TAXI LICENSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 106, 7 May 1931, Page 19

TAXI LICENSES.

As "one who daily comes into contact with many of Auckland taxi drivers, I think it is a pity tha|; one or two should be guilty of enticing girls astray and thereby causing a slur to be cast Upon a fine 'body of men, especially at a time when they are feeling the effects of the present depression as, perhaps, no others are. A man who has the courage 'o sink a life's savings in a motor car and enter into competition with a body like the Auckland Transport Board deserves respect. At present the taxi business is at low ebb, and a driver who nas invested £500 in a car often finds after 14 or 16 hours that his return amounts to only a few shillings. Taxi drivers consider that the Auckland City Council has granted too many licenses and now there is not enough york to go round and they all are finding it hard to make both ends meet. Further, insufficient ranks have been allotted to cope with the number of taxis and drivers are forced to travel from °ne rank to another looking for a place to park, which means money already earned being eaten up in expenses. Under these circumstances some unscrupulous drivers will resort to anything 'n order to get a return for their outlay °f capital and labour. Their association is aware that one or two drivers nave solicited Chinese custom by very Unsavoury methods, and if these creatures could be identified they would get a warnj reception from the other members. It would welcome any measure adopted by the traffic department to force these undesirables to seek another ®eans of earning a livelihood. One prominent taxi driver wonders why the government does not make provision for these young women, similar to the unemployed scheme for men. S. R. HALE.