TAXIS FOR RACES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 80, 5 April 1943, Page 4

TAXIS FOR RACES

LICENSES GRANTED

ACTION BY AUTHORITY "It is only a waste of time and making a farce of the proceedings in calling men to give evidence," declared Mr. R. Armstrong at a meeting of the Metropolitan Licensing Authority this morning, when applications for continuous passenger service licenses to and from racecourses on race days at separate fares were under consideration. Mr. Armstrong maintained that the authority had to grant the licenses because it had no option. The question was one for the Government to decide. Race meetings had to be abandoned before the authority could prevent anyone from holding a license. The chairman, Mr. J. Sayegh, said he agreed with Mr. Armstrong's remarks, but objections had been raised to the granting of the licenses, and the authority must hear evidence in support of the applications. After the hearing of evidence called by Mr. F. I. Drumm, of Atta Taxis, Mr. H. J. Butcher, on behalf of the Taxi Control Committee, opposed the granting of the licenses. The matter had been discussed with the Minister of Transport, he said, and the suggestion made that an open license for 30 cabs be granted. The Taxi Control Committee would allocate the cabs to cater for race traffic. Thirty cabs, it was maintained, would be sufficient to cope with the demand. On the motion of Mr. Armstrong, seconded by Mr. A. S. Bailey, all applications for licenses, involving 82 cars, were granted.