“UNRULY SCENES”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 26 June 1943, Page 5

“UNRULY SCENES”

RACE TAXI TRAFFIC CROWDS STORM THE CABS Auckland, June 25. Some of the conditions leading to the Auckland Taxicab Control Committee’s recent direction banning public taxicabs from carrying passengers to or from racing or trotting meetings were reported to the City Council by the chairman of its Public Safety Committee, Mr H. J. Butcher. “I visited the Waverley taxi-stand, which is the assembly place for the loading of race cabs, on sth June,” stated the report, “and I witnessed one of the most unruly and disgraceful scenes that could happen on a public thoroughfare. The crowds stormed the cabs out in the roadway as they approached, wrenching open the doors before the cabs had stopped, and the men and women were fighting and pushing each other to obtain a seat. Two traffic officers did their best to control the crowds, but it was impossible for them to do so. I was surprised that no one was seriously injured.” Mr Butcher said that a number of individual cabs were timed on the return trip between the city and Ellerslie racecoure on sth and 7th June and the tallies ranged from 19 minutes to 24| minutes for the trip. The committee recommended that the stand be removed to a point in Commerce street near the bus trminal and that the two taxicab organisations be notified that the council would take steps to ‘cancel the licences of drivers convicted of speeding to and from racecourses. The council adopted the recommendations notwithstanding the action which the control committee had taken.