TAXICAB FARES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15236, 25 February 1913, Page 8

TAXICAB FARES.

} THE SCALE OF CHARGES. OWNERS WANT REVISION. A revision of the taxicab charges fixed by the city by-laws "Was urged by a deputation of taxicab owners and drivers which waited upon the Finance Committee of the City Council yesterday morning. The members of the Finance Committee present wore the Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr), Messrs. A. J. Entrican (chairman), Qj Knight, Brook, Scarborough, and Maxwell. Messrs. Berry, Spindley, Little, Casey, and Faithful were the members of the deputation.

Mr. Berry, -who acted as spokesman for the deputation, said that it was felt that the scale of chargee—one shilling per mile or 12s 6d per hour—fixed by the council, was too low. The taxicab proprietors asked that the following scale should be fixed:— (1) That the minimum faro be 2s 6d; (2) that the charge per mile be Is for one or two passengers, Is 6d for three or four, and 2s per mile for five; (3) race day engagements, 20s each way

In response to a question by the Mayor as to whether any member of the deputation could tell of any city in New Zealand or Australia where the minimum charge was fixed as high as 2s 6d, Mr. Little said that a minimum of Is was, altogether too low. His oars cost lOd per mile to run. According to other members of the deputation 8d per mile was about a fair average of the running cost. After the members of the deputation had conferred among themselves they substituted two shillings as the minimum. The Mayor considered a request put forward by the deputation that the council's scale should provide for a charge of sixpence for every five minutes that a customer kept a car waiting, was a reasonable one

After the Finance Committee had fully considered the proposals for the amendment of the scale of charges, the deputation was asked to formally submit full details of the amendments they desired in the regulation charges. Mr. Entrican intimated to the deputation that the council would probably require the taxicabs to be provided with taximeters. The taxicab proprietors said "the introduction of taximeters was regarded by them as unsatisfactory. To this Mr. Entrican replied that the system worked well in Wellington, Christchurch, Sydney, and other places where taximeters were obligatory. The meeting was adjourned to give the deputation an opportunity of formulating a definite statement of its requirements.