BEHIND THE TIMES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15982, 16 July 1912, Page 4

BEHIND THE TIMES.

REGULATION OF CAB SERVICES.

BY-LAWS REQUIRE REVISION.

CASE FOR THE TAXI-CAB

Christchurch is distinguished by very up-to-date cab services and very out-of-date by-laws regulating them. An inquirer who set out yesterday to ascertain why imposition by cabmen should be possible in this year of grace discovered first that the by-law governing cabmen is away behind the times, and that the most important portion of it,’ which provides that the table of fares shall be conspicuously posted in every cab, is not insisted on by the city inspectors. Cho cabman who demands extortionate fares does so, generally, as if he were asking the irroduciblo minimum. He makes his unwarranted demands because the passenger has no ready means >f ascertaining what is the right fare. Honce the by-law provides:— The drivor of every hackney carriage shall exhibit in a conspicuous place in such carriage, to be approved of by the inspector, a, schedule of Tares for the timo being in force, and the Council shall print and supply such schedule at a price not exceed-

ing sixpence a copj, • The reporter asked a city inspector why the by-law was more honoured in tho breach than the observance and he replied that the cabmen kept the schedule under the cab sent and pioduccd it on demand. The by-law had fallen into desuetudo because passengers defaced the printed schedule The very unsatisfactory explanation was tendered that glass-covered frames and “ everything ” had been tried without effect and the evident conclusion was that the cabmen had scored a very easy victory over a useful bytable of fares which the cabman so carefully preserves from defacement is. as follows:-

FARES BY DISTANCE. s. d

1 “ From the railway station for any distance not exceeding () one mile • • ' For subsequent half mile or f , 2. “ From any other place within the city— , ... . (1) To any other place within the samo ward . • - 1 (2) For any distance no., exceeding half ft mil© outsid© the boundary of the same ward an additional fare of <> (3) For every additional had mile or loss beyond the first half mile from the boundary of the same ward an additioual fare of . . 3. “When any passenger shall not bo set down in the ward in which the hiring took place one-half of the above fares may he charged as back faro for any distance exceed ing one mil© from the nearest boundary of the ward in which the hiring took place. 4 “ For a hackney carnage hired to take up a passenger • at any distance— . . (11 Exceeding twenty chains and not exceeding half .a mile from place of hiring in addition to the ordinary fare (2) Exceeding half a mile from ( plaoo of hiring for every half mile or part thereof in addition to the ordinary fare 0 5 “ For detention after com - mencement of the journey, for every completed fifteei minutes • • * ’ 6 “Tn case of a hackney carringe licensed to carry more than two passengers, when tlio hiring is by distance, onehalf extra may be charged in respect of such adult m excess of two carried. The fares hv time ave strongly objected to by taxicab proprietors, who bluntly refuse to observe them They provide for a rate of 4s an hour. in taxi-cab drivers argue that at this rate a passenger could go to Iva.anoi and back for 4s. It is fair to say that the City Council has not attempted to put tho time rate into effect, but for a that it- is a part of the schedule, an all cabmen refuse to “ post it conspicu°'Discussing the time rato >'. cst ~ d Y’ Mr A. W. Smith, of Smith's Taxis, Ltd., remarked that the ruling rate was 12s fid an hour, and below that the taxi-cabs could not run, as it meant a fare of about 8d a mile. , “Taxi-meters,” Mr Smith said, are impossible in Christchurch. They are all right in London, where the driver on dropping a faro always find himself near another cabstand, hut m Christchurch the back fare cannot be computed on a meter. Mr fern it. explained that meters were all very well inside the bolts, where they registered the correct faro, but if a car were taken, say, to Opawa, it would re S three miles, or three shillings, and could take no account of the half rate charged for coming back. There were other reasons against the use of th taxi-meter, one being that theie were m£« ’to*»' single, return .P 1C £ special for each of which there was a special rate that could not bo computed on a rn< “ Ynu mav take it from me, ho '' i fe‘tSr,v o srsh»”w 1., coma a meter that w t the fares a oar had gone > *n hnTO to trust amounted to. Ju v n w protect the the drivers and it w mild P sengers , f owners equally wit a{](jptecl > a practical meter c jj r Smith llerrarding penalty said that his rlnv penny above of dismissal far "gP ’had recently 1 «« km' [Tt, driver, for the prosecuted one or offence. .* r a- Holland) was sc n n , T ''° V that. the during W as considering By-laws Commit*® g fixfld for amendments of , , report to the P ,r iS' , wrodit. Council a , . xho Council s reg'f • recommendation . in k carriages ] nfc ,°„s deMt yth motor-cabs, or. ply Tif P y were commonly called, taxias they , that designation, as f ' a n\n bans rn cabs. Thete were two V T of charges one bv distance and olaSS bv time Details of chargee were 011 ui;abed hv the Council, but he might Fn'v’te regard to nivht charges that lndf farc/cxtra could ho charged tween 0 p.m. and 11 p.m. and double between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.