CABMEN AND TAXI-DRIVERS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1434, 8 May 1912, Page 4

CABMEN AND TAXI-DRIVERS.

A' COMI'b.VIVr. Sir,—l ri'-e to strongly, indignantly, and vocifcrau-ly protest against ihe manner in which that moribund body known a-; the Ciiy Council allow the cilij-.ens of tilis town, anil the visitors unfortunate enough to be landed here, lo be snbjecled fu tlie trafiickiu;: which gaps oil amongst the taxi-cab people and the ordinary cabmen. I rang up a cebslaud at 7 p.m. to-night ta endeavour to obtain a vehic.P to talvP me from lioxburgh Street to !ho Maori. The aniy cab oil the stand was a han-Din, the driver of which demanded Cs. !. tried another stand, struck another iivo-whpelor, price os. (id. 1 -thought that far tan hot. and tried the taxi -lands. .After a deal of rincing 1 got Fealhnston Street, and asked lor a taxi. The individual at the other end of the 'phone yelled u'ui (apparently to some others there), "Here's'a man wants a car." "Tell 'im lo walk." .-aid a voice. Anofhcr voice chipped in. "Is I here another 'tram strikei-" Still airdher ouei-v was audible, "('ain't 'e walk:" I ivait-'d very ;)i lienlly ai my end of the 'ph'-oje, ycliing, "Are you there, are v i-i there?" until I was vie!;. In Hie m.-antiml:ie fillip v.-a-. living, and I had an;: an invalid lady to n-sist (o file 'v-nf. Finally 1 ruiii off in the laughing, guffawing driver's car, ai'd l-nn ho-ue. inlent on i'ramilling if, v.'.hich 1 ultimately did. I alighted ai Kelburne Avenue, and'walking up (Jre.v Stipi-t to the wharf I counted eight Par.' on the sisnil. Xnw. sir. 1 want to know aro. iiie-p tilings to ba tolerated in a citv centai'iiion same eiphlv ih-n.-and cl' a papuhce, a;ul lioa.-tin': of iieing the capital cifv of Hie lloniiubn? If I had gone down ta the taxi stand and allowed .nine of these r:ro;:!.- !- -ion my while f v.'nv-rl thei- ;->ooii. I would have been Ipclpil un. Well, in ilw face of fiiat, f would bo extremely obliged if yen would inform nip what eiiaht to be done cither lo Hip nfi-retiienf.ionpd di ivprs or to ihe council which countenances such oiiiragenns behaviour. It is Us,less for Hip council to ri*e up wrathfully and say (hey th nut countenance it, because these individual- are plying under the council's license.—l n-n. e(e.. FL'TJ. rp. April 21, I,ni2.