Evening star., 1922-06-21
TAXI MEN ASSA|L
M|SHAP BOND LAVE
New York Hotel Body Offers.
Legal Staff to Meet
Attack.

NEW YORK, June 21.-New York.
NEW YORK. June 20.-New York. :
a taxi-riding city, is in a turmoil
over legislation effective July which
requires every taxi owner in a city.
of the first class-New York, Buffalo.
and Rochester-to post $4,000 against ::
any judgments obtained for acci.Es
dents.
The latest development came when,.i
William H. Packard, claiming to rep
resent owners of about IL, 900 of the Z.
city's feet of 5000 taXis. yesterday
filed suit in federal court attacking
the constitutionality of the taxicab'
compulsory bonding act and seeking
to prevent its enforcement by Dis
; trict Attorney Banton and Attorney
| General Newton Federal Judge Man :
| ton granted an order directing Mr.
Banton to show cause next Friday :.
F, why the new law should not be de-
| clared void. =
Popular Conception Denied.
| Statements are contained in the :
complaint and appended aftidavits by
! five taxi drivers. which serve to Off
! set the popular conception of a taxi :
! pirate" portrayed by the stage
comedian. =
The bill of complaint sets forth: =
THE humber of accidents resulting
| by private owners, operating such !.
cars for pleasure or business, is far
greater than those operated by TAXI
| cab drivers. This is due to the fact
| that taxicab drivers are by law re-
| quired to have experience and knoWl-
edge pertaining to the operation Of -
! said motor cars and required to pass
examinations as to their fitness for
| that purpose. The standard Of fit
| ness demanded and required of taxi
n = iS o,trh lieyh h.r, "a
one eXacted from owners of cars who
! operate same for pleasure"
| Statistics We're incorporated in one
| of the affidavitS to show that Of the
| 652 deaths in 1918 from automibile
accidents taXicabs figured in only
| fourteen, while of 7o2 deaths in 1919
only twentythree were in any way
attributable to taxicabs.
Average Income S35.
The average income from a New
York taxi was said to be about S35
a week. and, with insurance. com
| panies fixing rate of 1850 a year
| for furnishing bonds, $3.50 must be
deducted each week for premiums.
1 The plaintiff, therefore, contends that
the law is confscatory without due
process of law, thereby violating the
| fourteenth amendment.
The taXimen also claim that if they
! charged the full tolls permitted by
! law the public-particularly visitors
who always hop into a taxi when
! they come to New York for high
/ Jinks-would patronize trolley cars.
subways and Is.
Another side of the controversy is
| presented by the Hotel Association of
| New York City, which. with the Fifth
Avenue and Broadway Association,
sponsored the bill. In statement
placing its legal staff al the disposal
OF Attorney General Newton to meet
any attack on the new law. the hotel
association characterized many of the
taxi drivers now operating as .'finan-
cially and morally Irresponsible"
The association added that the
measure also was designed to drive
from the streets taxis that were me-
chanically unfit-once proud vehicles
/ that had fallen down the social scale
of motordom until they had wound
| up as cruising taXis-"owls" in city
| parlance.