripple Shore Line Trolley Service -Conpanys Statement Shows That Register is in Use in Many Other Places.

Friday, the Shore Line Electro Rail- l way Co. gives it's position upon the proposal of the conductors to quit | work because of the use of the Rooke
 register:
 Referring to the demand of some of | our employees that the use of Rooke registers be discontinued. Should any
 number of our platform men leave our l employ because of the continued use | of the Rooke Register, we may be fore l ed to discontinue service to some ex- l tent This would be unavoidable. As a Company we have tried to win and
 hold the loyalty of our men. We have
 paid good wages and kept our working f the goodwill of all men leaving our
 service. Should any number of these
 ex-empleyes seem to prefer to remain idlers, however, in order that they may
 loiter about stirring up trouble we wish the public to have certain facts by
 which to judge such actions.
 There can be no strike. Their Union will not indorse such work. Our men have preferred to deal with us in a collective way through their Union. In acquiescing to this wish and in safe guarding against just such contingenc- 1 ies as now threaten. we have sought | to protect the public and ourselves | against these overnight strikes de- | cisions by entering into agreements with this Union which mutually pro- 1 tect against such nasty actions. The National Executive Board officials of
 this Union believe in keeping such | agreements. The National Executive l Board of the Garments Union has
 strongly endorsed this Rooke Regis | ter. This Board considers the various
 changes in working conditions imposed on conductoirs through the use of new l equipment by the employing companies
 This Board investigates and occasion 1 ally presumeS to say what is fair and
 advantageous for use, or impractical and not desirable for use This Board
 recognizes not only the right but the l desirability of the employing company
 availing itself of this particular inn ] provement in fare collection practice | We have been handed copy of an
 original letter showing this specific en-
 dorsement. It reads as follows:
 AmaIsanated Association of Street Railway Employees of America. Detroit, Mich, Oct. 10th.
 Rooke Automatic Register Go.
 Gentlemen:
 The Rooke fare register as shown
 to the General Executive Board of ou1
 Association meets with much favor by l the members of the Board and where
 it may be played in service am i'm
 pressed that it will prove a most satis- factory device. It will lessen shortage
 and establish more perfect sys- tenn of accounting than provided by | any other register now in use.
 l (SipnAdl R T., PENErUTES
 General Executive Board ; You will note this letter is rot mere. W negative but positive in character
 If those old-timers in street railway operation recognize benefits to be de. rived from Rooke Register service, why should we be condemned for holding
 similar views? Anyone may place his
 ot1n interpretation on their expressed i belief that the Rooke Register vii lessen shortage" Surely in these days
 of six-cent and seven-cent fare units l this Company should be commended
 and supported in any effort to lesser
 shortage" in gathering in the nickels | before adding to that fare unit. The
 collective interests of carmen in thei1 | labor organization work as thus re-
 cognized by their chief executives takes precedence over the views of cer- tain groups of members. Individual | conductors may have various reasons
 for preferring the old easy going me-