New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-05
FAVORS CAB ORDINANCE
,rtF City IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY OF
rERS ITS AID TO THE TRIBUNE.
pr- DrrFrRENcE BETWEEN RATES OF
CABMEN AND THOSE OF RAIL
ROAD COMPANIES.

ROAD COMPANIES.
An earnest and decided effort 10 aihehu .iie
resent city ordinances. or 10 replace theih Will
more effective provisions, is promised as
.ult of The Tribune's attack upon the ABUSES
hat have grown UP in the cab system oi e'e
itv. The support of the City Improvement so
,ietv has been officially offered to The Tribune
through its president. DR.. Frederic Dame.
What is most needed" said DR. Dame to
ribune reporter yesterday, is. first 10 nave
the ordinance amended so that the CAB rates
shall be placed in each public hack or carriage
These should be placed inside the cao' In d
'rame that should be screwed to the cab This
$ the law in all Continental cities. Then there
IAN be no excuse such as is now offered repeat
edlv that the card bearing the tariff has been
,osf or has dropped out. or has been destroyed
by the last passenger, who was drunk Ihese
sre the reasons that are invariably onered now
when one asks for a tariff list IL. however
these rates were placed in each cab in this
manner there could be no excuse for the pas
sengers being victimized. a frequent inspection
could be made Of cabs. and in cases where the
tariff had disappeared the license should be re-
poked. That is the first change / believe should
be made. The present system. which does not
require the cabnsn to carry his tariff rate in
view. furnishes him with good opportunity for
not carrying one AT all. and should besremedied.
I believe that this change would make great
difference in the number Of attempts TO over
charge.
The other points which were touched upon in
The Tribune editorisliy yesterday should be act
sd upon also The question Of the privilege OF cab
men to refuse TO charge by time is one that ought
70 be changed The system of charging by
time has almost vanished except in the case Of
shoppers The cab nuisance is one that the City
Improvement Society has frequently endeavored
10 abate, and ready 70 give our
full support to ordinance which viii put the
matter in clear md definite position and will
do away with ordinances which both self
destructive and unenforceable."
ABUSE SOMEWHAT DUE TO POLITICS.
Other members of the society who seen
by Tribune reporter expressed similar opin-
sons
AS The Tribune points out said one Of
these. the system in this city is the worst in
the world Its cause lies in politics we'll as
in bad ordinances. The city government in past
years has been responsible in small measure
for the abandonment Of the ordinances. which
were placed OF the books by our society after
long and bitter fight
While The Tribune has sought in these articles
on the cab system 10 point out the violations
OF the present ordinances and their inherent
weaknesses rather than TO attack the prevail
ing high tariff. glance at the rates of the New
York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad COM
psnies will perhaps shed some light on the stu
alton It should be remembered, OF course, that
these railroads use their cab lines adjuncts
10 their railroads and as additional Inducements
TO the public TO travel over them Therefore
there is not so much incentive for them to axe
money on their cab lines and il may be doubted
If they do still the difference in rates is sufi-
GENTLY startling be worthy of notice.
The Ner-York Central company has no
pri ted list Of rates but in the train shed, where
the incoming trains arrive. it posts large sign
which shows the city divided into six differently
colored districts. The first Of these includes
everything between Twenty -third-st. and Fifty
ninth-st. The cab rate from the Grand Central
station to any point inside this district is &c cents
The carriage rate for the same distance is 81
In a similar way five other districts are shown
Each of these districts is about ten blocks VIDE,
and with each additional district the tarin in
creases % cents Thus district No. runs as
far south feminist. and as far north as
Seventy second-st.. and the cab rate TO any
point in this district-of course. more distant
from the station than any point in District NO
lis Is cents for a cab and 81 % for a carriage.
The extreme north and south bounds OF these
districts are One Observation-Disclosures ana
the Battery.
THE PENNSYLVANIA RATES.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company pub
fishes little folder giving its cab rates. which
within mile and half Of the station % cents
for a hanson or a victoria; for each addltional
mile or fraction thereof, - cents. The rates
for a four wheeler for the same distance IN
both cases the passengers being taken direclly
10 one address IS 10 cents; for additional one or
two passengers. 10 cents; for each additiohaal
miles with from 10 four passengers, ~
cents The same rates are charged to call AT
an address and take passengers 10 the stauoll
For stops IL cents for the first and 10 cents TOT
not
d,,ration Is charged in the Of ca s, and
20 cents with additional u cents for furtAer
xrops by carriages. A further convenience u,
the Pennsy lvania system Is the map conlalheu
IN the folder which divides The city into COL
o-e5' districts which indicate the distance from
-be station The baggage charges are as fol-
lou.. For -valises. 3 cents each. only charge
asle for when carried on top by driver lor
trunks 10 cents but only small trunks are
carried on hansons. This system is run in con-
nection with the Twenty-third-st station only
RIG DIFFERENCE IN CHARGES.
The rates provided by the city ordinance are
IS follows:
CABs-BT DISTANCE.
-. -,. ar any part thereof 81 so
Per each additional half riie or part IT, q
is minutes fraction thsTeof >
For hour or any part thereof .-..--.... 81 90
For each additional half hour 10
CoaCHEs5RY DISTANCE.
Fo- one mile or any part 81 90
Each sed,t,ona half 1,, or par m n for 30
IS fraction shsreof 20
FOR hour or any part thereof 81 20
For additional half hour -.-------------- %
The great difference in these rates is in long
distances for. while the disparity in the first
mile between the rate the city ordinance allows
and that the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Company
charges for cab is small in five mile dis
tance the city charge would be $50, while
that Of the railroad would be S. cents Similar