New-York daily tribune., 1846-01-13
LABOR IN NEw-YoRK:
No. XXyI....T The Cabmen.

this article for Il Is pretty SAFE 10 suppose 'a' '"e
all have been made 10 feel the evils OF the present
sys,ep,, either in the wey of exorton, insult, abuse
or nosi,ive outrage So far as our information goes
New-York Cabman has nerer been known TO
neglect an opportunity OF attempting TO extort more
than the legal fare from his customer where there
appeared to be the smallest chance OF success
while the Cab nuisance at the steamboat and
ferry landings. and the outrageous swindling to
which those are obliged to submit who are COM
pelled to use Cab at night or in rainy weather
have long been stereotyped subjects Of complaint
So universal is the dishonesty with which this ous
ness is transacted on the part Of the Cabmen that
citizen never employs one ii he can possibly AVOID
it. Thus the avarce of these men is as stupid as II
is intoerable for if they would only act any thihg
like fairly their business would increase teniod ana
their profits at regular legal rates would be greater
than they now possibly can be with all their extor
,on-Bu let US first put down the statistics OF Caos:
No of regular Licensed Cabs in the City gao
Fourwheeled Licensed Carriages, or Hacks ;-2io
Stable Carriages. Licensed but not numbered. ~
Total --1so
Of these 496 vehicles about one-fourth drive
one horse each--the remainder two-empoylng
altogether seven or eight hundred horses and about
FIVE hundred men. The expense Of Housekeeping
is about s25 per month for each horse. and stabling
about 500 per annum. A good Cab costs from S3Uo
10 5000, and with careful usage will last five years
although we have been jolted about in some which
looked if they had seen at least haliceniury OF
hard service AS TO the horses there is no knowing
how long they will last To judge from appear
ances they never die-and they certainly Tor the
most part can scarcely be said 10 be alive.
OF the men employed in driving Cabs about three
four,hs are Irish and the remainder Americans, Eng
lish. Scotch, &c &C. The Irish do pretty much all
the business.
1t is impossible to get any very accurate idea OF
the receipts of Cab.driving bnt several old whips
have told us that the average income oil GAP Is
about three dollars day. Sometimes they make
ten-sometmes fve-sometimes one we think
the average too low The best time tor the Cao'
men is the Summer when feed is cheaper and tares
are plentier. Their most coveted customers are
those who engage by the day for excursions ABOUT
the vicinity of the City-where there ls' moi mucn
driving good deal of resting, humping charges
and no questions asked. This is what Caomen call
being in clover. During the Winter and IN rainy
seasons they take advantage of the necessities OF
people especially 81 nisht-snd often charge tour
and hve times the regular legal rates In rainy
night vou can't get Csbmsn 10 take you home
from ball or concert under dollar-and if you are
q stranger he will charge twice or thrice that
They all band together. ioo-and not one OF dozen
who may be standing together will either make
definite bargain or move an inch for the regular
price A, The sieamboa, landings, during the hight
OF the travelling season the Cabmen are constant
nuisance as dangerous they are ntolerable and
disgraceful. Ii is really almost an inpossibty for
q traveller 10 look after his baggage and his own
limbs in the clamorous and rufiany crowd that be-
sets the wharf and chokes up the gangway-shout-
ing yelling running over the passengers, snatchlne
trunks from the porers ana throwing every ming
into almost maddening bubbub If one has ladies'
with him of course the scene becomes infinitely
more distressing. person who had never been
here could not be made believe that such regular
semdaily riots for they are nothing less could be
permitted in any civilized city.
Not content with these exhibitions, the drivers
make regular practice Of going over 10 Jersey
City before the trains arrive and crowdng over on
the same ferry.boat with the passengers, begging,
brow-bea,ng and insulting every body, just as the
humor takes them. Sometimes they even go 10
@'N''
ferrvng and riding and waste OF time must be
paid for-and all Of course comes out OF the pockets
of The public.
1t is standing subject Of wonder TO strangers as
well as citizens that these abuses should exist from
year to year and be every year maniesliy increasing
They ask Are there no laws regulating these
things? Certainly-plenty of laws and excellent
rs plentiful. According 10 law no Cabman IS per-
nit,ed to leave his Cab. under penalty OF five dol
lars; he is not permitted to refuse TO be employed
when disengased, under the same penalty; he Is
not allowed TO charge more than t~entyhv cents
per mile for each person ne carries and ii he asks
and receives more than this he is liable TO the same
line; he must have the legal rates OF tare consplcu
ously posted on the inside Of his Cab, under the
same penalty; in short 10 read the Cab Ordinance
you would imagine that the rights of the public
were all amply protected. But-just get yourself
imposed upon by Cabman land that means hire
one to take you somcwherc and try to redress your
self and get him punished-then you will see the
true state Of the In the first place the driver
is probably Loco Foco, and his vote is necessary 10
pile up those tremendous majoriIies which Capt
Rynders and old ST. Hunker roll out here occasion
allv But lie, that pass Next You must go TO the
Chief Of Police or the Inspector of Cabs and enter
YOUR complant-then you are taken before the Cor
poration Attorney, who has summons issued
against the offender in an ordinary case OF debt
re,urnable we don't know how many days hence
then his lawyer postpones the case fortnight and
then the Corporation Attorney is otherwise engaged
or Sir Justice Shallow is dining with his friend the
Alderman. or the Cabman has gone TO Texas,-or
something of the same pleasant character as these
little drawbacks is sure 10 occur This you see
would be very apt to induce man 10 iors"eaf
mending the manners of New-York Cabmen, Tor
ever and day-especially if he were stranger
passing through the City in urgent haste
We have talked good deal about this business
with Mr.. Lowe the Inspector, who seems TO have
very correc. ideas on the subject and to possess
real desire for reforming abuses-and he tells US
that the chief difficulty in the way OF putting stop
TO the evils Of which we are now the helpless VIC