TAXIS AND CRUISE PASSENGERS

Evening Star, Issue 23147, 22 December 1938, Page 3

TAXIS AND CRUISE PASSENGERS

LICENSES NECESSARY IN FUTURE [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, December 21. Reserved decision was given by Mr F. H. Levien, S.jU-, in the Magistrate’s Court on the recent prosecution against four Auckland taxicab drivers charged with carrying passengers from a ship in use chiefly for the transport of tourists on cruising tours to a place outside a radius of 75 miles from Auckland without a license under the Transport Act. The informations were dismissed. The point in dispute was whether the defendants, who picked up carloads of passengers from the Orcades on October 28, charging £l2 a car to go to Arapuni, should have had permits from the Transport Department.

Tho Magistrate said there was no evidence to show that the Orc-ades was used solely as a cruise ship or that the taxis provided a passenger service solely for tourists on the cruise ships. Where the regulation or by-law infringed on the rights of the public to use the King’s highway, he said, it should be made perfectly clear and unequivocal. The ‘ Gazette ’ notice relating to the carriage of passengers from cruise ships woujd really preclude any vehicle, whether carrying such passengers or any others, from carrying them for a distance exceeding 75 miles from the Post Office.

In future all ships carrying passengers to New Zealand will be classed as tourist vessels and it will be necessary for taxidrivers intending to carry passengers for long distances from the city on sightseeing tours to obtain special licenses from the 'Transport Department. Advice to this effect was received to-dav by the No. 1 Licensing Authority, Mr E. J. Phelan, from the Minister of Transport (Mr Semple). “ A ‘ Gazette ’ notice is to be issued to clarify tho position and to correct the present fault in the regulations affecting the matter,” said Mr Phelan. “ We do not wish to be prosecuting taxidrivers who have seen fit in the past to take the law into their own hands. They must understand that they will be covered by regulations in future and must obtain licenses to operate beyond the city limits.”

It was also pointed out that the regulation would operate immediately in order to cover the arrival of the three cruise ships at Auckland within the next 10 days.