The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-19
LICENSES TO AUTOMOBILES.
Those on Private Stands Required t.
Pay the Tux.

| Pay the Ink.
AS published some days ago ]. NJ. Hill. o
100 Broadway. New York. asked the Com
missoners to be informed whether the Ii.
cense law concerning hacks would be inter.
| preted to be applicable to automobiles, To-
Gated not on public stands, but on private
| space, such as the stand used at the Balti.
more and Ohio Railroad station, on ground
owned by the railroad company. The Ques-
ton was submitted to the Attorney of the
District for an opinion, and yesterday Mr.
Duvall reported as follows on the subject:
| THE license law of the District Of Co
lumbia is the act Of the late Legislative AS
| sembly, approved August 20. 1871. EMIT ed
| An act imposing license on trades, bust
ness, and professions practiced or carried
on in the District of Columbia Section 81
| clause 90, of that act provides that the
| proprietors OF livery stables shall ray Is
| follows: Not exceeding ten stalls, s25, and
| 81 for each additional stall more than ten
| ANY person whose business 1t is 10 Ike r
| horses for hire or to keep. board or feed
| horses for others. shall be regarded as a
livery stable keeper; provided that nothing
contained In this clause shall be so con-
strued as to exempt livery stable keepers
| from procuring additional license for rum
| ming cabs, hacks, or hackney carriages.
by clause . of the same section a Ii
cense tax is required from the proprietors
| of hacks. cabs. omnibuses. and other We
| hicles for transporting passengers for hire
by another act OF the Legislative Assem-
! bly,, approved on the same day as the last
mentioned act, 1t Is declared that hackney
| carriages shall be held to mean every car
| riage or other vehicle owned by proprietors
of livery stables or by other persons and
kept for hire.
"On May last you were advised that the
license law is applicable to automobiles
and TO other horseless vehicles engaged In
the transportation of passengers for Fire.
II is quite apparent that our license was
intended to impose license tax upon the
different classes of business mentioned
therein. Livery stable keepers are required
to obtain license for doing business from
the place where their stables are located
If livery stable keeper also places his We
hicle at public stand or other place than
his stable for the purpose of transporting
passengers for hire. the law requires a sep-
arate license for such vehicle. The object
of the law, however. being to impose a
license tax upon the business as such, the
livery stablekeeper is not required to take
out additional<license for each vehicle used
by him in his business conducted from the
place where the livery business Is located
Il am of the opinion that separate license.
should be required for each automobile
used for the transportation of passengers
for hire. whether located upon a pubIi-
stand or upon private property. and also
for each automobile used under contract
with hotels, clubs, etc. or in the service OF
the United States mot meaning thereby
such automobiles as are the property Of the
United States). because vehicles under
these conditions are practically at the pub
lie service as / have heretofore explained
in an opinion respecting the right of hotel
propr!etors to maintain hack sands in
front of their respective hotels"
The Commissioners have the opinion o.
their Attorney under advisement. and will
probably determine to inform Mr.. Hill in
accordance with the recommendation there
in contained.