The evening world., 1912-10-01
lTAX|CABS.PAY
! $5OO,0OO A YEAR
\. FOR PRIVILEGES
They Do an Annual Business
Of S5,ooo,Ooo, and Yet Are
Losing Money!
SO SAYS A TRUST MAN.
But Six independents" Assert
They Could Reduce
| Rates.
SO SAYS A TRUST MAN.

Statements which show that the taxi
nual business Of more than 5000. ooo out
Of which they pay to avariclous hotel
and cafe keepers $4,000 . year COM
missions'' for the privilege OF standing
leng rows Of company cabs in front OF
tAsss obstetrics on the city's streets.
are In the hands of Bryant willard.
chairman Of the Aldermanio Committee
which 70 engaged In drafting ordinances
- control taxicab trafic.
10 the report Of former Commissioner
0osdick. which showed that the taxi
SoucsrnA now largely consolidated, paid
cut s362, 200 q year TO these hotel men, |
Chairman willard has added estimates
q Tie business done by taxicabs from
Ne Psnnsylvan!a and Grand Central
Stations and by numerous smaller con- |
ssrnt which have sprung up throughout
Manhattan since tho Fosdick report.
The dgurss indicate that the two rail- |
eoads snJoy Q revenue Of more than
(1oooo0 from the taxicab companies
osins their stations as depots.
Despite this enormous amount
: q "sesy money" which rolls into
i ne railroad. hotel and cafe Golfers
for the use Of tho oity's streets.
several OF the Aldermen ON the
committee have declared they viii
vote to rsesin the privileged
stands ana 70 keep the rate mp to
sbcus what u 10.
Suggestions that private stands be
sboiishsd and that the rate be brought
down to where the public may enjoy
the accommodations Of taxicabs. as
has been maintained By The Evening
World. are ridiculed by these Aldermen.
HOTEL MEN APPRECIATE A
GOOD THING.
''You don't suppose for . second that
the hotel men are going TO let this velvet
20 by. do your" asked one Alderman
at the City Hall to-day. 'Tts like
finding half a million to tho hotel men.
You can't pick up $780, oO In the street
every day. you know"
In tho evidence taken by tho Alder
manic committee the weight as to the
abolition OF tho private stands and re-
duction OF rates to a <o-csnts-a-niis
basis rests squarely between the testi-
mony given by Simon Kayton, President
Of the Kaytoa Taxicab Company. and
six other witnesses. Mr.. Kayton swors
that In three years his company had
lost S11I. 900 and that his forty taxicsbs
are now being operated at q loss Of u
Q day. The other witnesses swore that
even under the present deplorable con-
ditions. tho were making profits. two
Of them as much as u per cent on
their Investment.
Parts Of the testimony OF each wit
ness on this subject 10 given to-day:
VOLUNTARILY REDUCED HIS
RATES.
\ aSichssl J. Bird. one Of the promo
NsFs Of the independent Taxicao own
err Association. operating two taxioabs.
tsld the committee he with ninety-sisht
other independents" voluntarily re-
ducsd his rate to q so-cent drop. The
'thirty'' drop means % cents for the
Hrst half mile and 10 cents for each
additional quarter mile. The trust rate
y "siYhty-nfty." which 10 20 cents for
She dfst two-hfths mile and 10 cents
for each additional quarter.
I'VE laborsa under the impsss-
sion," said Dird. "thas u We re-
auosd the rates ana showed the
DaAlio that We could run 81 r.
IuesA rates IL would help ~ In
getting soma Justice y reference
70 the private hsok stands, ~
sAowtnS that u the privileged
stands we're abolished every one
could run 81 the Same reduced
sstSs."
After detailing his investment per car
- follows: cab. $50; repairs and parts
psr year. 500: storage. Se7S; tires. 3l2S
2slp. . q day. with an income daily OF
q, Bird swore his profits averaged more
than Is per cent
~ p1t IL low st IS per cent" he
ssad. ~ don't care II you paid
Vas 900 for your cab. the pront 10
thsrs Just the Same. II 10 hard to
keep up the low rate under the
Disadvantages Of the private stand,
but II they were done away With
would not be . bit afraid 70 come
down even lower next year"
Robert McAndrews. who drove q cal
ten years for the New York Trans
portation Company. said no was salts
ned with the thirty drop.
Are you getting a good living ant
: good return on your investment" HI
was asked.
"why. yes, have averaged SO I
day as il Is. / am making a good liv
ing out OF it
COULD GO LOWER n PRIVATE
STANDS WERE ABOLISHED.
do you think II the private stand
werc abolished you could 20 lower taai
that:'