The evening world. Newspaper, November 7, 1912, Page 9

( - No Harder to Solve Here Than in London In Preparing New York's | Experience of the World Should Be Valuable. Taxicab companies of New York take in more to the service than any city tn the world. Prospective Ordinance the Largest City of the money im proportion \, ‘The continual ory of “dead mileage” no greater than elsewhere as Proved. 4 comparioos of rates and how they oan be lowered. By Sophie ordinance. present committee he answered: “Y, Aldermanic commit matter. “What we want enxtous as any one to have the situa- tion @o cleared up that the public may ‘have, as soon as possible, an eMfcient and equitable service as to public con- veyances, “I am confident that the committee {a now in possession of facts as they exist as to regulations, but the rate question 1s till a matter of constdera- tion, However, I hope, at least within @ month, to have @ definite and com- plete ordinances for recommendation.” THIS 18 WHAT WAS DONE IN LONDON LAST YEAR. Tris question of public conveyances f= @ matter that has to be constderea in every city; but there are several eities where the system 1s so perfected that adjustments are made in a re- markably short period of time. For example, in London last year when this same question came up this ts wha‘ : A committee was appointed by Winston Spencer Churchill “to in- quire and report whether any alteration is desirable in the ecale of fares for eter cabs in London, and whether ey Tecommend any modification of the arrangement meade between the Proprietors and drivers for the re- muneration of the drivers.” The “matters for consideration” were Practi¢ally the same as are now being considered by the Aldermante Commit- tee, The fundamental factor brought out was that on account of the low rate and efficient service the taxicab Dusiness of London had increased in five years from a service of ninety-six cabs to that of nearly 8,000. ‘This 1s what happened, which practi- eally covers hearings, written com- munications, &c., in similar procedure to that in New York, The report sald: “Finding that the reprepentatives of the owners and of the drivers were all desirous of a public inquiry and having ascertained that the Secretary of State also was in favor of this course, the committee decided to recetve evidence in public, A reservation was made, however, that any financial information of a confidential nature required from the owners might be given tn privat “Nine days were occupted in recelv- ing evidence and representatives of all the various interests were heard, In addition to the evidence given by wit- nesses representing the Proprietors’ As- sociation and the Cab Drivers’ Trade Union, respectively, evidence was ob- tained from the Owner-Drivers' Asso- ‘elation and from typical representatives ‘of the smaller owners and of the in- dependent drivers, As far as possible all the oral evidence that was tendered was taken, and from several other per- ons written statements were received and considered. A COMPLETE REVOLUTION WITHIN FIVE YEARS. “In consider taxicab trade Bryant WMlerd, Chairman of the Board of Aldermen, will, eall another pubic hearing on the taxicab situation, after whte ‘will get together and review the facts for the final adjustment of When I pointe? out the ¢act to Mr. Willard that this matter has been defore the public for consideration with ‘various committees for more than three years and that the ‘Deen endeavoring to hear aM ides of this question and to ‘be fair with every side in considering the whol tion, That, with the other vartous dutle; time it has taken to make @ recommendation on thie tion that wili as nearly as possitie meet with the appro’ of all and no® énfringe on any one's rights. ir Irene Loeb. in @ few days, h his committee the forthcoming ‘has been appointed since last February, ‘es, I am fully aware of it. We have vowing on an ttee, I think justifies ¢he seemingly long it to do 1s to present some recommenda- Tam as in mind that in the (ast five years a complete revolution has taken place in the London cab trade TI various compantes, owners of taxicabs, which have started within the last five years, commenced work, with one or two nota- ble exceptions, in almost complete ig- norance of the cab trade. They had everything to learn, and necessarily have, in the initial stages, made many costly mistakes. On the other hand, while the motor cab ts double the cost of the,old horse cab it has an earning jeapacity more than twice as great.” Observation. The present contention that #0 many companies have gone out of business, failed, &c., ts no different trom that experienced in London, as this complete reports plainly shows, It fe stated that the capital embarked in the London taxicab trade 4s $15,000,000. “It is important not to fose sight of the fact that while there are three cab seasons in London there are intermedi- ate perlods of considerable