Motorcab Topics.
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THE TAXI'S FUTURE.
Partial Precedents.
History is repeating itself, and the taxicab industry is passing through times of tribulation comparable to those in which the steam-wagon and the niotorbus industries once found themselves. Had the lessons of 1901-1901 in steam-wagon circles been strictly followed by those who were responsible for motorbus enterprise in the years 1905-1908, hundreds of thousands of pounds would have been saved, to say nothing of the health of many of the engineers and managers who were identified with the early days of motorbus operation in the Metropolis, and in the Provinces. The conduct of a motoreah undertaking, in that the units are sifialler and more closely allied Lo motorcars, in respect of which an enormous volume of experience was ready to hand, did not present so great difficulties on the mechanical and maintenance sides, but it has presented, and it still does present, even greater difficulties in regard to effective management and the bringing out of a profit for tire capitalists who have put down their money. The unprecedented factor of having to deal with the independent driver has upset all calculations.
London a Case Apart.
London is.almost a case apart, for the illetropolis is one centre of expenditure for thousands of monied visitors who go there with money to spend, and who do spend it largely in "going about." So far as the Provinces are concerned, we adhere to the view, which we particularly expressed at the time of the promotion of the Provincial Motor Cab Co., Ltd., that private-hire working to order, chiefly with the aid of telephonic resources, and also in conjunction
ith hotels, will prove to be the only way to success.
The Consequences of "Drift."
London proprietors have, we are seriously inclined to think, allowed the appropriation of " extras " to continue for so long a period, and have so whetted the appetites of the men for the whole of the takings in that. respect, that they have lost that chance to secure anything like a satisfactory return upon their capital. Had concerted action been taken some 18 months ago, to-day's situation would probably not have developed, although there were no doubt inside reasons for letting matters drift, as they undoubtedly have drifted. The future of the taxi, in present circumstances, appears to be still unsettled, but it is clearly tending in the direction of driver-ownership. The best-managed companies will certainly continue to exist side by side with the increasing body of driverowners, but one or more of London's cab-owning joint-stock concerns cannot, in our opinion, fail to go to the wall fairly soon.
An Educative Strike..
The recent London strike, the last period of whose brief history we record on an adjacent page, has proved how much the town taxicab driver depends upon pleasure-seeking "fares " for his living. Few but the theatre-goers and other joyous people really
missed the taxicab seriously. Its absence, as the contemporary traffic returns show, benefited the motorbus, the tube, and to some extent the tram. Much as the railway strike taught the commercial user of horses the incontestable value of self-propelled plant, so the London taxi strike, such as it was, taught the majority of habitual users .how easy it now is to get around in London elsewise. Temporarily the taxi driver has undoubtedly lost some custom. Permanently he has secured an unenviable reputation with the great public. In the end there will be no fewer users, but there will undoubtedly be much less tipping and much less inclination to treat the driver as anything in excess of the man who drives you in a motorbus or a tramcar.
The Bad Plight of the Owner.
By the recent settlement the owner receives an additional 3d. a day, and this is a "grant in aid" which will be of much assistance financially. It is proclaimed as a temporary expedient and by both sides an unsatisfactory one. That Bd., however, it will be hard to abolish, the drivers will find. Any new arrangement, whether it be the abolition of charges for extra passengers, the increase of the initial fare to 10(1., the limitation of the number of licences, or the relaxation of the " knowledge of London " test, will be negotiated on the basis that the " extras " belong to the owners : they are at present paid 5d. in lieu of them, on account of the present difficulty of mechanically enforcing the honesty of the driver.
The driver-owner undoubtedly has the best of it, but his taxicab often has not. If he be temporarily pressed for money, the cab is used more severely. Few will willingly contract for the maintenance of a driver-owner's machine.. Few driver-owners are capable of maintaining their own vehicles.
Who Will Weather the Storm?
Large companies, with expensive overhead charges, have their own problems to make ends meet ; they must encounter a bigger unremunerative charge, and they receive no tips and practically no "extras." The cabman complains that he is frequently "bilked," while he himself is perpetually engaged in "bilking" his employer. Small communities of capable driver-owners, together with those companies whose management is inexpensive and yet efficient will be the ones to weather the storm. The former roust combine to secure efficient garage treatment ; the latter must not be hampered by many largesalaried officials.. The 8d.-a-mile tariff can be made to nay well in London, if the " extras," or their equivalent, can be assured to the rightful owners. In January of this year we wrote our adherence to the existing scale ; we still would prefer to see it retained. The best alternative is the 10d. initial fare with -2d.-per--mile increments, and the abolition of passenger " extras." The driver would lose 2d. of his td. tip on most ad. hirings ; the public would in effect pay no more on such hirings—ls, in all. An initial charge of 10d., instead of 8d., would be of no account on longer hirings. Only the luggage "extrap " would be continued ; these would go to the driver for his trouble. This point remains : what percentage of the registered takings (apart from "-extras ") should then go to the driver?
