Evening star., 1919-03-22
FOR HIRE AUTOS
At STATION c,)RbED
Judge Harrison Limits Them
to Trip Around Circle Every
Fifteen Minutes.

Police Judge Hardison has come to the
aid of the public going to and from the
II ion station
Following the publication in The Star
Of an article directing attention t4 the
traffic nuisance at the entrance to the
! Union station because Of the continuous
stream of "for hire automobiles that
cuts off street railway platforms from
the station doors, Judge Hardispn has
issued a rule curtailins the movements
Of the automobiles ip question at the
Staten.
| 1t is hoped by those interested in OBJ
| tanning remedy that the courts rule
TO be watched carefully.
Rule That Limits.
I Judge Harrison said the drivers Of
for hire autos must not make the
trip around the circle and pass in front
Of the Union station oftener than every
fifteen minutes. unless on a special er-
rand for p fare" and then nbt make
practice making that run every hour
! The trai officers ana policemen at the
station Will advise the drivers of the
The case in question was that of Wal
ter S. Jesfries. coiored, operating ForG
taxicab for hire. He was charged with
continuously operating his car around
and falling to observe the regulation re
auiring such cars 10 keep fifteen feet
apart. Nhe case was dismissed.
There has been general complaint
Of this practice on the part of the
automobiles at the station. At times
+ iS q wi
passengers to reach the loading plat
forms of the STREET cars in front Of
the station on account OF these NOV
ing auto cabs. Then again it has
tomobiles could drive up to the front
Of the station to let OF their occupants.
Calls It Outrage
Rinssold Hart. assistant corpora
tion counsel. characterized the condi
tions in front of Union station as
being the worst he had found in any
place in the District Of Columbia
1T is an outrage the way the bust
ting stop to it is only a matter of
A visitor to the city, in conversa-
tion with a Star reporter today. said
he thought it was .a:,,d an =. Outrage .; that ad
wrong impression Of the city. he stated
and makes a condition that is DANGEROUS
as welt as obnoxious.
The sight or public. vehicles pass-
front of the station" he said. "is sJch
a sight as one would expect to wit
ness in q small country town where
regulation Of utilities is unknown"
Many complaints of the existing
conditions have been made to the po-
lice from time to time. it was said
1T police headquarters today.
Would Abolish the Nuisance.
Police officials are heartily in favor
of any move that will rid the front
of Union station of annoyance caused
by for hire" automobiles continually
blocking the entrance to the big build
ing. They are anything but pleased
with Judge Hardison's Interpretation
Of the lazy, permitting the slow nov
ing public vehicles to move along the
front Of the building not more than
four times in any one hour. and are
anxious to have the question passed
along to the upper courts.
Section s, article 4, Of the police
prosecutions OF the hackers are based.
reads:
"a driver Of a public vehicle for
hire. seeking employment. shall not
stop or loiter upon street: nor shall
be solicit passengers upon 2 street:
nor shall he drive continuously back
and forth in front Of, or around the
Union station. any hotel. theater Of
other place of public assembly"
Hack Inspector Collins has had so
many cases Of drivers OF public yehi-
cles before the courts and has heard
80 many decisions that be scarcely
knows what move to make next. Dis
cussing the question Of prosecutions
in such cases with Star reporter
this morning. Collins said the space
about Union station is private prop
erty and that the proprietor Of sight
seeing automobiles was forced to
keep his cars from there.
Slow Driving Not Soliciting.
The privilege of operating such
of Union station. be stated, has since
been given company operating such
cars. He said it was his understand
ing that the private property of the
Washington Terminal Company ex-
tends to point near Columbus
statue. He thinks it should be public
property.
1t was explained by the hack in
spector that in a case taken to the
upper court it was held that the
slowness of the vehicle moving in
front of any building did not consti-
tute soliciting, nor did the "for hire"
signs constitute violation of law.
The hack inspector said he had ex-
planned to Judge Hardison that 50
many drivers of public vehicles pass
ing Union station slowly meant the
virtual blocking of that thorough
fare. but his explanation did not have
the effect of inducing the court to be-
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