New-York tribune., 1901-08-10
is HE A HACK OR A STAGE?
]. b WALKER is ONE OR THE OTHER.
SAYS DEPUTY CITY MARSHAL
FOR HIS DOWNTOWN AUTOMOBILE
LINE-HE TALKS OF HIS PLANS

FOR HIS DOWNTOWN AUTOMOBILE
LINE-HE TALKS OF HIS PLANS.
John Brisben Walker. the automobile manu-
facturer, encouraged by Wall Street men, among |
them ex-Mayor Hugh J. Grant has started an
electric vehicle passenger service in the hnan-
ciaI district. Yesterday he came into collision
with Deputy City Marshal Brown at the City
Hall, and the question of Mr.. Walkers status
a transporter of passengers was wrestled
with for two hours Mr. Walker maintained
that the hack drivers fees of $5 which he paid
for his three wagOnettes which run from the
WaIl-st. ferry to the Cortlandt-st. ferry for a
10 cent fare. gave him the right 10 carry pas
sengers anywhere in the city Mr.. Brown de-
mands another So for vehicle license. and says
that even then Mr. Walker may be violating
the franchise law in running his vehicles a
specified route. At the height of the colloquy
Mr. Brown. who is a lawyer well a city Of
fetal. said
Mr.. Walker. you'll have to stop running those
vehicles at once You stand here naked-with-
out the vestige of a right to run them. You are
utterly outside the law. You either hack
an omnibus under the city ordinances. You
contend you are hack say that you are an
omnibus"
Il am broke in Mr.. Walker
You are either stage or a hack" interrupted
Mr. Brown once more. "and I notify you here
and now if you are the proprietor OF that new
Wall-st. line. that you can't run those vehicles
without a license"
Il have made an agreement with the West
cott Express Company to start a line Of these
| automobiles from the Grand Central Station to
run to the WaIdorf-Astoria in Fifth-ave. Does
any feature of the city ordinances conflict with
me there?"
My opinion is" said Mr. Brown that as
soon as you lay out a specified route for your
automobiles you exceed the privileges Of a sim
pie hackman But don't care about that. AS
your wagons carry more than two persons
you've got to get license for a special hack
coach. as we'll for your drivers After you
get that. if you violate the law in any way your
men will be arrested and then a test case can
| be made"
There are people ready to subscribe 100000
to fight this thing through TO the end" said Mr.
| Walker. People have a right TO cheap trans
| portaton. and I'm determined 10 run the auto
| mobiles as planned I'll be down here at $50
| o'clock tomorrow =sa-ning 70 take out SPECIAL
/ hack licenses. on nOnday morning I want TO
put On four extra automobiles"
| E-rore leaving the City Hall Mr. Walker. who
was accompanied by his son. Randolph, who
is manager Of the Mobile Rapid Transit Com
parry operating the vehicles in Wall-st. said
| to a Tribune reporter:
|
| the payment of the license tax We thought
| that after paying the regular So hackmans
| license fee We're all right. We shall cheer
| fully pay the vehicle tax and II Necessary also
pay 3 per cent OF our gross receipts TO the city
/ We have made only beginning in starting
/ automobile lines in this borough Ex-Mayor
| Grant, VINO spends the summer at Long Branch.
| suggested 10 a few days ago that there were
| no OF transportation between the Cort-
landt-st ferry and lower Wall-st.. and that
automobiles would be literally patronized We
started them Friday OF last week with a
| fare OF Ia cents They have been well pat
| trOnlZed- We expect 10 run them from Fulton
! Ferry TO Wall-st-, and across 70 CorJlandt-st
| Then we expect 70 run a line from the Grand
| Central Station 10 the WaldOrf-AstOrla, and
another line from the Hotel Majestic to Wash
| ington Park. all with cheap fares.
! Il am confident that we have a right TO oper-
| ate these new carriages. The section or the city
| ordinance bearing on the question says; Any
| carriage kept for hire shall be deemed pub
| lie hack and so forth The point is raised that
| We shall need charter OF franchise if we run
a stage over specified route. Our drivers have
| been instructed 10 ask the first person who gets
| into the automobile where he wants 10 60 II
| he SAYS Chambers-st.. instead OF COrtlandt-SU
| all right. To Chambers-st he will be carried
| the other passengers getting of al CortIandt-st
| That. in my judgment constitutes regular
| hack service in the eyes Of the law. There is
need OF transportation facilities from the ferries
| 20 various important points throughout the city
| and We intend to fn that want"
O. 5. Thomas. OF Thomas < Post. brokers. at
/ No Il Broadway, said yesterday that the Gen
| eral Carriage Company's charter. granting privi-
leges OF a sweeping nature might be acquired
by Mr. Walker and his friends for the Mobile
Rapid Transit Company The General Carriage
| Company is nov in the hands of the Sheriff.
Opposition 10 the Walker plans is expected
| from the New-YOrk Electric Vehicle Trans
| portation Company owning the old Fifth-ave.
| stage line This company has a right 10 run
| stages over various thoroushsareS Of the city
| and 70 cross the tracks of the Metropolitan
| Street Railway.
| The General Carriage Company was chartered
| on May >. 1899 in NeW-Jersey. with a capital
| Of S2OOOOOOO II is understood this capital is
| soon 10 be reduced. It's officers are CYRUS Field
| Judson, president, W s Jewell. secretary and
| general manager, Joseph 5. Tracy, treasurer:
| II. W Bates. Joseph Letter. Robert L. McKin-
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