LAW DEFIED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22892, 22 November 1937, Page 12

LAW DEFIED

TAXI-DRIVERS' ACTION

Trips without licence

TOURISTS TAKEN TO ROTORUA

REFUSED TEMPORARY PERMITS Working under contract for the International Tourist Bureau, 10 taxidrivers decided to defy the Government regulation that without a temporal tourist car licence they may not carry passengers beyond a distance of 75 miles from the city, and on .Friday and Saturday took passengers from the cruise ship Strathmore'on trips to' Rot or tut. These ta'xi-drivers, : who visited the Licensing - Authority in' company with Mr. Ai It; de- Balfour, manager of the bureau,/ were refused temporary licences on the grounds that-licensed: cars were available*, and it. is .stated that their action in defying the regulations is in order to test'the position in the Courts. Several ' other taxi-drivers, taking their lead from the drivers under contract to- the International Tourist 'Bureau*,"also : took Strathmore passengers to Rotorua, although they do not possess temporary touring licences. Mr. do.Balfour stated that the International .Tourist Bureau had 50 tourists to deal;with,,all, but three being booked in tho "Australian. .office. His rates included , the ' same, accommodation ' and care of'the tourist at Rotorua'that the Tourist .Department provided. . Statements .in Circular

' It was also mentioned by Mr. de Bal,l four that an unsigned circular was supplied to every passenger in the Strathj more which stated that all passenger > fares in New* Zealand wero fixed by - regulation, and that all tours operated b.v the : ''official organisation, tho New Zealand "Government Travel Bureau," • were based on regulation fares. Tho • circular also warned passengers against 1. any tours which purported to bo ' identical with the official tours, but • which.were quoted at any lower rate. Mr. J. IV. Clarke, district manager I of the Tourist Department in Auckland, said that when the deputation headed I by Mr. de Balfour waited on the licensI irig authority, tho position was that ! there were then nine licensed motor | vehicles available. { , No Departmental Monopoly V. There was no monopoly by the •f" Department over any of the I -'licensed vehicles, said Mr. Clarke. Tho t vTourist Department did not issue r --licences, and merely obeyed the regula- ' •V-'tions of the Department of Transport. As for the circular mentioned by Mr. t de Balfour, Mr. Clarke said he personally ! had' not seen it. but from its reported | wording it doubtless had been prepared i by a. tourist officer who had connected ! with the Strathmore in Australia. » Tho officer of the Tourist Department J who travelled in the Strathmore from i ——Australia said that an advantage with .tourist cars was that the drivers were "engaged on the work continuously and ... speaking wero better acquainted with tho route and the points • of interest. OBJECTION TO CIRCULAR TAXI COMPANIES' VIEWS Exception to statements made in a circular issued to passengers of the Strathmore and attributed to the Tourist Department is taken by the Atta "Did Checker taxi organisations and is to form the subject of a meeting to-day by members of the -two ' companies. Taxi-drivers express resentment at any suggestion that they or their vehicles, are- unsuitable for /totorist' work. It is denied that either of the companies has defied the regulations in "talcing parties to Rotorpa/ although individual member^ap^ng.. <sh "their own initiative, begrievance, 'hottv ' "louring . cars ' are ', often : Aa'ckland from the Toilga r lriiH, : for example, when cruise ships VT&ftrthe port, thus excluding city taxis from participation in tho trips, further, • it was stated last night, the.department often used touring-licensed cars .to .convey passengers from their ( sliip tp. hotels, although properly this work came within the 6phere of the city taxis.