The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-22

Of US weigh about 800 pounds. So you were
carrying $50 pounds less weight in your
cab than the law makes you carry for a
single fare. That is the whole story"
Magistrate Corrigan leaned back in his
judicial chair and allowed his eyes to wan.
der to the ceiling OF the courtroom. He
was bordering the situation.
At first the judicial mind tried to put
itself In the position Of Morris. the taxi
driver. The magistrate thought of himself
at the wheel of taxi cab being hailed by
former President Taft, whose official pres
ideLtial weight was 341 pounds. Suppose
four other bulky friends of Mr.. Taft stood
beside him and squeezed their Brobding.
nagian forms into his taxicab,, with the
total weight at 1,705 pounds.
The vision of FIVE huge figures of Taft
proportions in his cab seemed to Magis-
trate Corrigan as a manifest injustice de-
spite the legal assumption that five is
full load. II these five giants should stand
before him and refuse to pay an extra fare
common sense would dictate a decision
that In such a case Morris, the cab driver,
II complainant, would be awarded double
fare.
Turning his judicial mind toward the
point Of view of the Llliputians, Magis-
trate Corrigan considered the contention
of the midget, who pointed out that the
weight Of the passengers and not their
numbers. There seemed to be a good deal
of common sense in this point of view.
Six newly born infants for instance, would
hardly justify a double fare, although,
strictly, the letter of the law would 80
indicate.
II, then, this principle of reasoning were
sound the midgets. with their combined
aggregate weight of 600 pounds, could not
be considered as overburdening the cab
and thus emitting the driver to the double
fare which he claimed.
Slowly returning his gaze from the CELL
ing of the courtroom to the upturned faces
Of the midgets. Magistrate Corrigan rem.
dered his decision, and announced that the
midgets, though ten in number, need not
pay the extra fare, even IL the legal quota
OF the cab was five passengers.
But the thing will not end with Magis.
trate Corrigan's decision. The door has
been opened to an entirely new point Of
view and new basis for wrangliBg, argu-
ment and dispute between the taxi driver
and his passengers. IL the taxi law can be
interpreted on the basis of weight, who is
to suppose that taxi drivers and their fares
will not take, advantage OF this new inter.
probation OF the New York taxi law.
II ex-President Taft and former Collector
of Internal Revenue big Bill" Edwards
and Marie Dressler, the generously proper
toned coincidence, should happen to hail
a cab with their aggregate weight of, per.
haps, 1900 pounds-why should not the
taxi driver point to the decision of Mag
istrate Corrigan and insist upon double
fare?
Suppose Mr.. Emory Tutman who, with
his Winter clothes on, weighs over 700
pounds, should try to squeeze in and all
the back seat of cab all alone. Would
the unfortunate Mr.. Tutman be assessed
as more than five people" and have to pay
double?
or course in Mr. Humans case the prob
abilities are that he could not accomplish
the feat of getting through the door Of q
taxi. When Mr.. Tutman became involved
with the police on a little matter OF dis.
pute they found that there was no cell in
Atlantic City big enough to squeeze him
into. But possibly in the Summer time,
when the top is let down, Mr.. Tutman
might succeed In climbing over the sido
OF the cab and thus raise the interesting
question already suggested above.
The echoes OF Magistrate Corrigan's rea.
soning will be heard throughout the city
as time goes on. and may, perhaps,
lead to the carrying OF pair OF scales by
each cab driver and the regulation OF cab
fares on the basis of the parcel post.