Show T TAXI CAB SERvICE SER VICE HAS ITS PROBLEMS f New York Company Compan Fighting for Retention tion S ands Titers has been no l a agitation over o tho question of or u tuG tho continuance o of or private cab stands of hotels In Jn New York City and tho question whether tho the taxicab se would bo bA Improved or Impaired b by bt the abolition of or these stands and th establishment oC of pu public bUe ones g The Tho matter Is now before a special committee of or the tho board of aldermen alderm n fur for examination and l or has lias as asserted asserted as- as the tho right of or the city to designate public stan stands s to control the tho use of or tho streets for this thin purpose questioning however cr the right of or 5 tile the abutting property owner to rent the roadway I Tho Tue principal company In New York holds that thata a hotel has as much right to make matte use IIse of ot tho the roadway In front of or It for taxicabs taxicabs taxi taxi- I cabs to accommodate Its patrons ns ml has haR a n. mercantile house houIe to use the street for tor Its delivery carts CartH to take cure care of or orI I Its ts customers' customers orders and that tha t UH as a matter of ot fact tho the wagons of or the iho bl big dr dry goods hous houses s occupy much more of ot the tile street than do the taxicabs J Further Fur Ul ther It regards tho the payment marie maJe to the hotels not t so o much In the light of ofa ofa ofa a rental of the street strict a as n t commission to secure the tho hotels' hotels wh wholesale passenger ger gel business I Dispatching Office The Tho company compan regards the tho maintenance main main- of 01 private stands b by which It Itcan Itcan itcan can keep In touch with It Its cabs and the tho exigencies of or supply and demand at nt dif dlf- nt points In the city as aR essential to proper service and the convenience of ot tho the public This company maintains an elaborate switchboard system in Its main office cc whereby the tho chief chlor operator Is constantly kept posted as to the number of 01 cabs on any given stand the demand for them at that place or ot the tile nee need for them at another Tho The main office thus acts as a it sort of or dispatcher with a function similar to that of cor a atrain atrain atrain train dispatcher In a railroad office and cabs arc are being constantly mo moved mod d from one part of or the cl city ty to another b by Its direction so that the supply and de demand domand do- do c- c mand are equalized An switchboard switch itch Ingenious Ing device de at the board shows when thero are arc cabs waitIng waitIng waiting wait- wait Ing at ot nn any of ot the stands when there aro are no cabs and people waiting for foi cabs abs It i Is the contention of the compan company com corn pan pany that If It there were no such system system tem tern 0 o. o oJ Interlocking stands tho the public would have to whistle for a cab II literal tera and fl figuratively speaking since all cabs would congregate In the most populous sections where they would be most likely to pick up far tares fares s and the he outlying portions even of ot the middle city would bo be deserted The Tho tacit act that this hit lilt or miss sy system tem works well In London Is declared to be no Jn n for tOl Its operation here hero because bo- bo cause rause of H the totally different topography topography topography phy of or the two cities and the fact that In N Nv v w York traffic flows lows In two di directions directions directions di- di north and south and objective points ponts and districts are not scattered and ind mingled ming as tho they are in the tho British capital Control Over OTer As a third point In Its contention the taxi La company puts forward Its control per p ver I Its chauffeurs b by means of or the tho stand tand system now In use There are aie four different checks which aro are kept upon tho tilo drivers driver's activities He Ho has haa J his own day card anti and tickets upon which lie tio records all tho proceedings of the clay and of or Individual trips respective c ly h Th These sc to together ether with the thc cash fares collected aro are turned In daily dally and are arc checked with the meter readings the tile st starters starters' at at ata stands ds 1 sheets sheets with vitti with withe each e each cli other and with cash and charges In addition to tho the meter sealed Healed and locked after aCtor official Inspection the cabs are equipped with a recording de derico device de- de cIco c- c vice rico which shows hows tho the speed at which the cab has traveled tra at an any time The reading reading- of tho the tapo tape from irom this device de In connection with tho tue taximeter records serves as an additional check upon the tho driver The company Is not only en enabled en- en to keep a n. constant eye e as It were on Oil Its men and know lenow lust Just what they have haio done how fast they h have havo vo gone an and where thc they have been heen but It also Is is' able to protect the tho public from front theft In case mw articles are arc lost In the tue cabs During the la last t nine nino months more than thanS S worth of or lost property has been heen returned The Thc method of checking chockIng chock check Ing the drivers makes makos It futile for thorn thom to attempt to retain anything lost In Inthe tho the cabs oven O If 11 the they were Inclined to todo todo todo do HO so since the company If told where and when the tile cab was used can In Invariably Invariably Invariably In- In variably pick out the tho lila man who had it itIn ItIn itin In charge chaise No Check on I It Is asserted that thal if ir there were no stand iI system stem and tho tue cabs simply cruised at will all responsibility would be he lost for or there would b be no noay way ay of ot proving that a u certain cab had hind been used at a cei certain tain time beyond tho the as assertion assertion as- as of or the occupant Moreover the company sa says a that It could not possibly carry carn on Its business without the tho employment employment em em- of ot at least more mora cabs than titan at present were it not for tho the stand R system which enables It to uso use tho the central office as a clearing house and andI send the tilo vehicles where whore they are most I needed It would bo ho forced to have a aI I maximum number on the street all the time or twenty hours a. a da day as Is the case caso In Ix London It contends that this would greatly add the tho to the difficulties difficulties ties of ot an already congested traffic On the question of the lowering of or rates which has been made mado part of or tho the general a agitation growing out of ot the plan to abolish private stands this concerns concern's spokesman says It could not riot continue to do business at t a lower rate rato under present conditions In the last laste year e r its business has been conducted at nt an actual loss tho the amount of or which would cause surprise were I it t to be bo mado public It does not pretend of course that It expects to continue continuo to lose but holds that oven even when Its plans of or economy econ om omy and reorganization have havo been completed its profits will wm be bc of or tho the most moderate kind It argues that in view of ot tho the service and the tue nature of ot the conditions conditions' In New York the rate rato Is not high I i Cost COIt of Cleanliness Among Among- the service items to which attention Is in called Is the upkeep of the cabs They They are are vacuum cleaned and fumigated eVer every night and In addition tho the entire upholstery which Is standardized standardized stand stand- to fit tit all tho the cabs is removed In sections eVer every ten days das and replaced by other sections which ha have hae e been th thoroughly y d disinfected I s i Every four foul months m each cab Is entirely overhauled and repainted The Tho stock room of or parts etc represents an Investment o of ol about and tho the annual tire tiro bills amount to It mo may be Ima Imagined Imag ined med that in a business on such a fI scale ascale employing COO OO cabs items of cost are nrc worked out to the smallest detail rile Lile company estimates that to reduce Uc tLe tariff 10 cents at nt atthe the thc drop of ot tho the flag as US It Il Is called or r at tho tile rato for the theft first ft half haIt mile mUe would mean menn a lL cost of ot about a a. year rear It I is its avowed Intention however to lower tho the rate when it becomes financially possible Among the Items which enter Into the greater costliness of or operating a a. taxicab taxicab taxicab taxi- taxi this concern concern con con- cab service hero than abroad cern carn puts higher wages poorer pavements pavements pave pave- ments topo topographical conditions ard and the tile greater weight ht and orl original cost costor of or the cabs used here here and and necessary which tear which on account of wear and tear amounts to nearly double that of or the s Q I |