ILLEGAL TAXIS.

Auckland Star, Issue 17, 21 January 1932, Page 10

ILLEGAL TAXIS.

COMPETING WiTH RAILWAYS. WELLINGTON-PETONE SERVICE OWNERS FINED £5 EACH. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Five owners of taxi cars and two drivers were convicted in the Magistrate's Court yesterday of running a passenger service in competition with the Railway Department's omnibus service between Wellington and Petotis. The owners were fined £5 each, one driver was convicted and discharged, and the other was convicted and ordered t,. pay costs. The cases came before Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., the defendants being P. J. l'ollas, Jeremiah Morris, Albert Morey, Frederick Neale, and Cyril V. Smith, taxi-owners, and George Malcolm Grant and John Newman, drivers. AU pleaded guilty. Prosecuting counsel said the Department looked upon the breach of the regulations as serious, for the loss of revenue to the Railways Department by the carrying on of the service had been estimated at £200 a week. IV. e defendants had been warned to discontinue their service, but had continued until January 10. The maximum line fo* the offence was £100 and a further penalty of £10 a day for every day on which the unlawful service was earned on. Counsel said he had been instructed to ask for a fairly heavy fine. Albert Morey, speaking for tho other defendants as well as himself, said they had pleaded guilty in order to save Liu* time of the Court. In the first place, lij said, they had been led by the Minister of Transport, the Rt. Hon. .T. G. C'oa l>\-, in believing that they could carry on until March. When they made representations to Mr. Coates in connection with the service ho asked if they would lie satisfied to carry on until their licenses expired on May 31. When they wer<. warned in December to cease their service they again approached Mr. C'oato, who this time said there was no provision for any exemption, and the service would have to cease. On Deeemb-. r 22 they received a letter intimating tha* the service would have to cease after December 24. Mr. Morey pointed out that the owners had issued return tickets to many of their passengers and would require at least 15 days to complete those contracts. They had been led to believe they would be given that time, and the offences had not been committed in defiance of the law. In imposing lines of £.""> each on the owners, the magistrate said he did not think they were in any way justified itcarrying on their service after it was prohibited by the Act. There was a distinction iu the ease of the drivers, who were dealt with as stated.