Evening star., 1914-07-11
READY FOR A TEST
Of TAX|CAb RULES
District Officials Determined
to End Special Privileges
at All Hotels.
CONVINCED THE COURTS
WILL SUSTAIN POSITION
If Present Regulations Fail, Streets
at Hotels May Be Declared
Public Cab Stands.

District officials are planning to wage
war with the taxicab companies should
the latter attack the validity of the new
traffic regulations. which are so drawn
as to make practically impossible the
the downtown hotels.
The regulation which will bring about
this condition provides that no vehicle.
except commercial. while loading and
unloading. shall stand for a period of
more than fifteen minutes between the
hours of s am. and 6 pm. on the streets
of prescribed area in which the princi-
pal hotels are located
May Make Stand Public.
One of the largest hotels is not within
the area. but it is understood that the
Commissioners have under consideration
the establishment at that point of
public cab stand, unless the companies
now maintaining private stands there
through contracts with the hotel agree
that they are not entitled to the exclu-
sive use of the street in front of the
hotel.
Officials of the two taxicab companies
stated today that they have not deter
mined upon plan of action and may not
do so for some time. the regulations
will not become effective for a month.
When his attention was called to a pub
lication this morning, which indicated
that the taxicab companies might attack
the regulation, Conrad H. Syme, corpora
ton counsel, expressed the opinion that,
in such event, they would meet the same
fate which they did when they attacked
the Jurisdiction of the public utilities COM
mission over them.
Special Privileges Claimed.
He said that since the decision some
years ago by the Court of Appeals that
the hotels had a right practically to pre-
empt public space in their immediate Vi
entities for carriages used by them for
accommodation of their guests, that the
decision had been used to give special
privileges to certain companies engaged
in the transportation business to the ex-
cluSiOn of others.
In addition he expressed the BELIEF that
the court would sustain a regulation such
as the one just adopted. which has been
occasioned by conditions that did not
Il would be reluctant, said Mr.. Syme.
Ito recommend that space on the public
streets around hotels should be made
public cab stands. open to all persons
of the public; but / shall certainly do SO
if the present regulation proves in any
way Ineffective
Strict Enforcement Planned.
In speaking of the new regulation re-
quring rehectors to be removed from
head and side lights on automobiles, or
the front glass ground or covered in such
way as to prevent the light being daz-
zling. Mr. Syme said that he had not
recommended this rule until after he had
discussed it with at least a hundred
members of the police force. He said
he had been advised by many persons
who have tried the plan that the front
glass of the lamps can be frosted by the
use of soap or stale beer. so that while
sufficient light is easily given out. there
is no such intensity as would blind pc
destrians.
Mr. Syme stated that it is his intention
to recommend that this regulation be
rigidly enforced and that he will in
struct the assistant corporation counsel
assigned to the Police Court to insist on
severe fine whenever a conviction fol-
lows it's violation.