Evening star., 1932-07-24
7 TAX|CAB STANDS
TO Be SURVEYED
AND MANY SHIFTED
Utilities Commission Seeks
Changes in Interest of
Smoother Traffic.
MONOPOLY BY SOME
COMPANIES MAY END
Action Based on Authority Granted
by New License Code-Police
Check Vehicles.

The Public Utilities Commission, 1t
was learned yesterday. is planning an
exhaustive survey of public vehicle
stands in the District with view to
relocating many Of them SO as to avoid
interference with traffic.
The survey also is expected to result
in abolition of the monopoly enjoyed by
certain taXicab companies in the vicinity
CT leading hotels-a situation vigorously
condemned several years ago by the
United States Bureau of Efficiency and
more recently by members of Congress
The commission will make the survey
and readjuSt the cab stands on the
basis of authority granted in the new
District license code Heretofore au-
thority for establishing the stands was
vested in the director of traffic, who,
under the new law will designate stands
only upon order of the commission.
New Stand Locations.
In relocating the stands. the commits
SIGN, it was said, will make an effort to
place them on streets and in locations
where taxicabS leaving them with fares
will not cause serious interference with
traffic. In a number of cases, it was
pointed out stands are located in such
position, that cabs are forced to cross
moving traffic. a movement which often
| causes traffic jam. AS an example, it
was pointed out, many of the stands on
| the north and south bound streets in
! the business section are located on the
| west side of the street. whereas the ma
| jority OF persons calling a cab 60 in a
nOrtherly direction, necessitating the
| hazardous "U' turn. Such stands prob
ably will be shifted to the east side of
the street.
The exclusive rights enjoyed by taxi
! companies having conce eSsions at hotels
will be destroyed, it was indicated, by
an order granting the use CT the hotel
stands to the vehicles of anv concern
A legal battle is expected to follow the
/ issuance of such an order. but the COM
missicn, it was explained. feels duty
, bound to take such action on the
ground that it was the intent CT Con-
! gress to have the hotel taxi stand mo-
nopoly broken up when it transferred
| jurisdiction over the stands from the
| traffic Office.
Traffic Bureau Interest.
The taxicab situation also is occupy
| ing the attention of Inspector E. w
Brown. assistant superintendent of police
/ in command of the Traffic Bureau. who
, has ordered thorough check-up of all
/ cabs to ascertain whether the owners
| have procured the new license pre-
! scribed in the recently enacted license
/ code
| For two days Inspector Brown and
/ the officers attached to his bureau ex-
amined a number of cabs, but thus far
found only half dozen operating with
out the new license. Owners Of these
! cabs will be prosecuted.
| Wade H. Coombs, superintendent OF
licenses of the District, has estimated
that 1400 public vehicles have not yet
been licensed. Traffic Bureau officials
believe most of these have been taken
! of the streets because of the S25 license
| fee which the owners have found diff
cult to raise. In addition there is a
S5 fee fora character license.