The National Register.
London, England, 1814-09-04 00:00:00

HACKNEY COACH ACT.

SEPT. 4.

By the Act of Parliament passed the 28th of July last, the
new regulations for hackney coaches were to be in full force
after Sunday last; but we now hear that the hackney coach
drivers excuse themselves by saying, that it is not the inten.
lion of the Commissioners for licensing hackney coaches to
carry the Act into effect. How far this may be collect, we
cannot tell; but how are the Commissioners to set aside a
positive Act of Pal liament, or defer its operation ?
The first clause in the Act provides, that every hackney-
coach driver shall be provided with a sufficient number of
Notes or Tickets, bearing his Majesty's arms, the number of
his coach. the name and residence of the prow ietor and
dri-
ver ; and that on some of these Notes or Tickets shall also be
printed in words or figures '• One Shilling ;" and on others,
the words or figures " One Shilling and Sixpence."
The second clause k important. It is as follows:—" And
be it further enacted, that &lure any driver (whether he be
the owner or not) of any such licensed hackney cu ch shall
he entit/cd to receive or be paid the amount of his fare on
any occasion of his coach being hired, he shall &liver, she-
r tha same be required or not, to the person (or if there
shall be more than one in company, then to one of such
whom he shall have driven in his coach, so many of such
notes or tickets, so properly filed up, as shall, or may, by
the stuns printed thereon, make up the aggregate and full
amount of such his fare."

The. third clause provides that no person shall be entitled
to any redress, or be heard before any Commissioner or Ma-
gistrate against any driver, whether for over charge or for
misbehaviour, unless he produce some one or more of the
aforesaid notes or tickets which he shall have received, or
might and ought to have received by virtue of this Act.
The bill further enacts, that on complaint or information,
the number of the coach on such tickets may be received,
where the evidence as to the number of the coach may he
otherwise defective, as auxiliary and corroborative, but as
indisputable and conclusive evidence of identity. The
Commissioners are to appoint a printer of these notes,
which nobody else is to print under the penalty of 3001.
Tne forgery of such tickets by any owner or driver is liable
to a penalty of 501. and imprisonment for not longer than
12, nor less than 6 months. These are other provisions and
penalties for the security of the proprietors against the frauds
of the drivers. The number of persons to be carried in a
hackney coach is limited to four adults or grown up, (and
not being children in arms or lap) and a servant outside; but
if the driver should agree to carry more, he may for every
such person demand (not being a child in arms or lap) one
shilling on the fare.
Every driver of the hackney chariots, which may be li-
censed to the number of 200, may refuse to carry more than
two adults within, and one servant without. The whole num-
ber of licensed coaches and chariots is nut, however, to ex-
ceed 1100.

The lateness of the harvest has, in most districts, occasioned the
commencement of Partridge Shooting to be deb rruil till the 13th of
this month; in the mean time your true Sportsmen are supplying
themselves with the means of doing great execution ; they have al.
ready taken reconnoitering surveys, and all seem to agree that the
best sport may be expected at PIDDING's Pieserre,
Coveys are marked down there, and he never denies a Friend the
privilege of Sporting, as the larl..!est
if they have a qualification. TUESDAY, there-
fore, the 13th instant, will be memorable, tint only for the Birds
that are killed, but the pockets to be filled, by I'IDDING's Lottery
Pilau to be drawn on that day !

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