“PIRATING” ALLEGED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19024, 26 May 1936, Page 11

“PIRATING” ALLEGED

WHATATUTU TAXI OWNER FINE OF £5 AND COSTS f ... . LOWER FARES THAN BUS A Whatatutu taxi proprietor, Edward James Cahill, was fined £5 and costs £3 17s 6d by Air. E. L, Walton, 8.M., yesterday on a charge of charging separate taies, it being alleged that the defendant was running regularly to town at lower fares than the bus and a quarter of an hour ahead of it.

Air. E. If. Barrett, chief traffic inspector for the Transport Department, described the case as one of pirating, after Cahill had sold his. bus business to the present operator on that routeMr. J. S. Wauchop appeared for the defendant, who was proceeded againston two charges. Alahaki Brown, Piilia, said he travelled with the defendant to Gisborne on April 28. He did not pay a fare, and did not intend to pay. Witness intended travelling by train, but was picked up on the road by the defendant. He told the inspector that he had travelled with Cahill, who charged a reasonable thing, and if witness paid anything it would bo the train fare, 3s lid. This was what the defendant charged with his bus service previously. After other questions of what transpired between the inspector and witness, Mr. Barrett- said it was useless proceeding further with the witness, whose version was different from what he liad told the inspector. William Henry Scott, main highways traffic inspector, said that the defendant came to town regularly six or seven times a week. He arrived at a regular time in the morning, but had no fixed time of going out. He picked up his passengers at the British Empire Hotel beside the has stop. ' George Nikora said he travelled with Cahill on May 2, there being a total of six passengers. The fare was supposed to he 8s each, and - he paid that fare. Witness rode with Cahill about once a' month. Cahill usually arrived in town before the bus. To Mr. Wauchop, witness said that he had arranged for the taxi. Each was to pay 8s; he paid his amount, but did not collect anything from the others, Mr. Barrett said that Cahill sold out. his business to Gray, and had since been pirating oil Gray by running a separate service and also charging lower fares. Air. Wauchop said there was no doubt that there was a breach of the Act. Until he had heard tho last witness evidence, he believed that the service had been carried on as many believed it could be carried on by one man engaging the car. He did not- believe the facts were as bad as. Mr. Barrett maintained: there was no intention to pirate on the service.