IA IT TOO RIGID?

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 110, 11 May 1943, Page 5

IA IT TOO RIGID?

NEW TAXI CONTROL

RESERVE FLEET SUGGESTED

The hearing of 175' appeals by Auckland taximen against the ;directidhs ■of the } Taxicab Control Committee ■ Avas continued -yesterdayafternoon before the Metropolitan Lice'rising Authority,; and . further evidence was given' this afternoon. The hearing is expected to conclude this evening. • ■...-.■

The appellants are owners or owner-drivers of taxis,, and the majority are appealing against the whole of the committee's directions. "Mr. F. Haigh, representing 23 appellants,: yesterday said it was essential ' that any scheme the authority decided .upon should have the support of the operators. .The scheme drawn up by the Taxicab Control Committee would be unsatisfactory from any point of view. The appellants he represented favoured both the present telephone systems being ■ retained, but objected to rostering. To roster 150 cars would mean disaster to the public. His clients supported the setting aside of a reserve of 30 cars, with compulsory clocking in of all other cars. Such a reserve would bridge any. gap that • might arise. The proposed roster of the Control Committee "would give rise to difficulties, and in the matter of petrol each operator would have 3i gallons a day. The amount would possibly be used very quickly, but the operator would still have to remain on duty during the whole period of eight hours. Wasteful ami Uneconomic Because of the insufficient petrol allowance, the roster system must break down, said Mr. Haigh. It was a wasteful and uneconomic system, and the public would get less service than at present because of dead mileage, and the earnings of operators would be reduced. Finally Mr. Haigh suggested that the Authority should modify the directions by reverting to the twotelephone system, and by providing for a reserve of 30 cars in conjunction with compulsory clocking in. Irritating Conditions Mr: -Goldstine, appearing for a number of appellants, said the proposed control system imposed certain 1 irrelevant and irritating conditions upon the operators, and he submitted there was no necessity for the control as proposed to be exercised by the. .control committee. It was an .important principle that the taxi-meri. were entitled -to operate and control their own • The directions -were deliberately, designed to allow the committee to operate the service as though they owned ;t. The directions should be limited to provide that the control committee was required only to define the policy to be followed by the industry in its administration of the service. To fix rigid rules for a flexible service was to attempt to apply a condition foreign to its nature and was foredoomed to failure.