The sun., 1896-10-18
WANTCAB RATESL0WERE
TIE OLD EFFORT TO BREAK THE
HOTEL STAND MONOPOLY.

The Pubiio Hack Owners' Association on Pro.
poses n New Kind or warfare-Au AT.
tatiou TO Petition the Aiderraeu 60 Cut
Fares In Two-Libsrty Dawpers' Ffght.
The old-timo warfare between the Public
Hack Owners Association on the one hand and
the livery mon and the Liberty Dawn Associa-
tion OF Coach Drivers on the other bids fair to
be renewed after troubled peace OF few
months. and as n result the public will probably
receive the benefit, as It has In the past. The
old thing is the cause Of the new trouble the
privilege that stable keepers buy Of standing iu
front of hotels and getting exclusively the hotel
trade. II is the grievance of the Public Hack
Owners Association that they are deprived un-
Justly OF this trade.
They maintain that they have as much right
to stand In front of the hotels rs the stablemen
and that the hotels have no right to sell the
privilege OF occupying the street to any one.
They fought this through the Appellate Division
OF the Supreme Court and won, but when It was
all over they found that they were no better of
than they had ever been, and that they were
still excluded from the hotel trade.
Then they decided to 6ght other lines to
the direct benefit of the public. They bought
the finest cabs made. put rubber tires on the
wheels. got good looking horses and harness,
and com PEELED the stable men to invest thou
sands of dollars In new equipment. The cab
men found that aside from making tho stable
men spend a lot of money. they were no nearer
the desired goal than they had ever been.
Finally about q week ago there was q now
move. Thomas F. Langton, President OF tho
Public Hack owners Association. proposed at
the regular meeting OF the association last Sun
day night that tho association petition tho
Board OF Aldermen to reduce the rate of fares.
The present rates are 81 an hour for time
charges and 90 cents for the first mile or part
| thereof and 90 cents for each succeeding half
mile. He proposed that the time charge be re-
| duced to rs cents an hour, and the distance
| charge be mado 25 cents a mile. There was
some discussion and finally the motion was car
ried, 39-36.
There are about $50 members in tho associa-
tion. and after the motion had been carried 1t
was decided to reconsider 1t and lay 1t on tho
table so that o greater number might have q
voice In the matter. President Duffy and Sec
retary BARLEY Hurt Immediately began to do
missionary work among thoir brother cnbmen
with considerable success. fair majority
wsre in favor OF tho move. Another part OF
them wanted a compromise, and minority op-
But trou6le began to brew Immediately.
There are several classes OF public ca6men in
the city. First, there are the men who own
their own cabs and work in tie daytime. Then
there is tho Liberty Dawn Association. made
livery men, And who take care OF the greater
part Of tho hotel and private trade. Then comes
funeral coaches and lastly the unorganized. ir-
responsible cabbes who are known as night
hours @ Of the night looking for drunks and oth
% err whom they can make pay 6ix fare M II pos
Gis su, who are Mng wi dan. to go miles for quar-
The proposed reduction OF fares WAS aimed
net ut the two latter classes, but at the stable
men. ana therefore indirectly at the Liberty
stablemen have to pay big prices for the hotel
fares were reduced. and il they did not reduce
their fares. people would not pay a dollar for n
the street for a quarter. AT the same time tho
stablemen to reduce expenses would have {"
cut Se wsss would ID m their
the Liberty Dawners.
The latter were reused at once. and they sent
dent Duffy. The interview was unsatisfactory
and Naher left saying that he was ready to fight
lum ba Association and the stablenen. That is
where tho matter stands now. Secretary Hunt
Of the cab owners said yesterday:
We are gong into thl. with the hope of
righting some OF our wrongs. Whatever may
be said of other cabmen, We can truly, say that
respectable men and are entitled to n good liv-
monopoly. and we think now that the best way way
TO d" Il is TO reduce the rates OF fare Some Of
hst eH, oe cut n n we 90 S m
half We shall get more fares. and W. shall be
| able to break into the trade OF the stablrmen.
AS it is now we do not get any ~ the hotel trade.
practically speaking. for we arc rot allowed to
stand in front OF the hotels In spite of the de-
cisiUn Of the appellate branch of the supreme
I'VE feel that We are entitled to those priv-
legcs. Our cabs are as good. and the service Is
as good. Wa are not n set Of beats a. people
| think. No man can get into our association
know who they are. The stanemsn get tho
police To help them at the hotels. and rs they
re hS Bod OF To
duce tha rates they Will have 10 come down.
and II they do. they WON'T be a.bs to pay for tho
/ hotel privileges. Why. the man W no serves tho
! Fifth Avenue Hotel pays $1,000 n year TO do so.
One OF the arguments dvanced against u" Is
| dozens Of worn-out cabs that have been forced
of the streets by the new ones Hndwe will hhveso
many more rivals. | don't think anything Of
! that because a man or woman who wants a cab
will always choose good. rub6er-tired one with
"The Liberty Dawn Association will fight US
because they know that low fares mean less
seak the hotel ans
| can. We hold our regular meeting next Sum
day night. and think we will carry the propo-
| sition by a two-thirds majority. As for the
Board Of Aldermen. II $50 owners OF cabs ask it
TO reduce the rates don't think it will refuse to
do 40. for the reduction will be to the benefit of
The opposition OF the Liberty Dawn Aasocia.
| tion 1. based on the fear that the reduction In
fares will affect their wages. As for the stable
men. they are inclined TO pooh pooh at tho
and r At The .aa
'' j don't believe they will do It. They can't
afford to. There is only bare living wage in
the business now. They have to !,on make % an orig,
| to pay S25 a month for the keep or their horses
and they have to live themselyes. Now, II they
cut their makinas in half where VIII they be
or course they will yet part OF tho hotel trade
and will hurt us some. but not much. for we
| have our own scale Of prices. which are even
| higher than the present rates OF fare ana VIC
| shall adhere to them"
| Joseph Seaich who has the trade of several
OF the largest hotels said that he did not think
| the hack owners would ask to have the fares
| reduced, but IL they did succeed In doing 40 .he
coach business. bad enough now, would become
| worse.
There Is. of course" taid Mr.. sesich. "a
| never get much from hotels. but 1t stands TO
reason that they will make some inroads on our
trade"