ATTACKS ON TAXI DRIVERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 August 1943, Page 3

ATTACKS ON TAXI DRIVERS

CASES IN AUCKLAND. SCANDALOUS CONDUCT OF SERVICE MEN. (By Telegraph—Press Association.), AUCKLAND, August 10. While the position in Auckland does not appear to be as serious as in Wellington, there have been several reports recently to Auckland taxi services regarding attacks on drivers. In only one of these was the driver hurt. Most of the cases have occurred when drivers have been unable to accept orders from certain service men. There has been no reluctance on the part of drivers to undertake night duty through fear of attack.

The managers of Auckland taxi services, Messrs A. J. Sinclair and F. I. Drumm, stated that as a result of one attack the driver’s arm was injured and he had to be sent to hospital. He resisted two visiting service men who attempted to take his car. In another recent case two visiting service men smashed all the windows in a taxi and destroyed the door handles. All leather upholstery in another car was slashed with a razor. Practically all the disturbances occurred fairly late at night. The managers of the service are seriously perturbed at the damage being done to its telephones. They state this has been considerable in recent weeks. Instruments htive been broken and in a number of cases receivers have been torn off.