THE CABMEN'S APPEAL.

Press, Volume XVIII, Issue 2668, 17 November 1871, Page 3

THE CABMEN'S APPEAL.

to the editor op the press. Sir,—ln your issue of the 31st ult., in the report of our Christchurch City Council, I observed the following paragraph :— "A letter was read from seventeen cab pro* prietors of Christchurch, calling tbe attention of the Council to two glaring inconsistencies, with a view to an alteration, as both instances affected them considerably, and were exceedingly detrimental to their interests:—l. Ordinnry carriers were licensed to carry goods, whereas they were constantly allowed to carry passengers, and thus rob them of their legitimate fares. The carrying of a hat box or some trivial article of luggage along with the passengers appeared to absolve them from the charge of breaking the law. 2. Busses were allowed short transfers, and when any gala day came on the injustice of that was at once apparent, and they would suggest that the period of the transfer should be extended to at least & month. " The Town Clerk was instructed to reply that the Council did not see their way to take any action in the matter." Now, Sir, it appears to mc that there is some reason in the cabmen's protest; and the indefinite answer given by the Council to their appeal, evidently shows that they aro not unacquainted with the injustice of the byelaw, although perhaps they do not like to rescind it. Let mc suppose a case. If I want to catch say the half-past ten train to Port, in order that I may be in time for a steamer which is certain to sail at 12 noon, and J meet a cabman and tell him to go to the Clarendon Hotel for my luggage, and ask him to call for mc at the Union Bank of Australia and pick mc up, if he does so, and conveys my portmanteau or hat box or whatever it may be, from the Clarendon to the Union Bank, unless I am in the cab myself, he is liable to a fine of not less than 10s; although if I place a brick or a bundle of stones in a luggage van, the driver can tako mc anywhere he likes, and charge for it. Now, sir, I think if the Council come to consider the matter in the proper light, if they will only look at tbe outlay ncceessary to maintain and keep iv repair say a hansom cab and its necessary adjuncts, and compare that outlay with the outlay required for maintaining a luggage cart, I think they cannot fail to see the force of the argument used by the cabmen. I have no wish to cast any aspersions ou our City Councillors ; far from it, but I wish them to enquire into and examine iv all its phases a matter which I think deals hardly with a class of men who have been and aro at a considerable expense to accommodate the public. I can quite understand that a sufficient check should be kept upon cabmen; I can easily see that if such were not the case, an evil might accrue, but in my humble opinion the bye-law 1 refer to which prohibits the driver of a Cab from carrying luggage for say five yards without the owner of the luggage being with it, is simply absnrd, and ought not to be tolerated for one moment iv any civilised community. This is a matter which ought to be decided by our Resident Magistrate, than whom we could not get a better judge; let him decide the point, and if in his opinion the bye-law is an injustice to the cab proprietors df Christchurch, then let him ask tbe City Council to rescind it, and put an end to those everlasting disputes between the cabmen and the drivers of the luggage vans which so constantly take place, and which cause an endless amount of litigation, and must be a source of unmitigated annoyance to the Resident Magistrate, the police, and the public. I hope that you will have the goodness to insert this letter, as I think the subject is one which should bo tborougbly ventilated, and is of sufficient importance to the public to warrant its insertion in your columns, I am totally without bias one way or the other, but I cannot see a matter passed over by tho Council ia such a cursory manner, without endeavoring to call the attention of the publio to tho fact. Your obedient servant, oh%> Stages,