Year: 1872

Ian - abstract Of the ordinance at present in
force, together with summary of q proposed
ordinance TO supplant the existent one. In
each OF these the section forbidding all touting
by drivers appears The principal differences
interesting 10 the public win be found in
arranging more exactly the matter of fares,
and that the supervision of the stands is
entrusted 10 captain Of police. Now, in the
former particular the rates in each case are
much TOO high. In the present ordinance the
rate set down for conveying single passen-
ger one mile Is ffty cents. although we be-
lieve q premium might be offered in vain
for any one within Ave years who has
ridden even ten PAGES for that amount
The proposed ordinance rejects the mileage
system. divides the island into ten lateral
without stoppage within any one Of the dis
tricts In two-horse vehicle. and seventy five
cents for one-horse vehicle. These districts
are about mile each in length. their breadth
being that OF the island from east to west.
In London the lowest cab fare Is one shilling
OF twenty Ave cents for not over two miles,
that bcing the lowest fare: every additional
mile Ia sixpence extra. Allowing, then, our
hsckmen double the London prices as fair
ratio bctwcen the difference Of values in labor,
wear and tear &c.. we believe that fifty cents
should be the minimum fare here and that it
should be good for q two-mile ride in o clean
carriage. additional distances being paid for
st the rate Of twenty five cents mile. This
rate for three-mile ride would be exactly half
what the present or the proposed law allows.
and should 10 sufficient in all conscience. II
In in reality from one-fourth 10 ope-seventh
what hackman will at present demand
Driving by the hour should not cos. more than
one dollar


There are for this service in New York some
good coupes and great number Of numbering
and dirty two-horse carriages. The smart
London Hanson is all but unknown. and the
handy four-wheel one-horse cab, with its i'm
mense capacity for baggage. is non-existent.
The cab rank, from which one takes the first
vehicle that comes Of the kind he desires, and
which thus prevents all opportunities and
bother at railroad depots, steamer landings.
ferries and places of amusement is not 10 be
found ON these shores. and should be estab-
lished rs an initial step i'm any reform. The
supervision Of these ranks should bo not
merely under one police captain, but tho
special care Of the entire police force Of the
city. In the teeth of the legal rates no person
can at present ride any distance under a
dollar and o half For overcharge there is no
redress. All over the Continent Of Europe
the first policeman will act as arbitsr in dis
putes and enforce the law. Here it is nobody's
business and receives the attention such bust
ness generally obtains. II is, doubtless, true
that the utter absence of economy on such
matters among Americans who ride in hacks
is the main cause Of the continuance Of the
abuses we have pointed out but there Is a
large class who are debarred from this form of
rapid transit by chronic extortions, yet who
would be glad to avail themselves Of IL II
placed at a reasonable rate and withal q fairly
profitable one to the hack owners. But not
only on the ground of economy should the
system be changed. While keeping the rates
Of fare within proper bounds when we choose
to ride, we insist that the hack and the driver
be prevented from being bore and . nui-
sance when we do not