Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-10
HOTEL HACKERS
ARE HELD MENACE
TO MOTOR TRAFFIC
Dancer of Collisions in Center
of Pennsylvania Avenue
Is Pointed Out.
BY THEODORE p. MOVES.

From traffic standpoint alone the
public hack stand on Pennsylvania
avenue in front of the Willard Hotel
has been so operated by some of the
hackers as to constitute a serious
menace to the traffic of the city.
Have you ever driven up the Avenue,
received the go" sign from the traffic
officer at 18th street and Pennsylvania
avenue. and when you We're passing
the Willard have three or four of
center of the street to the curb
directly in your path without giving
the slightest warning?
And then have you applied your
emergency brake, brought your car
to an abrupt halt and waited while
the scramble for fare continued!
And then waited little longer for all
of these men to back across the mid
die of the street into the places they
have kIst vacated?
Well, if you have had this expert
ence, which countless District motor
lists have had, you will realize the
danger in having a hack stand sit
uated in the middle of the street.
with the hackers free to block traffic
and endanger lives at their own dis
erection.
In this same connection, have you
ever driven on + street between 18th
and 14th streets at about two miles
an hour behind a line of hacking
cars which would not let you pass,
each one stopping dead in his tracks
every time he saw a prospective fare:
Lettering is against the law, the
same as parking next to a f1replug or
in front of 4 hotel or hundred and
one other infractions.
The situation at present is unbear-
able. Something should be done i'm
medlateiy to remedy it. In addition
to delaying traffic it paves the way
for serious accidents.
The stand in front of the Willard
is not a regularly designated hack
stand. The hackers have appropri-
ated the space for themselves without
ponce department sanction.
Some Remedies Offered.
The first step, it would seem, would
pc the removal of the hack stand
from center parking on the Avenue,
which is too crowded. and with cen
ter parking allowed too narrow to
permit indiscriminate lodging back
and forth from the center Of the
street to the curb.
To eliminate both the center park
ing and the narrowness of the street
the stand could be moved to 18th
street opposite the Willard. with the
cars backed into the curb. Pros
pective customers should then be
compelled to come to the stand in
stead of the various hackers trying
to mount the steps Of the Willard to
get them.
No one wishes to deprive any pub
lie hacker Of his means of livelihood
but some means Of changing the pres,
ent system should be adopted BY the
police department. There is too much
danger in it for the general public.
Mai Gessford is Of the opinion that
the stand can be made legal in its
present location. and so governed by
the police department that the ele
ment of danger to the public can be
removed.
If SO. all right. sfG
The plan Of the department, which
is at present being considered by the
Commissioners. is to make the stand
legal in its present position. but with
only about half as many cars.
A Case of "Your Move.v
It is understood that only eight cars
are, to be allowed in the front line
and the same number in the back line
across the car track When n. man
moves out from the front line he is
compelled to drive up to the corner
and come into the end of the back
line. The head man in the back line
then moves up into the front line
In other words, when a hacker once
leaves his place he would not be al
lowed to come back into It until his
turn comes.
At the present time hackers have
appropriated practically the entire
square between 14th and 18th streets
on Pennsylvania avenue. Woe be to
the private owner who inadvertently
parks his car in the hackers self-cnn-
sttuted domain. Cases have been re-
ported where a knife or nails have
been gently inserted in the tire of the
private owners car.
Morris Collins, hack inspector Of the
District, is kept busy night and day
with the problem in front of the vii
lard Hotel, but the situation is like
the mythical monster with two heads
for every one that was cut off; every
time one Of the men is arrested two
more take his place, and so the thing
continues
If the plan Of Maj. Gessford and the
police heads will remedy the matter.
let's all get behind it and have it
adopted at the earliest possible mo-
ment.
But if that wont correct matters.
and the root Of the whole matter is
the location of the stand, as believed
by many motorists, let's get behind a
plan for its removal to a less dam
gerous and crowded thoroughfare.
At any event now is the time to DO
something.