sinckness, during which time the number of cabs required and the engaged mileage travelled are both much lessened. “For 1910, it would appear that taking @ rough dally average of 5,000 cabs work- ing, the number of engagements per day would be about 69,00, and the gross Tecelpts about $32,500 ly—the great majority of cabs plying within a limited area.” Thus the above, which is the verbatim report, shows that the conditions in London are not vastly different from those in New York. Further, there 1a the startling fact that the average gross receipts per day of London are $32,500 counting on a@ service of 5,000 cabs— practically the same as that of New York with {ts 2,900 cabs, ‘The public hearing here developed the fact that the average earning of each taxicab was $14 per day and there being 2,200 cabs the groas receipts realized are about $32,200. don of $15,000,000 and the gross receipts the same as New York and the com- operating at @ profit, the cabs of New York City, no matter how many companies have failed, are certainly running at a big profit. But to go further in the findings of this London Committee. The Committee 4 separately with the cases put for- ward on both sides, ‘ SOME* OWNERS, NOT ALL, WANTED CHARGES RAISED. “The proprietors say—That the aver- e gross takings per cab have fallen tly compared with those of a year ago, and are insuffictent, after paying the drivers 2% per cent. commission, to defray running expenses, renew tires, provide for depreciation,.and also to the position of the earn @ fair dividend on the capital em- TaE VUNI crease of the fare from 10 to Mo for! the Gret mile, leaving the fare for sub- sequent mfles at the present rate of/ 16c, ‘They are not, however, unentmous, | for at least one company disapproves of the proposal, and same of the owner- drivers are not in favor of the increased fare. “That at present they receive a mere the police to the effect that no should be paid unless recorded tazimeters it would sneure celving @ much larger proportion, the disregard by the driver of such notice would then become @ police ef- tenes, “That tampering with taxzimeters to the prejudice of the owners is of fre- quent ocurrence. They are careful not to bring any general charge, but they assert that this fraud is an increasing one, “That the topographical test for difvers demanded by the police ts eo severe that @ shortage of drivers re- sults, and they that @ less severe examination sha’ be provided. “They unreservedly @enounce the gasoline tax and claim that it is an un- due burden on the industry, and they base their claim for an increase of fares partly upon this additional bur- den having been imposed since the scale charges was fixed, and also Partly on the added expense attendant on the additional requirements of the Police for the protection of the pubilo, such as @ second non-skid tire, the ex- tincteur, and the epeaking tube. OF DUTIES AND TAXES, “The duties paid on the cab at the Present moment amount to nearly $90. Further there are taxes on gasoline and an income besides jooal rates on garages. The owners complain of the cumulative effect of these burdens on the industry, and urge that the same should be removed in the case.of pub- Me service vehicles such as taxicabs,” Here it might ntioned that Lon- don owners are taxed nearly $90 license @ cab per year, while tn New York his ax is only @10. Something of «@ differ- ‘Generally that the whole average earnings of the trade are pulled down by the practice of a certain class of ‘lazy’ drivers who, being under no obii- gation to perform # apecified distance, and having no other inducement to work than his immediate needs, takes out @ cab and neglects to work it in a proper manner, being apparently satis- fied with small daily earning.” ‘This condition certainly cannot but de fet by the owners in New York aleo, since they pay the drivers by the day instead of 25 per cent., as is paid in London. The Pittsburgh Taxicab Company pay their drivers 20 per cent., the drivers paying for their gasoline, and acknowledge an earning of 6 per cent. on their money invested. Yet taxicabs are not as universally used in Pittsburgh es in New! York. Here ts the drivers’ side in the London report: DRIVERS COMPLAIN OF UNDUE STRAIN ON HEALTH. “The drivers say a demand for $2.50 Der day remuneration has been put forward on behalf of the men. “That the life of a taxicab driver ts one of undue strain on the health, and they point to the fact thi is classed as one of the trades and calls for a higher rate of insurance. | “That they euffer toss of earnings through boeakdowns and by loss of| fares when the breakdown occurs, | through losses in consequence of bdilk- | ing, through false calls and through summonses arising from the use of de- fective lamps, which are no fault of the drivers, and that they have neces- sary expenses for tips at the garage | and at cab ranks, for station tickets and for meals