TAXI TAXATION

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1933, Page 7

TAXI TAXATION

FAR TOO HEAVY

CUT-THROAT COMPETITION

PAINTING OP CARS

Taxi cars have been discussed in quite a lively fashion by the City Council on several occasions recently, and last night the subject was again considered. The "outrageous taxation" imposed on proprietors was tho main point of discussion, but side issues related to bylaw requirements, private business methods, and cut-throat competition. Councillor T. Forsyth said that taxi proprietors were now required to display in, on, or about their cars registration plates, heavy traffic plates, a vacant and engaged sign, a taxi meter, a scale of fares, ten inches by six inches, six-inch initials on the doors of tho cars, a taxi disc, and a heavy traffic disc. The taxation amounted to no less than £47 7s 9d, covering registration plates, third-party insurance, heavy traffic licence, heavy traffic plates, stand licence, cab licence, driver's licence, doctors' certificate, fee for weighing car, and insurance. Councillor W. Duncan said the understanding was that tho taxi mon should not be required to have their initials placed on their cars until such time as the machines were renovated, but tho officers were insisting that that must bo dono right away. Councillor E. Semple, M.P., said that this was so, and that it was quite clear the council had agreed that the men should not be compelled to have their cars repainted in a special way. It seemed to him that some officers should, be told plainly to mind their own business and to carry out the council's wishes and not their own. In his opinion the taxation upon taxi men was outrageous: they were being driven out of business. Councillor L. McKenzie also considered that the officers should exorcise more leniency at a time when everyone else recognised tho need for leniency, lie doubted very much the wisdom of a proposal to establish another taxi stand in Courtenay Place, in front of the Todd building, for traffic conditions were very difficult there. GOVERNMENT TAXATION. Councillor H. A. Huggins agreed that (he taxation upon taxi proprietors was outrageous, but the fact was that.of the '£47 paid only £4 5s went to the council, £'3 for telephone facilities, £1 for the annual licence, and 5s for the driver's licence. Ho would be very glad if Councillor Forsyth could suggest a way whereby the Government taxation could be reduced. The proposal that a stand for two taxis should be established in Courtenay Place had been fully inquired into, and had been favourably reported upon in view of tho 'fact* that already the space was invariably used as a car park, and that the roadway was there quite wide. Ho would take that matter back for further consideration. Time would be given for the. repainting of cars, as had been stated at a previous meeting of the council. A lot had been said of the cost of placing initials on car doors, but the cost would not be more than 5s per letter. Two initials were required, either separately or in monogram form: inch and a half letters only were required. The requirement that cars should be painted in accordance with a colour scheme was very necessary for the protection of the public, said Councillor Huggins. 'A few taxi owners—they where only a few—had deliberately taken advantage of the similarity of the colours of their cars with those of other machines to "take down" the public, both local people and visitors from overseas, and the traffic people had rightly ordered such taxi owners to have their cars repainted, right away. They knew what men were taking advantage of tho confusion of colours, and, in his opinion, had been quite right in instructing that cars used in such a way should be repainted. He himself would fully back up the officers in that attitude, and he would like to add that the traffic officers were invariably thoroughly reasonable in their requirements of taxi proprietors who carried on their business in a reasonable way. REMOVAL OF COMPETITION. Councillor Huggins said he hoped that in the near future the Government would give attention to the removal of absurd competition among taxi proprietors, just as it had done in ending competition on the roads and with the railways. There was invested in taxicars in Wellington about three-quarters of a million pounds. Many of the cars were of superior type, and were on the road for only a few weeks before they were driven off by cut-throat competition.

Councillor Fraser: And fix the hours of work, too.

Councillor Huggins said that the council had definite information that taxi proprietors slept in their cars all night near the- Ferry Wharf in the hope of getting early fares, and while that sort of thing went on God help the city and the men concerned.