New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-28
<<~W WAT the taxicabV cry the cons'a".
- refOrmers' to whom all ''N''A''
~ look alike.


~ look alike.
"Nay. swat them not? answers '"e 49,
=, the taxi owners-and 1t Is easy 10 see
that they arc prejudiced. ,
Roth the refo-mers ana the Java"
s0,onanies agree that something must NC
d,ne They differ entirely on what 'ha'
something should be, however Ne"s
everybody In the business goes ABOUT W.
a s,re cure If the diseased taxicao STU"
zion IN his clothes. You can get INTO Gun
rersation with any chauffeur. ana IL ~
,ouoh ON the subject there Ia an eve"
chance that he will drag from MS Foo"''
y a niece Of folded foolscap and say
Now. have thought out the quesoo"
- o. the answer. have Just
blocked II out roughly into an oroi"a'ioe
and have mailed It to the Mayor VIZ"
che request that 1t be made law i'e"'
AWAY. Haven't heard from MN 9.'
though You see. have been IN the haoh
business here in New York for fifteen
veors-since before people knew what
taxi was And in that time couioh
helm gathering few points on the SUBJECT
~ they pass q law like this one OF mine
,be fares will be lowered and l can engage
IN the business myself. AS IL stands,
would last about as long competing with
couple Of machines against the big com
panies as a SNOWFALL in the subway on a
Julv day. / had four hacks back In the
days before the horse passed and 'hey
didn't do G thing to me then"
That's what you get from the driver OF
q company taxi The companies themselves
are really up against 1t. too. Iaxlcao
IN lunches.
SIN running have Just lately adopted the
unusual means of raising their rates 10
keen from falling themselves. Under the
old schedule II was shown that 1t cost 80
cents TO operate cab each mile. Inc
machines made 80 cents mile. one
could figure until he wore out his pehcH
and not find q profit at that rate.
Most Of the companies boosted their rates
the first OF this month. The increased
scale calls for 80 cents for the first two
lfths Of a mile and 10 cents for each sue
ceeding fifth of a mile That makes the
initial mile cost the patron 50 cents ana
each mile thereafter 20 cents.
That's a fine piece of bonehead WIS
DOM" declares the passenger VINO always
RAYS everything. by increasing thei'
rates they are going 10 decrease thelr
business and it's merely matter or TIME
Until the surviving companies follow the
others into bankruptcy. BY raising the
rates they have cut their own throats
Alderman Courtlandt Nicoll agrees eX-
actly with the suicide idea. though ne
wouldn't put it in those words. Mr.. Nlcoil
Introduced an ordinance IN the latter part
Of last year which is now gathering COD
webs in some committee file He declares
tis measure would relieve the entire situa-
lion. not only for the companies but for
the Independent taxicab men and for the
consumer HIS idea In tabloid form Is TO
90 away with the private stands which
hotels maintain. and from which they de-
rive an immense profit paid by the taXicao
company with money from the consumer
there is the poor old consumer again!
The hotels generally have a happy habit
under the present laws of selling the right
20 keep stand in front Of their places to
the highest bidder. 1t is said that some OF
the hotels get as high as $4,000 a year for
allowing the taxicab companies to line up
machines in the streets, which latter we
ere told belong TO the people. Thus the
hotels take in enormous sums. 100 per cent
Of which is profit, by making garages out
OF the city's streets 1t is lovely-for the
hotels.
A taxi with public license Is cut OF
from the hotel part of the trade and Is
forced 10 forage the streets for living.
on the other hand. the big companies
which operate at the private stands have
their troubles also. The hotels pocket
their profits and half OF their trips go to
waste-for they contend that as driver
cannot pick up fare on the streets 10
N carry back toward the stand after max
ing a long trip. nearly half their mileage
Is total loss Mr.. Nicoll asserts that the
division Of licenses into two classes IS TO
blame for all the trouble and that his
measure is the real and genuine Balm of
Gilead for all taxi troubles.
The one thing that sticks out after you
have made a tour Of the taxi problem in
New York is that everybody gets skinned
and skins everybody else at every turn.
There are plenty Of turns
The more open and honest failngs Of the
gasolene hack concern all OF us. Lives
there a man with soul so dead who never
20 himself has said that the driver ought
10 be shot who rumbles UP next door at
an unholy hour of the dewy morning and
leaves his rattletrap engine TO make a