taken away from home. As regards tips, the men say that | these are no concern of the owners, and that they should not be taken into| consideration in determining their re-| muneration. “That there 48 no shortage of drivers. | On the contrary, these are too many | Ucensed odd men ‘without work. “That the owners manage extrava- gantly, and that the oab companies are worked by expensive officials, | “They are practically unanimous in their objection to an increase of fare, which, they say, would seriously affect the earning capacity of the cab, “They put forth a demand for a mint- mum of 7% cents a day, with 10 per| cent. on the first $5 and 2% per cent. | thereafter, coupled with the requost| that the owners shall pay for the| gapoll; | “The committes of the opinion! that no sufficient has been made| Bonwit Teter & Co. SPECIAL FOR FRIDAY Women’s Street & Afternoon Coats & Evening Wraps Extraordinary Special Sale Several_medels at Greatly Reduced Prices of street, motor and_ traveling Coats of chinchi las, plaid backs and wide black and white stripes, Twelve models of Coats for general service and afternoon wear of “ plushes, chinchillas, mixtures and stripcs. Brocade silk charmeuse evening Wraps, in an effec- tive model, in all t! he new French colorings, velour de laine, heather mixtures, taupe and black plushes, alyssa iat eesti Tame wvseggitemminnce Values to 27.50 Values to 42.50 17.50 25.00 39.50 Values to 55.00 Fifth Avenue at 38th Street ARGUING FOR THE REMOVAL|” NG@ WURKLD, THU Out to justify the demand for an in- crease in rates. “They bel doubted falling @ that the recent un- off in thi mileage, can readily earn @ good livin at the present rates, and the: reason to recommend an fares for the purpose of inferior cabs or leas efficiently worked cabs, or of being the means of intro ducing or keeping an excessive number of cabs on the London atreots. “As regards the demand that Boot- land Yard shall aM@x to the plate the required etatement as to extras, the t CAB TRADE CANNOT BE WORKED ON WAGE BASIS. considers that the ef- fect of the evidence was to prove th good driver obtaina k from all gasoline. thard - working driver earns from $10 up to even $15. The evidence also proved that the days worked per week do not on the ‘per fro “The owners eay that an average day ‘se about 11% hours, from out of the garage to back to the garage: that in time the average oar’ leage is number of jobs per day hat the driver spends, say, four hours in actual fare-driving, two or three hours for waste “crawling” mileage and the large amount of tif, apparently about four hours, necessarily wasted by waiting on the ks and for fares, the aggregate does no! the owners contend, constitute a spe- clally hard day's work nor does it involve a great strain, the health of ‘the cabmen being, as a rule, excellent. “The owners say that they are con- tent with an average of 10 hours a da: But having regard to the fact that the tubes and motor omnibuses find it nec- essary to work an 18-hour day in two shifts {t 1s dificult to understand how ‘mm in the garage for over 12 hours out of the 24. DRIVERS UNWILLING TO TELL OF THEIR OWN TIPS. “The committee found the drivers more willing to discuss the average of drivers’ tips generally than to give precise details of their own. The position of the proprietors is that they make no claim to the tips and are glad that the men receive them. The point urged must not be lost sight of here, Registered Trade Mark Speci Dresses remodeled and placed under and we are now displaying line of medium and high grad cordially invite attention, specials much below regular v: Ladies’ Suits, noon and street wear. Note—Our Department for Ladies’ Outer Garments— Suits, Coats, Dresses, Gowns, Blouses, etc., has been On Friday and Saturday of this week we offer the following , $24. Models, taken from regular stock, including Diagonals, Cheviots, Corduroys and Mixtures, Ladies’ Dresses, $18.50—Of Charmeuse, Meteor and Chiffon in the newest models and colorings for after- Ladies’ and Misses’ Coats, $16.50—Including at- tractive models in Chinchilla and Boucles, English Mix- tures and Double-Faced Cloths. James McCutcheon & Co. RSVAY, NUVEMSER of the Home Secretary. From a conal of the mem- ofandum it appears that there is no rea- @on why, with proper and careful man- agement, the present fares should not enable @ reasonable profit to be earned by the present cab owners. “The charge for waiting—$1 per hour— | who ‘s able by his repair venta cabs being retained by the out quickly all minor runni irer, It ts worth considering whether @ price which is beyond po" @ reduction to 60 cents per hour would | the small owner, and to put the cad Not be equally to the advantage of on the streets with the minimum owner, driver and fare, dee nf time, “The committee was strongly ursed| “Alteration of Ratee—The committee representatives of the drivers | believes from careful consideration of