The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-03-16
|TAxIS HAVE TO
Get PROPERTY
OWNERS 0. K.
City Commission Passes New
Ordinance This Morning.
Drivers Must File Written Cone
sent With Clerk.
OVERRIDE MAYOR C0RWIhE
Chief Executive Says New Law
Verse Than Old.
Section TX Eclipses Famous
Article Y of Peace Treaty.
Drivers Must File Written Con~
sent With Clerk.
OVERRIDE MAYOR CORWlAE

Taxi drivers must obtain and file
with the city clerk the written consent
of the abutting property owner before
they may stand their vehicles or solicit
business on any public street or alley,
according to the provisions of a new
ordinance passed today by the city
commissioners. They may, however.
stop at any convenient place tenn
porarily to take on or discharge pas
sengers.
Mayor Herbert ]. Corwine opposed
the new law at every step. 1t was in
troduced for first reading by Com
missioner Robert McGiffert. An emer-
gency was declared and the measure
was passed for second reading. Dur
ing more than two hours of heated
debate it appeared rnat 1t must even
tually die a lingering death, but one
by one the commissioners fell in line
against the protests OF the city's chief
executive and on final roll call the
vote stood four to one for passage.
The ordinance will become a law upon
publication in The State Journal. prob
ably tomorrow.
Famous Article Y Eclipsed.
The new ordinance embodies all the
, provisions of the former law. with the
! exception of the title. which was
changed in order to legalize il, and
/ Section 9, which provides that taxi
drivers may not solicit business with
out the consent of the property owner
/ which consent may be revoked upon
ten days notice. The mayor voted in
favor of the title ana all sections ex-
/ cept Section 8.
The famous Article y of the peace
! treaty faded into obscurity when the
debate on section 9 of the city taxi
= law began Mayor Corwine declared
the city was jumping from the frying
pan into the fire" He declared the
commission was surrendering jurisdic-
/, ton of the public streets to the prop
erty owners and that there would be
constant fighting and trouble between
the various taxi drivers. Further. he
declared. the new ordinance would
tend to decrease the number of jitneys
and taxis operating in the city. which
he characterized as a lamentable con-
dition. These vehicles. on the con-
trary, should be increased, he said.
New Section Legal-Branamnn.
Commissioner w. II. WATSON seemed
to entertain the mayors views for
some time. Even w. S. Hancock,
street commissioner, seemed willing to
conciliate. Commissioner Stanfield
was non-com initial. Finally WATSON
said he would vote for the revised
section If D. H. Branaman. city at
torney expressed the opinion that it
was thoroly legal. Branaman obliged
him and when City Clerk Covell called
the roll only Mayor Corwine responded
with an empnatlc NO..
For a time 1t appeared the bill
would go to a conference and be taken
up at the next regular meeting. Was
son freely expressed regret that II was
not in such form that the vote could
be made unanimous.
Says Won't Remedy Situation.
The former Ordinance was bad
enough" Mayor Corwfne declared. /.
but this is worse. We are merely
| jumping out of the irving nan int n
the fire. / want II understood that
favor law controlling taxi driving
and want to see the undesirables in
that business weeded out. But. this
! section won't do it. We are merely
surrendering our Jurisdiction of the
public streets to the abutting property
owners and bringing about contro-
: versies between the drivers.
Taxi drivers are going to have 10
} spend half their time running around
getting permission TO stand their We
: hicles here and there and this is going
) to tend to discourage the business
: This is deplorable, for. as a matter
of fact, we need more taxis in Topeka
/ don't question Judge Branaman'
, opinion regarding the legality OF this
j ordinance, but L question its merits
= and expediency."
The title of the new ordinance reads
4 as follows:
, An ordinance regulating baggage and
passenger vehicles Of all kinds and the
c operation thereof regulating the owners
how the business OF carrying passen-
= gers and baggage for hire shall be con-
2 Quoted in the city Of Topeka. and re-
0 bee Is. 1872, and ordinance No 1851
y Approved Jan. Is, 1920.
Text OF Section ..
Section Q. over which so much CON
rontfnned on Page TwoS