New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-26
WHY CAB FARESARE so HIGH
INTERESTED PERSONS GIVE A SCORE OF
REASONS.

CONVINCED THAT THE RATES ARE En-
CEssIvE AND THAT cABMEN WOULD
MAKE MORE MONEY IF THEY
REDUCED THEIR CHARGES.
A strange fact in New-York City life Is that IN
spite OF greater facilities for transportation aoou'
town-cable cars. elevated railways ana stree. ia
way service. with transfer ACCOMMODATIONS '' ~
AUCTION in the price OF horses and the experience
OF other cities notably Boston and fhadeip'i'a' u
saw nothing OF the nroads made on the driving
pastiue by the bicycle cab and livery-s'ao.e rates
are the same In these hard times as they we'e !"
the most prosperous. "good-time-at-ahy-cos' ua!'
OF imitation in 1873. In London person may can a
cab and take a woman to theatre any evening II
ne lives In or about the West Central Distric' anu
docs not want TO 90 to a place OF amusement way
out In a suburb. for the small sum OF one sh'"s
or twenty-five cents OF American money IL u MOI
worth while in the British metropolis 10 nave 'ne
handy two-wheeler wait. for a few pennies gwen
a caliboy after the performance will readily orihe
another and the drive home costs only the same
1nconsiderab.e amount OF one shilling. CABS IN LOT"
don are good and fast. too.
Across the Channel the everyday seed hitchfd 10
the modest hacre plying in the streets OF Paris are
different animals But they do not cost mucn' Inc
French rate fer a single journey in any direction
10 any part Of Paris. inside the fortincauons one
franc fifty centimes about twenty-e'ght cents Vi
United States money. To this may IN lac' aino'
must be added. the customary pouroo're "a
twenty-five to fifty centimes-four and one-haH OF
nIra cents The charge by the hour for a French
publle vehicle is only francs. and the orVer Is
always satisfied with tip OF fifty centmes' OF niue
cents for each hour he is employed Even '"ese
moderate terms have been found too onerous TOT 'he
French people who object 10 paying much LOT an!
thing. unless they know there is war tax on II
which viii perhaps one day aid them TO get back
Alsace and Lorraine and the cry in Paris Tor
long time has been for lower cab fares.
The French ''cochers" have BEEN on the contrary!
ap,tatins for a law authorizing the attachment 10
+hs;r vehicles of a counting and registering ma
chine, by which they hope to exact bigger pay from
their patrons.
POPULARITY OF PARIS CABS.
Paris is city where everybody rides in cabs
This is partly from the conformation OF the 'o"n
partly because OF the cheap rates ana also because
OF the CAV open-air-oving nature OF the frehch
people. Other reasons are the good pavemeh's
and the scrupulous that is taken OF them
Bicycling has made frghtful inroads on the french
cabdrivers profits
sill another reason why cab business in Paris is
good is that Paris is wretchedly provided with the
ordinary means OF transportation They nave over
there instead OF the sensible and convenient unoer-
ground railways OF the coid-booded' ousihess-nAe
English what they call 'ceinture. hteraAy
belt railway which runs around the town. 10 ge'
from the neighborhood Of the Bourse say IN faris'
n one OF the resident neghborhoods beyond the
Arch de Triomph one walk to the Care 81.
Iazarre ana await train running around on ''iS
belt system. This is just as sensible ana direct as
II would be TO go from the New-York City Han 10
One-hundred- and-twenty -ffthst. and Fifth-ave by
way OF Jersey CITY and the West Shore Railroad.
Rut Paris is rapidly waking up and one day IN
great stores like the Louvre and the Bon Marche
they will see the benefits OF the little trolley chahse
car and package systems one is familiar with IN
London and New-York. In many French houses
now gas has been introduced, and in the bis notes
electricity has made its appearance. though the
common illuminating medium Is SUI cahoies' II
IS said that the recent case of French woman
who on moving into new apartment-nouse turheu
the bathroom into a storage cupboard because she
didn't know why earth people wanted 70 WASH
all over will soon be rare one In Paris
THE FRENCH OMNIBUS SYSTEM.
The way the tramway and omnibus systems In
PARIS are conducted is something the majority OF
American travellers TO that bright city know niue
or nothing about-they can all anord CABS a
French omnibus carries about sixteen people INSIDE
and as many more top with places for four
90 civ N stand I'D on the rear platform. The up
stairs seats are constructed not in the convenient
healthful fashion Of outside seats on an Engnsh
bus facing front the driver does and proviuea
with rubber lap robes. but each passenger presents
his side 10 r,e front and rear. the two long seats
that run the length OF the conveyance being placed
back ", hack in the middle. Inside and on the plat
form the fare is six sous. or a little more IMAM hVe
cents but on top one only pays three sous uhiess
taking a correspondence or transfer ticket "heh
a. costs fun price TO ride on top. The most sur
nrising feature OF the French OMNIBUS Tot an
.r.rscan 70 the word "complct and the regulation
,ha, when that sign is displayed no moro passen-
gers will be taken on. The transfer system Is
thorough. -.
Her. 4. n most important fact concerning can
fares: A French "cocher' is fcrce-looking Fellow
,,ho likes TO hear himself tell what he Is going TO
do But ne Is not stupid as some OF MS ore'hre"
in other parts of the world He knows that every
sou made il so much the more for his own private
nurse at the end OF the day. When you meet
French cabdriver returning 10 tho centre OF faris
from some trip he has just made or from search
,or one offer him one franc to take you as far as
the Madeleine the Grand Hotel or the Cohu-
mental and he will never refuse It, Here is IRE
futabe proof Of the commonsense OF cheap iares'
IN NETWORK.
Edward Kearney Of Van Tassell & Kearney IN
Eas, Thirteenth-st. says there will not be cheaper
- r.,as In New-York because rents are higher
,har abroad for one reason. Horses are selling al
low prices Mr.. Kearney admits but he thinks the
drop Is only a temporary one But the prhclpa'
reason why cheap cab rates can never prevail IN
America Mr. Kearney says. is because American
labor can't be educated TO live cheaply. Mr.. Rear
Wv do.s not believe that cheaper fares would pro-
auce any greater demand for cabs lie thinks that
those who can afford TO ride In CABS al all VIII pay
,ra nresent rates while those who avail themselves
~ N. elevated railways and the street cars would
continue TO do even II the present CAP iaieS III
New-York CITY were cut In Two
Isaac H. Dahlman says there is no question
about the drop in the price OF horsenesh' Aocoru-
49,. 90 Mr. Dahlman a good cab horse. an active
handy serviceable animal. may now be bought Tor
s,50 down to $780, Such steed he says would have
cost IN 1873 In the neighborhood OF $3.50 George W.
R,shop one OF the oldest dealers in the Buli's Head
district, a man who has selected racers IN Norm
and South America and in England for some OF
the most prominent owners says there IL no rea-
son why cab fares in New-York shouldn't De
cheaper. ~
II assure YOU" said Mr.. Bishop. the caodrivers
sxnnld all be better of and make more money and