Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-06
ANNOUNCEMENTS
zhteS Fare Collecting System on Shore
 Line Railway.

New Fare Collecting System on Shore
 Line Railway.
 Trolley patrons will note several changes in fare collecting methods and mechanisms when paying fares tomorrow. In addition to a small ad- vance in rate for travel on several outside lines, offset somewhat by the extension of the transfer limits, the type of register used will figure as the chief innovation. Conductors on local cars will no longer operate the overhead, clock-type register or car 'ry about the Mcdonald ticket box for the sale of interurban transportation. Their work will be confined to the use of but one register, an ingenious portable device into which the pas senger inserts his nickel. Interur- ban conductors will also be equipped with this 2O-ounce register and will collect nickel fares from all passen- gers on their cars when the city zone is reached.
 The Shore Line Electric Railway Co. makes a1 announcement to this effect and explains the workings of the new system in it's advertisement in this issue. These collecting regis ters have been used on all types of cars in and around Providence, New
 
 England cities for years. This regis ter is said to meet the peculiarly vexa- tious operating problems involved in the collection of fares in a manner which insuues protection and a sGuare deal to both the conductor and, the company whose cash he handles. Nickels only are to be inserted into the register. and the passenger him. self must do the inserting. When the passenger lacks a nickel and tenders another coin or bill, the conductor always returns full change. The pas senger then inserts the nickel or nickels. depending on the number of fares he wishes to pay. The occa- sional passenger rendering five pen uies will be handed a nickel in ex- change for insertion. Transfers will be issued and accepted, as usual, but without registration
 The new register Is not a box or a contatner of any kind. It does not hold the money. It fits comfortably into the conductors hand and draws the nickel seemingly from the pas senEers fingers and passes the coin 10 the conductor after having made the instantaneous audit
 In further explaining the new sys- tenn a local official of the company stated:
 We are not making this change be- cause of any sweeping suspicion as to the honesty of our men. Nothing of the kind The new method is not a reflection on the men. It is a pro- tection to them
 Our conductors care for hundreds of cash transactions every day. They receive cash along with transfers and various sorts of paper fares of differ ent values, and at times it is almost impossible, in view Of frequent in terruptions, for any man always to remember the number and sort of fares which he receives and must later on chaSsify and register. With the best of intentions the honest con- cuctor makes mistakes, which are frequently interpreted by some pas senger, and unfairly reported against him.
 This new system protects the con ductor, has been endorsed by the na- tonal executive officers Of the Car mems union, and our men will not be slow in approaching its merits. If they can use this system in several of the larger cities of the country, there is no reason why we should not be successful in using a more up-to-date system in this vicinity. We hope the public will have the exact fare ready as often as possible"
 Both the Westerly and New Lon don divisions of the Shore Line sys- tem were equipped with these regis ters for all their cars several weeks ago. It Is stated that the Watch Hill and Ocean Beach crowds are now be- ing handled with good speed.