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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19582, 11 September 1925, Page 5

TAXI CHARGES AND THE EXHIBITION. TO THE EDITOB. Sir,— The letter of Mr W. O. Kempthome in your issue of Tuesday last calls for a reply from me. Mr Kempthome states that there has not been any increase of fares for the Exhibition, and, indeed, that there has not been any increase of taxi fares at all, but that during the past three years there have been two reductions —the last one amounting to 15 per cent. At last evening's meeting of the City Council, Cr Sincock endorsed the first of these statements. Mr Kempthome says that the new scale of charges as applied to the suburbs is really the present one, with a charge of 4s additional from the centre of the city to the Exhibition Ho then gives as an example how these charges affect residents of Mornington. Had ho taken Caversham ns an example, it would have shown a terminal charge of os instead of 4s. I could, if necessary, give other instances where the effect would be the same. Mr Kempthome has nothing to say as to this terminal charge of 4s, but I think it is here that the sting lies of which I have mostly complained of in my former letters. When the new highway is open for traffic it may be taken for granted that all taxi cabs plying between the centre of the city and the Exhibition will make use of it. The distance from the Exhibition to tbe Railway Station is 4200 ft and from thence to Cargill’s Monument 2100 ft. Such being the case, I think it would bo a reasonable compromise to call the distance between any of the city taxi stands and the Exhibition one mile, for which, according to the present scale of Is 3d per mile, both ways, the fare would be 2s 6d, and not 4s, as the new scale allows. Both Mr Kempthome and Cr Sincock maintain, however, that there is no increase of charges, but the latter at last night’s meeting of the City Council said also that the idea was to fix the taxi charges so high that the larger part of the public would have to use the corporation's motor buses and trams instead of using taxi cars. As to two reductions which Mr Kempthorne says have taken place during he past three years, will he state how long ago it is since the fares by mileage were raised from Is o Is 3d per mile, when luggage was allowed to bo charged for, and when Is extra to the then charges for certain hill suburbs was allowed? Tlso will Mr Kempthome give (he fares that will be chargeable by the new highway from the Railway Station to the foot of Albany street and to Logan’s Point quarry? Before writing any of ray previous letters I was aware when the surcharge on taxi faros took place, and I did not think writing to the town dork was the best means of obtaining the information I wanted. My anonymity does not affect the matter at issue. — I am, etc.. Moderation*.