The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1920-12-02
Gate City Goes AT.
ter the Gas Wagons
CITY REVOKES LICENSES
OF 81 AUTOS FOR HIRE.
Does So Because Of Drivers Failure
To Pay Amount of Tax City
Asks--Wants $40 Additional.

Asks-Wants $40 Additional.
AresofutiOn introduced by Mayor E.
J. Stafford and adopted unanimously
| by board of city commissioners Fri
day afternoon at Greensboro revoked
the license Of 81 automobiles for hire
on account of their owners failure to
pay the full amount of license tax
which the city demands of them. ThiS
action featured the session of the
board and came as a. climax to some
months of bandying between the city
and the drivers.
The history of the case is interest
4 ing The board of city commissioners
passed an ordinance, effective June 1,
1920, fixing the license tax for auto
mobiles for hire at $50. 1t was sosn
found, however, that a decision of the
Supreme court declared it unlawful
for a municipality to collect more than
81 from drivers or owners of auto
mobiles for hire as license tax; and the
mayor proceeded to collect only the
81 tax from each of the 60 or more
! drivers for hire operating in the city
The special session of the general
amending the revenue act of 1919 so
as to remove the limitation imposed
on municipalities, and the city then
notified the drivers that they were ex-
pected to pay an additional $40. In
| fact, Mayor Stafford says that when
the licenses for 81 were issued those
who secured them were given to un-
derstand that if and when the general
assembly removed the limitation they
would be required to pay the city the
+ $40 balance.
Some of the drivers, nevertheless,
have taken the position that the city
sold them a license for 81 to cover a
period OF - months and that a license
is license regardless of whether 81
or $50 is charged for it.
In the meantime the city had pass
ed another ordinance making it un-
lawful for the drivers to park their
cars on South, Elm street near the
passenger station, on the ground that
the parking of cars on this street
caused bad congestion of traffic; and
they changed their parking place to
South Greene street and vacant lot
at the corner of South Greene and
iBuCndnan SCF00L.
When pressed for the balance of $40
each, the drivers, through an attorney
and later through other representa-
tives, signified their willingness to pay
the balance if they should be allowed
to return to South Elm street, con-
tending that having to park on Greene
street was not only expensive to them
themselves, but inconvenient to the
travelling public.
The board was not inclined to a
promise in any such manner, and no.
tice was given the alleged delinquents
that unless they paid the balance of
$50 the respective licenses of such
owners of automobiles would be. re-
voked. &
The balances, except|in in two or three
instances, have not been paid, with the
result that the licenses of the follow
ing owners or drivers were, by Eeso-
luticn passed Friday afternoon, re-
voked:
H. C.. Brewer, John Byrd, R. Car
mack, w. E. Caud1e, James Compton,
G. G.. Cummings, w. P. Dalton, Taylor
Daniels, James w. Doak, Arthur Foust,
FCorbitt Foust, A. w. Graves, K. r.
Henley, w. M. Headen, Sam Hood, w.
T. Holland, John Huffman c. G.. Idol,
Ernest Jones, r. H. Jones, Fred John
son, J. F. Lane, Charles Marsh, Charles
Mays, J. P. Massey, w. J. Mears, Viii
liam Monk. A. J. Moore, James B. Nc
; liver, Lacy Mclean, National Motor
company, Henry Noble, o. Henry hotel,
J. D. Overman, w. G.. Patterson, James
Price, p. l.. Price, Henrietta Purvis,
Jesse Reid, w. P. Raper, K L. Reit-
eel, Donnie Shankle, Tom Shaw, Wal
ter Snipe3, P. L. Sloan, J. L. Swiggett
F. j. Ste ckhouse, J. G. Strader, A. w.
Thomas, d. w. Tyson, Anderson Wade,
Charles Whitfield, Thomas Whitfield,
J. w. Winchester, w. s.. Wyrick, C. M.
Webster and Erwin Williams.
Subsequent sections of the resoIu-
tion state that any of the foregoing
persons may obtain license expiring
May 81, 1921, by paying the city the
sum of $40 each and that they may
Iappear before the board of city COM
missioners at any meeting within 10
days from the passage of this resolu-
tion and show cause, if any they have,
why their license should not be re-
voked. ':.-