Evening star., 1933-08-18
TAXI TRADE BODY
PLANNED FOR D. c.
Committee of Seven to Draft
Bylaws; Rate Change
Made Secondary.

Abandoning for time their efforts
to adjust taxi fares, representative taxi
men of the District of Columbia last
night took the first concrete steps toward
the formation of a Taxicab Board of
Trade for the National Capital A COM
mittee of six taxi men, including two
drivers, was named to sit with Richmond
B. Keech, peoples counsel, to draft a
constitution and bylaws for the new
body
If and when the Taxicab Board of
Trade becomes an actual fact, the
pioneer organizers agreed at their meet
ing in the District Building board room
the question of rates, zones and meters
problems and questions which it would
handle. The Board of Trade, it was
asserted, would seek to improve all con-
ditions in the taxi industry here.
The committee, as appointed by T. w.
Fowler, former taxi driver who has
instigated efforts of taximen to organize,
follows:
A. w. Jacobson of the City Cab
Corporation. Leon Brill of the Bell Cab
Co., Jack Dalton of the Blue Light Cab
Co. John H. Roger of the Premier Cab
Co.. e. D. Leffingwell, operator of a
Graylon cab representing the smaller
cab operators, and C. H. LettoW, repre-
senting the Independent cab operators.
This committee was instructed to invite
the Diamond Cab Co. to delegate rep
reSentative to be a member of the COM
mittee. The men named by Mr.. Fowler
last hight. in most instances. were
nominated by the assembled taxi men.
Meeting Next Week.
The committee will meet at a place
yet to be determined, probably early
next week AS soon as its report on
constitution and bylaws for the Taxi
cab Board of Trade is completed, it will
present its plan to another assembly OF
taximen for approval. Receiving that,
permanent officers would be elected.
Last nights meeting began with
random discussions Of new rates. Vir-
tually all drivers advocated higher
rates of some sort. and while agree
ment on a specific plan of increase was
lacking, the growing concensuS ap-
peared to be in favor of dividing the pres
ent. first. or 20-cent zone, into two zones,
designating the present second zone
as zone three and the present third
zone as zone four. Widely differing
opinions were advanced, however. for
the rates in the proposed new four
zone system, some proposing as low
as Is cents for the smaller new first
zone, which would embrace the shop
ping district, and others insisting upon
rates beginning at 35 cents. The high
est top figure suggested for the last
zone was 90 cents, but most suggestions
centered between 10 cents and 80 cents
cents.
1t was when the meeting became
involved in differences of opinion as
to rates that c. H. Lettow, who event.
ually was named to the Board of Trade
Committee, vigorously urged the men
to quit squabbling for just this once
and get together in a real organiza-
ton" Lettow told the assembly that
he had been hacking for Is years and
that he had attended similar rate
meetings many times only to see them
avail nothing. He added that he per-
sonally was strong advocate of the
meter plan.
Need Of Organization.
But let's forget meters and zones
and fiat rates this time" he said.
and let's organize good strong
board of trade that will stand for us
all in everything that We need Rates
dIeIl everything. Inere are cab
stands, and 900 different things they
can lock us up for now that need at
tending to. You can't get anywhere
as an individual man. but let strong
taxlcab board of trade fight your bat
tie for you and people VIII give you
hearing. Make that organization and
no cab company will stay out of it. and
Gold help those who try to stay out!"
The meeting applauded Lettow en-
Enthusiastically, and proposals immediate
ly came forward seeking to set the or
ganization into motion. This plan also
was strongly advocated by A. w. Jacob
son, attorney for the City Cab Co.. who
said random discussion of rates this
early in the game is a waste of your
time"
In brief address, Mr.. Fowler con-
tended that the national taxicab code
which is up for consideration and which
may be presented to the National Re-
covery Administration today, cannot
apply to rates of operation because
every city has its own conditions, and
Washington is different from almost all
of them