A Lesson for Hackney Carriage Drivers.

Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 23, 14 June 1886, Page 2

A Lesson for Hackney Carriage Drivers.

¦' ¦ ¦ ? A cabman named John Lane appeared at the Magistrate's Court this 'morning to answer three informations laid by Mr. A. 6. Johnson, Inspector of Hackney Carriages, charging him— (l) With having demanded I from a passenger a fare in excess of the amount which ,ho was entitled to charge ; (2) with having used abusive language towards a passenger; and (3) with having neglected to keep the necessary scale of fares posted up in .his vehicle. Defendant pleaded -Not Guilty to the first two charges, 'and „ Guilty to the third, Harry B. Kirk' gave evidence that he landed on the wharf from the steamer Botpmfaijunn. af .about's.2p p.m. on the day in question, and enfeag'ed the defendant to drive him to'his residence' in Popk-street. When

he alighted defendant demanded 4s as his fare, and when witness demurred to this amount dofondant claitoed Is for \Tharfage, Is Gd for having driven through tio town, and Is for having, as ho asserted,- gone beyond the city boundary. Witijeßs admitted the justness of the claim to the extent bt 2s,' which he paid, and promised to hand over anything further to which defendant was ontitlod to tho Inspector of Hackney Carriages. Witness demanded to bo shown tho scale of fares chargeable, und defendant refused to do bo, making use of abusive expressions, and threatening to "take it out of witness' head." Alfred G. Johnson, Inspector of Hackney Carriages, deposed that defendant was legally entitled to charge only Cd for each passenger convoyed from tho shore end of the wharf to Vivian-street, and Is for any greater distance not oice»ding ono mile. Tho authorised schodulo' made no provision for charges for coining off tho Queen's Wharf, as thero was no regular cab-stand thero, bnt an extra shilling could bo charged for going down tho wharf , and :is defendant had been obliged to pay tho shilling' wharfago, ho was entitled to olaim it from hid passenger. Tho proper faro to Mr. Kirk's rosidenco should havo been lx M, with tho addition of the wharfage charged. Froqnent complaiutn had been mado ns to Laiio's over-charges, but tho persons aggrieved were mostly ladies, who wore dininclined to come into Court. The Bench inflicted a fino of £\, with 'te coats, for the first offenco ; and 10s, with 9s costs, in the other two cases.