Evening star., 1945-08-08
princeGeorges
Calls Meeting
ToFix Taxi Rates
Long Advocated Step
Token After Charges
Of Gougine Are Heard

Establishment of uniform taxi.
cab rates in Prince Georges County,
q move long advocated by county
civic and business organizations, is
IN prospect.
The county commissioners an
nounced yesterday they will re-
quest all cab owners in the county
to meet with them and with repre-
sentatives Of the Maryland Public
Service Commission at 2 pm. SeD-
tember IL at the Upper Marlboro
Courthouse to draft a uniform rate
schedule.
The action was taken at the re.
quest Of lie Roy Pumphrey, menu
Der of the county delegation to the
State Legislature, and Joseph 8. A.
Giardina, transportation engineer
for the Public Service Commission
Gouging Charged.
Also appearing before the board
was County Police Chief Ralph w.
Brown and Sergt. Charles N.
Thomson, who reported they had
received scores Of complaints about
the 'gouging" Of passengers by
county taxicab operators.
Sergt. Thomson said that IN ono
case, a person was charged $4.50
for a trip from Berwyn to Mount
Rainier-a distance Of about 3 miles.
In another case, according to
Sergt. Thomson, two passengers
were charged $40 to be taken from
Brentwood to Union Station, about
Z miles away.
He said several taxicab COM
panies In the county have prepared
rate schedules, but that the drivers
refuse to observe them, since they
are not official
Pointing out that the commits
sioners have broad powers to reg
ulate taxicabs and fix rates under
law passed at the 1941 session OF
the Legislature, Mr.. Pumphrey at
first suggested that the Public
Service Commission set up a pro-
posed rate schedule to be approved
by the board.
Mr.. Giardina said that although
he would be glad to aid in such a
proposal, he would prefer that the
ltaxicab owners "get together" and
draft their own schedule to be SUBJ
mitted to the commissioners. He
added that such rates, If approved.
should be filed with the Public Serv-
Ice Commission and posted in the
taxicabs.
He also suggested the installation
of taxicab meters as the "only real
solution to the problem" The board
expressed doubt, however, concern
ing their availability.
Agree on Meeting.
The commissioners then agreed to
call meeting Of the approximately
20 taxicab owners in the county.
A'request by Chief Brown for ad-
ditional policemen was taken under
advisement. Under the law, the COM
missioners have authority to appoint
up to 18 emergency policemen.
Declaring that the present police
situation is pitiful, the police chief
pointed out that there are only 1S
county policemen now on duty to
patrol an area Of approximately 500
square miles and with a population
Of about 10000.
The county police force has an au-
thorized strength of 20 men but
three are on vacation, three are sick
and four recently entered the serv-
ice, Chief Brown explained.
An application by the Cherford
Corn nuyTar for tha yanlr rrSl~.
ton from residential A to COM
mercial D Of a parcel of land on
the south side of East-West high
way east OF New Hampshire ave-
nue. was approved.
Application Granted.
Also approved was an application
by Lawrence Collins and Butler
Woodward, owners, for the recIassi-
fication from residential A to @
OF lots ILLS, block 6, Linwood sub
division. Bladensburg.
Trial Magistrate Alan Bowie re-
ported collection of fines and costs
totaling $4,355.35 last month, of
which the commissioners receive
$2,614.05.
Collection of $110.50 in fines and
costs during June was reported by
Substitute Trial Magistrate Henry
I'M. O,Neill. OF this amount the
commissioners receive $73.
Circuit Court Clerk Brice Bowie
reported the sale of beer, wine, ice
and peddlers' licenses totaIing
$234.90 during July.
The. appointment Of Gilbert Z.
Wilson, Accokeek, as deputy Stase
forest warden, was approved by the
board.
A II