The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-22 00:00:00

HACKNEY CARRIAGES.

Mr. FITZROY moved for leave to introduce a bill for
the better regulation of hackney carriages in the metopolis,
and briefly stated his reasons for thinking further legisla-
tion on the subject desirable. The great extent of the
metropolis, and the increase of railway traffic, had ren-
dered hackney carriages an indispensable necessity to its
inhabitants, but in no capital of Europe were such carriages
so entirely removed from all efficient control and super-
vision as in London. He thought this state of things arose
principally from the existing system of licensing these
vehicles. No restrictions were imposed upon the number
of licenses issued ; nor was the fitness of the carriages for
the purposes for which they were to be used any part of
the condition upon which the licenses were issued. To a
small extent personal disqualifications existed with regard
to applicants for licenses in the case of convicted thieves
and minors, but these disqualifications were rather nominal
than real. The consequence was, a crowd of vehicles, of
a very inferior description, and with horses that had been
graphically described by our first living novelist as only
kept upon their legs by the rickety vehicles to which they
were attached. (Hear, hear.) It appeared to him (Mr.
Fitzroy) that the shortest way of securing to the inhabi-
tants of this metropolis vehicles in a fit and proper con-
dition for public use would be by entirely altering the
system upon which licenses were issued, and he therefore
proposed to introduce in this bill a provision that every
person desirous of obtaining a license for using, or letting
to hire, a hackney-carriage within the ltmits of the metro-
politan police district; should make his intention known
to the Commissioners of Police, who should thereupon
cause an inspection of the carriage for which he asked
a license, and upon their 'certificate that it was in a fit
and proper condition for public use he should obtain a
license from the Board of Inland Revenue. Power
would also be given to the Commissioners of Police from
time to time to cause a fresh inspection of those carriages,
and if a carriage should be found out of proper con-
dition the license would be suspended. There would
be a penalty attached to the letting to hire any vehicle
of this description after due notice by the Commissioners
of Police that it was not fit for public use. (Hear, hear.)
But, in addition to the unsatisfactory condition of
these vehicles, the fare demanded for their use was
excessively exorbitant. (Hear, hear.) No change had
been made in that fare since its first introduction in 1831.
Amid the general—he might say universal—tendency
towards reduction in articles of general consumption, two
things had hitherto successfully resisted the tendency. One
sou the pint of extraordinary compound still called by
rtesy a bottle of wine at an inn—(hear, hear), and the
t (Hearher
fare pawl per mile for the use of a hack cab.
was every sew, We were were now arrived at a time when there
cent. ; and he should reducing that fare by at least 25 per
6d. -)er mile. (Hem.thielrefore propose that it be fixed at
reason, the decrease in the price
Without giving any other
cient to justify this. oejuice of forage was alone suffi-
klwhich in April, 1831, cost
235. 10d., were now at 19s. having fallen between 20
and 25 per cent. (Hear, bear..j
exorbitant amount f the fare, of hero independent of the
to its nature, in conyquence of thels great objections
were
en
money involved
lie, you hardly
in the question. If you took a cab L
dare meet the torrent of abuse that N:oi, be levelled at
you if you failed to pay the driver is
the consequence was, that instead of Bd. treribeeawr), an, d
—(hear, hear) ; bEsiJes which, the hirers had naor
toi y means of ascertaining the distatice they sverseatiaskae-
(Hear.) He proposed, therefore, that the Commissioner"
of Police should, wherever they conveniently could, upon
the stand cause some notice on a board to be put up, as at
many railway stations, specifying the distance from that
stand to the plires most likely to be resorted to, and that
they be authorised to appoint men at the different stands
who should be furnished with lists signed by the Commis-
sioners of Police, and whose duty shduld be, on applica-
tion, to inform the hirer the amount of fare to which he
would be liable. (Hear, hear.) This would tend much to
the convenience of ladies and others who used cabs and
were at present subjecthear.) The
reduction to imposition. (Hear,
reduction of fare would be_ n o greatha( harednshairreuasyonthe
proprietors. The expense of forage been
n the passing of this bill he
men-
tioned ; and the Chancellors of the Exchequer explained in
his financial statement th
or
would reduce the cha
nge.. f u licenses to cab proprietors.'
Independent. efitheorto charged 108.
(mai license, which-was to be ch&fged)
from Si. to U. per annum, the license now