GREY TAXI SERVICE

Grey River Argus, 16 August 1944, Page 4

GREY TAXI SERVICE

PROGRESS LEAGUE'S CRITICISM The taxi service at Greymouth again came in for severe criticism at a meeting of the Council of the Westland District Progress League last evening. This arose out of a recommendation by the Transport and Communications Committee that the constitution of the Taxi Control Committee be altered to allow two representatives of the citizens and the Traffic Inspector to hold seats. The committee at present is comprised of three taxi proorietors, and it was stated that it was on that committee’s recommendation that three applications for taxi licenses by rehabilitated men had been turned dowp by the Licensing Authority. It was pointed out that’ there were ten taxis on single shift and three on double, being being allowed 1570 gallons of petrol a month. Mr W. R. Millier remarked that on a basis of 20 miles to a gallon this meant that a quarter of a million miles a year was travelled. There no control of taxis after 11 p.m. or till 9 a.m. though a new central telephone system had been installed during the remaining hours, said Mr M. R. Aldridge, who stated that the general practice seemed to be for the taxis to go “all out” at the beginning of the month, and then take a week off. They were not supposed to attend sports meetings, dances or other entertainments. “You’re telling me!” interjected a member.

Mr J. Saunders, suggesting that the petrol allowance for local taxis should be larger than in metropolitan areas like Christchurch, pointed out that here there was no tramway or bus service, and Christchurch did not have rain like the West Coast. Mr F. W. Canter, asking if anything could be done in. order to get priority in requests for taxis, told how one day he had sent a call for a car for a patient who definitely required one, and had to wait for an hour and ten minutes. All that time he could see cabs pulling up at “pubs” and other places. “After all,” he added, “if a person has to be taken home from a. pub in a - taxi, he certainly doesn’t care whether he got home then or at midnight.” Mr J. B. Bluett raised the question of how maternity cases could be served after 11 n.m., or when the taxis had run out of petrol at the end of the month.

Mr Saun jet's replied that taxis would come out for an urgent case, but the “boys had got wise” to this and stated that the case was urgent. “Certainly there is often a body to be picked up,” continued Mr Saunders, “but it is a dead-drunk.” A suggestion that the control committee or a representative of it attend the Council’s next meeting in order to clarify the position met with little support, and the recommendation as originally presented w.as carried.