PURPOSE: To prevent time loss due to different sizes of packages by sensing the revolving speed of a drum, which causes frictional rotation of a package, by a revolving speed sensor, and starting splicing with a splicer when the sensed revolving speed has sunk below a certain value.

CONSTITUTION: A rotary gear type tachometer consisting of a magnetic substance gear 20a and a magnetic type approach sensor 20b is mounted on the rotary shaft of a winding drum 13, and the actual speed obtained by this revolving speed sensor 20, i.e. the induction voltage of the sensor 20b, is compared with the set value 22 at a comparator 21. This set value shall be a low-speed revolution value near the revolving speed being zero so that the following splicing action partially overlaps on time axis to an extent which does not present any obstacle to the actual splicing action. That is, the starting point of the splicing action by a splicer 2 is decided depending upon whether the revolving speed of the drum 13 has sunk to the specified value at which there is no problem for starting splicing, that should nullify such a standby time likely in any conventional arrangement that splicing action can not be started even though the drum 13 is actually at a standstill.