ail the evidence before it that the Public are paying an adequate remuner. ation for the services received. But that of {taelf does not constitute a @uMicient ground for altering the tart? against the public. The committee would further point out that if the tariff Best & Co. Infants’ Outfitting... Complete in every Detail Comprehensive in every Need Character in every Style via that ft fe the eum total of the fares, the extras and the tips, which represents the cost to the public of the service rendered to them. “The tendency of the taxicabs is to Concentrate in the emall area of the city and West End, and outlying parts are practically deprived of all taxi- pert owners, carefully attending to t! Dusiness—ae in certain cases it undow edly is—there is abundant opening for the Proprietor, who, becaus buys on a large scale, ts able to obtain ay of fares, ly main’ trade is in favor of ti ently remunerative for an of @ mechanical; ba sd machine Hke @ taxicab.” jarefore %t would seem that the con- | by @ working owner, “Whatever there may be said from this view, the committee belfeves that if and when the Ifceneed cab trade te ‘worked eoonomically by thoroughly ex- Continuing, the findings say: PARES HIGH ENOUGH TO FUR- NIGH REASONABLE PROFIT. “The committee hands herewkh = whh accompanying edules, showing the returns sent in by twelve conrpanies representing 6,433 cabs out of twenty-four companies from whom returns were requested, which information, so far as {t is finan- cial, hae been given confidentially, and on the undertaking of the committee that the detaile will not be made pub- Mo but are for the private information A Good Precedent to Follow _ Now that the election is over, give your family that long prom- ised piano, It cannot be called an extravagance, because any home is lost without the influence that good music will bring into it, and the only precedent to follow in buying a piano is the pat reputa- tion of the piano. here's our strong point. There's a distinguishing difference in Infants’ and Children’s Wear Between the usual and the unusual. An invitation to our store, emphasizes the fact, that while you will find everything in Infants’ and Children’s Outfitting, you will find noth- ing that has not a certain individuality. | Everything to keep the little ones warm, comfortable and happy. ‘ A SPECIAL LOT OF WHITE CORDUROY TUB COATS 1, 2, B years .ccccesecececcccrcccccrceesesesseeeeeseeeseseseeeeeeeee 3.85 Quilted Linings for Tub Coats same sizes $1.50 BETTER QUALITY OF WHITE CORDUROY COATS «.........+++» 5,25 7.50 WHITE CORDU'®)Y AFGHANS.....s-sessseeeeeeeeeereess 2.75 5.25 8.50 CHINCHILLA COATS Fine quality. Navy, gray and brown, GOOD QUALITY CLOTH COATS Double breasted flannel lined, in navy and brown only. CHILDREN’S RIPPLE EIDERDOWN_ WRAPPERS Fine quality. Collar and sleeves finished with satin folds. Colors: pink, blue and red. 1, 2, 3 years. 2.50 FANCY FIGURED EL[DERDOWN WRAPPERS Finished with satin binding and silk frogs. Red, light blue and pink. 1to3yrs. 1.45 Better quality of Yiderdown in Infants’ to 8 years ...---.----- 2.50 3.50 3.75 JAPANESE HAND-EMBROIDERED QUILTED WRAPPERS Iwlight blue, light pink and red. Infants’ to 3 years. Prices according to size for 68 years have given satisfac- tion to over 85,000 buyers, and our guarantee is without limit of time. The prices, too, are not high for a good piano ($325 up), and we have many bargains in slightly used pianos from $125. Easy monthly payments, Rent- ing, exchanging. Write for cata- logue and bargain list. PEASE PIANO CO., 128 W. 42d St.,nr-Broadway, N.Y. Brooklyn: Newark: 34 Flatbush Ave. 10 New St. A full line of Victor and Columbia Ti 1, 2, 8 years... 6.75 5.25 1 to 8 years......+. CHILDREN’S WARM _ WOOLEN SWEATERS Assortment of colors. 6 months to 8 years....ssseeseeesseeeeees 119 to 4.75 ODD LOT OF HAND-EMBROIDERED SOILED DRESSES At various prices. 6 months to 8 yearw...+++sssereseeerseeeeeees 1,95 ¢0 29, 50 COMPLETE ASSORTMENT OF MACHINE-MADE DRESSES Bishop yoke, long waisted, Princess and Russian effects. Prices according to selection of styies and materials . +++’ 50c. to 9.75 Fatablished tay a Century als in & Coats FULL LINE OF WINTER AFGHANS Worsted, Corduroy, Cashmere, Bedford Cord and Silk. new management this season, a very select and attractive le Garments, to which we very FIFTH AVENUE At Thirty-fifth Street alues: 50— 100 Suits all new Fall You Never Tire of Playing The Tel-Electric Piano Player posite 5th Ave. & 34th St., Waltet actoria Because It Never Tires You> 4 $4.00 WEEKLY § Opens an Account $3.00 Down on $50 $5.00 Down on $75 457.50 Down on $100 IWEST 2ST ist Re VATUR DAY JUVENING SB [F you want your ‘“‘busi- ness” to become the talk of the town, tell about itthrougha Rould “Want” 339 Ad 3 3 You don’t have to pump it. You control the tempo and expression entirely with your hands—your feet have nothing to do. 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