Evening star., 1935-06-23

OILY d NlSlUlE SyI1lOOl O1 buC=
cess or of vengeance or something.
A rise In prices would de disastrous
to Washington's taxicabs.
The city has $500 taxicabs. 1t
has no business having more than
thousand.
But the fact of the $500 taxicabs re-
mains. You can't just put three-fourths
of them out OF commission. And the
only way you can possibly keep $500
of them going is by the present low
rates E,erybody rides now-and on
the slis ltest provocation. There have
been times no doubt when you have
found it simply impossible to get
taxi-deSpite the unreaSonably large
number of them. That sort of thing
would almost make it seem that there
aren't enough Of them, wouldn't it?
And perhaps you're right My own
opinion is that the business, with a
further downward revision of rates,
could use at least a thousand more
taxiS. But Wen go into that some
other time.
How do we manage to make liv-
iEg? By excessively hard work. Let
me show you my manifest for Sat-
urday. June 8, for instance I'll sum-
Marie it for you. I worked II hours,
rode 143 miles. I made 81 trips, for
which 1 collected s1o55. plus $1.95
tips My total gross was $12.50.
Fourteen gallons of gas cost me s2.O3.
I paid $3.50 for my cab. My net for
the day then was s6.77.
Or take Tuesday, June II, the day
following the strike. took advantage
of the rise in prices and charged the
$3.50 rates. I worked 1872 hours that
day and rode 124 miles, making 81
trips. Gas cost me $145 anG the car
$3.50. Net for my 1872 hours was
S685.
On Saturday. June IS, was back
on the old rates. worked 10 hours
and rode 200 miles, making SO trips.
I collected $12.05, plus 1925 tips, total
gross, S14.3o. Gas, $1.45; car dues,
$3.50. Net, $685..
I've done better than that I've
made $14 in one day. But the day
was 20 hours long.
Resentment Is Felt.
And in these hours parenthetically,
you have an explanation of why most
of US resent being called, be it by
inference ever so delicate, crooks. We
work too hard and too honestly, with
our dependents in mind and all that,
60 k@I Aak ,R
The trouble with our business Is
the daily hump of SIS to be gotten
over The first IS we take, do you
see, go for our expenses, cab rent,
gas and oil. Normally, it takes us
about six hours to make that first S..
Six hours OF steady driving begins to
be good days work. But We can't
quit there. In the next six hours we
may take another IS. Not until then do
we begin to have our wage. It's hard,
hard going. all right. and it doesn't
always come at that rate Of SIS in six
hours. I've had days when it took
me eight hours to make that first $5,
and then I went home at the end of
IA hours with only So In my pocket.
We rent the cab or we buy it. oh,
yes, somebody undoubtedly is making
a lot Of money out of al this business.
. This cab IS $3.50 a day whether
I rent it or buy It. . So naturally
I'm buying 1t. We'll. the disadvantage
is that become liable for repairs; and
then. too, there's no longer a chance
for a day of. It's $3.50 a day, day
after day. If I we're renting it, I could
simply turn it in for a day or two new
and then and loaf, with no dues to
pay. But now, Of course. >. Well,
one of the concerns has something
like 1900 cabs on the street. Each
cab pays so cents day dues-for the
privilege of belonging to that associa-
tion. 1900 times 60 cents is $3.50. . g.
A day from dues alone $23, 400
q month. And the same concern
sells gas some hours Of the day at the
rate Of $100 an hour. b.. With 20 per
cent profit. That's $40 an hour.
;. Just from gas. It would be in
teresting to see their books. Yes,
somebody's making money.
But it isn't tfle poor cabby and it
never win be tire poor cabby who
amasses unmerited boards. No, ma'aml
I've gotten so that I can understand
that he should gyp little cow and
then You don't know what it Is to
have wife and children. All, here we
are, ma'am!
Oh, yes, we have all kinds Of inter-
esting experiences. Thatnl be 10
cents, ma'arn. II became 70 cents
when we passed AlDemarle street,
ma'am. I can't nelp it that we're
only block past II, ma'am. I've given
you Is minutes Of my time and taken
you five miles. Ard have to 60
backl Seventy cents, pleased
Louis Jongblort 1914 Twelfth