Pueblo chieftain., 1921-11-10
DECLINING TERROR OF THE TAXI

In accordance with rules laid down
by the department. the driver OF
public hack mus, produce. upon de-
mand OF It's officials. a record OF an
trips made by his vehicle during n
period OF 50 days prior to the demand
Such a record may often be called
upon to prove an aiihi for tho drive
himself or his passenger not only IL
cases OF this klnd but In importan
criminal cases The driver who fans
to produce such a record or who pre-
seuts one OF Questionable authenticity
Is not al all 20 be enviei.
The department also has a list
other rules with which the wise driver
viii comply. 1; ia specified. for In
stance. that he mus, be at least q
years old. os sound physique. with
good eyosight, and not subject TO eps-
lepsy. vertigo. heart trouble. or other
infirmity OF body or mind which nj
render him unfit for the safe opera
ton OF public hack IN crowded ;raf-
fic.
QUALIFICATIONS OF A TAXI
DRIVER
He must be able TO read and writ.
English." the rules continue. have
progressed as far as first papers to-
ward naturalization. II allen born.
must be clean in dress and person and
| not addicted TO tho use OF intoxicating
Dquors- He must present satisfactory
testimonials as to character and pre-
vious record. signed by reputable cttt-
zens, and supply n detailed descrtp-
lions OF his personal appearance. to-
sether with flngerprints and photo
graph for the files of the department
This photograph must also be attached
to the little red license book which
every driver carries. to be produced
Tor Identification purposes at any
time. at the request OF either the pas
seuger or officer OF the law.
Every taNicab must carry a taxi
meter, likewise printed copy of the
legal rates of fare. \ higher rate may
, not be demanded For a driver to Of
Ter his services at flat rate on the
excuse of meter -out-of-order' Is
against the law; the fact alone OF the
meter not Working properly automat-
ically suspends his license until such
time as the appliance is adjusted and
approved anew.
Any public hack displaying the
Teady-for- business signal must accept
any passenger who applies. to be car
ried anywhere within the city limit,
whether IL be just around the corner
or 10 the furthest point of Staten Is
land. a driver who doubts the ability
OF passenger to pay may demand
payment in advance at legal rates. but
must tender n receipt.
No vehicle shall be licensed when
the body thereof is so constructed as
to enclose the driver with the pas-sen-
gers. or when such hack is equipped
with curtains on the inside. Neither
may driver permit anyone to SIT
beside him on the box. such restric-
tons beng necessary lest taNicab be
converted into a medium of crime
New York now has between seven
and eight thousand hacks. A large
number OF them belongs TO corpora-
tions. who employ drivers on "A SALARY
basis and stand responsible for their
conduct. Many individuals who own
one or more cars have also formed
associations for their mutual benefit
Such association has lts own en-
blem and color scheme for the cars
as We'll hs its own hack stand and tele-
phone exchange, but each member
pockets his individual profits.
The taxi business, like most others
grew enormously during the war. and
with 1t the demand for drivers. The
Department OF Licenses had n sad time
enforcing Its specifications for drivers
In the fac. Of a labor shortage. so that
some rather desperate characters crept
into the hack ranks. Up until last
year. In fact, one could never be quite
sure whether n taxi ride would turn
out to be convenience or an adven-
ture. This year. however, we are moro
than back to normalcy. The streets
are filled with empty cabs, even duriug
4 the thuhtcr hours, and the erstwhila
traffic terror has become a model OF
] decorum