TAXI-STANDS TO BE REALLOCATED

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 154, 26 March 1938, Page 13

TAXI-STANDS TO BE REALLOCATED

Spaces For Co-operative Association COMPANIES EXPRESS OPPOSITION The Wellington City Council, at a special meeting at noon yesterday, decided to reallocate taxi stands m accordance with -recommendations made by’ the chief traffic inspector. Taxi companies at present operating lose 50 of their 105 stand spaces, 33 of which, with 12 additional spaces, are allocated to the newly-formed Wellington Co-operative Taxi Owner-Drivers Association. Seventeen existing spaces are not reallocated. The chief traffic inspector is authorised to allocate further stand if necessary, subject to confirmation by the council. The decision was made in the recommendation of the by-laws committee, after representatives of the new association and the existing companies had been heard. The new stands set apart for the association are: Cambridge Terrace, east side opposite Alpha Street, 3 spaces, Mercer Street, south side, 2 spaces; Lambton Quay, outside Government Printing Office, 4 spaces; Dixon Street, aorth side, outside Macduff’s, 3 spaces. The stand spaces of the existing companies are reduced as follows: Black and White, from 41 to 23; Green Cab, 15 to 9; Grey Cab, 31 to 17; Diamond Cab, 10 to 4 ; K.K.K., 6 to nil, Aero Cab, 2 (unaltered). (The K.K.K. Company is now incorporated in the new association.) Companies’ Opposition. At the opening of the council meeting the mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, read a letter from the existing companies objecting to the proposed reallocation. “We submit that, to preserve equity the companies should be allowed to occupy their present stands,” they stated. “We are not opposed to the creation of new stands, or spaces at or near the existing ones now held, but we urge that no company should be deprived of any stand it has operated, as by doing so the costly goodwill so created will be at once destroyed.”

The companies went on to say that ata meeting of taxi organisations, held in the new association’s office at the request of the traffic department, a resolution had been passed, the intention of which, they contended was: “That as the Wellington City Council licenses 183 taxi-cabs in this city, it should endeavour to provide stands equivalent to the number so licensed, without altering any of the existing stands, or the present occupiers, and as the number of stands so provided is 123, the council be earnestly recommended to provide CO extra stands, thus providing one taxi-cab space for each taxi-cab licensed.”

The mayor then read a reply from the new association in which it was contended that the resolution referred to by the companies did not contain the words, “without altering any of the existing stands or the present occupiers.” Association’s Aims.

I The association, it was stated, represented a movement among taxi proprietors to/run and operate the business on a co-operative basis and at the same time to introduce improved conditions desired by the Minister of Transport. The object in this respect was to make it possible to have fixed hours and wages, with the work allotted evenly among those engaged in the taxi business. The association was not a new company in the sense that it was bringing additional operatives into the business or an Invasion from an outside source. The 70 owner-drivers, who had undertaken to operate with the association, had up to the present been members of other companies operating in Wellington and bad worked from the stands allotted by the council. It was submitted, therefore, •that tney had a share in the goodwill of the stands, and should not be required to build up their individual connection from entirely new stands. Cr. TVI- M. F. Luckie, chairman of the by-laws committee, said it was contrary to fact for the companies to suggest that they were relying on the assumption that they were going to retain their existing stands, the council had given notice months ago that it intended to cancel the stands for reallocation.

“The companies complained that they are credited with retaining stands, which are not in fact stands, but merely telephone boxes in the suburbs,” said the mayor. “They contend that when this is considered it will be seen that they are deprived of an unfair number of city stands.” Cr. Luckie: The suburban stands were applied for by the companies and allocated to them, and they alone have the right to use them. Representative Heard.

On the' suggestion of the mayor it was decided to hear the representatives of the parties, who were present. Mr. R. W. McVilly, manager of Black and White Cabs, spoke on behalf of the companies. “We have no objection to the new association —we are very glad to welcome it —but what we do say is that the stands which have been held by the companies for four to 12 years should not be taken away from them,” he said. “If this is done it means, in effect, that the cream of the companies’ business, built up through a long period, is going to be taken away and given to the new association. The position as we see it is that the allocation is not a fair one; it will not stand a moment’s close investigation.” After analysing and showing the effect of the proposed reallocation, Mr. McVilly asked: “Why all this paternal care for the new association? Each of the existing companies had to go and select sites for itself, and all they ask is to be left alone to work out their own salvation. . . .” “I am fighting for the men in the four existing companies, who have been there for years and want to remain there; if this reallocation is made they will be coerced into going to the new association, where I doubt ® whether they will be so well off,” Mr. McVilly concluded. Owner-Drivers. Mr. V. J. Rech, chairman of directors of the Co-operative Association, spoke for that organisation. The association, he said, had 70 owner-driver members. They were the men who carried the depreciation of the trade and they were entitled to the stands. The companies were letting out the stands, which were public property, at a weekly levy, according to their positional value. “The question is, Are the licensees of taxis to have the stands or are the farmers of the licensees to have them?” said Cr. P. Butler. Tribute up to 35/a week was levied by the companies on the owner-drivers for telephone services and the use of stands, which belonged to the city, he said. Some of the companies did not own one taxi. “This is not an invasion by an extra

taxi company coming in from outside and wanting to take the existing stands; it is an association of present owner-drivers who believe that they can conduct their own business,” said Cr. A. Parlane. “It is a question whether it is fair to take away the stands from these companies who have built up the goodwill,” said Cr. R. A. Wright, M.P., urging that the position should be met by the creation of new stands. Amendment Lost. “The new association may be an excellent idea, but it seems to me that too many of'the central city stands are being taken away from the companies,” said the mayor. He considered that the question was purely one of how many taxis the respective parties were operating. lie moved as an amendment that representatives of the parties confer with the chief traffic inspector and report to the by-laws committee, which could then make further recommendations to the council. The amendment was lost and the recommendations were adopted.