We Thought it was "Extras."
Mr. Bonar Law, the newly-elected leader of the Unionist Party, :4)eaking at the conference of the Tariff Reform League, said he was eenvinced that the taxicab strike was the result of the petrol tax whim was imposed as part of the " people's Budget." Yet petrol has bettn cheaper since it was taxed.
A Nasty Smash.
A cabinet maker of Glasgow has sued Wylie and Loekhead, Ltd, cab owners, of that city, for 21,500 damages in respect of personal injuries, on account of being knocked down by a taxicab. Four of his ribs were broken, and his left ear was torn off. The cab owners offered £250 and expenses, and they denied that the " pursuer " had suffered loss to the extent claimed.
What McKenna Said.
We, in common with many other papers, gave publicity in a recent issue to a statement which Mr. McKenna was recorded to have made in the House of Commons to the effect that there had been no dishonesty amongst tax i-d ri vers. The Exchange Telegraph Co., which circulated this report, has corrected it by the statement that what the Home Secretary actually did say was "It must be understood that I take no responsibility for the accuracy of the statement that there has been any dishonesty amongst the drivers." This puts another complexion on the matter, but it confirms the fact that the Home Secretary knows little of the subject.
£45,000 a Year.
The London taxicab drivers went back to work after practically a week's idleness, on the understanding that each man should pay his employer 5d. per day in lieu of the " extras." This temporary settlement of the dispute has not been received with satisfaction be the drivers themselves. The public announcement of the terms of the truce were accompanied by official statements that both owners and drivers thought they were unsatisfactory. The 5d. per day will bring into the coffers of the associated proprietors about .i.!45,000 a year, whilst the motorcab driver now has the satisfaction of being in a position to punch up the " extras " or not as he chooses, as he can retain the whole amount less the agreed charge. The odd penny, we suppose, was removed as an inducement to the drivers to use the railway stations, so that the driver who has hitherto continually asserted that day after day he has never received an " extra " should now try to secure a few.
We are informed that some of the proprietors can produce sheets which show the registration of as many as 20 or 30 " extras " regularly per day by the same driver.
On Tuesday of last week the drivers had a mass meeting at the Camberwell Empire, and a resolution was passed giving the union power to effect a settlement. It was admitted generally by the more intelligent of the drivers that the masters would not give way unless they received something. The Proprietors Association now has a large reserve fund which has
accumulated since its inception in 1909, and its members will not suffer
an absolute loss on their " standing charges" as they will receive strike insurance in proportion tothe number of cabs for which they pay the yearly fees.
Before the dispute the L.C.D.T.T_T. had a membership of at least 66 per cent. of the total number of London taxi drivers. If the "5d. a clay" arrangement ultimately gives satisfaction to all parties, the membership is likely to be greatly in creased. li, on the other hand, any other grievance should lead to another conflict between the proprietors and their drivers, there will certainly be a lack of unanimity amongst the men.
The principal disturbances during the strike period were those which occurred around the British Motor Cab Co.'s premises in Pimlico, and they were due to the decision of that company to open its garage on Wednesday of last week, that is, before the Proprietors' Association had come to any arrangement. This company offered to accept 6d. a day from its drivers in lieu of "extras," as a permanent arrangement, but the manceuvre was the cause of considerable dissatisfaction on the part of the disaffected drivers throughout London. Large numbers assembled outside the premises on the Wednesday morning, and 150 police officers were called in by the company for defensive purposes, but up to 10.30 a.m. only four cabs had left the premises. There were several scuffles between the drivers and the police. At 11.15 a.m. the fifth cab was driven out, and as soon as the. crowd attempted to approach the driver, he produced a formidable iron spanner from his bag, and was allowed to proceed unmolested. One of the pickets, a Gamage-Bell driver, who approached him, was hit on the head, and was promptly removed to hospital, where 12 stitches were inserted Several drivers were brought up at Westminster Police Court as the result of the disturbance, and one man was charged with insulting behaviour ; he had been arrested while he was attempting to lift the bonnet of one of the cabs which was leaving the garage, but. he was discharged after the hearing.
All the companies re-opened their garages last Friday morning. The National men had been out longest—for a period of 10 days.
On Saturday last the Union paid out 5s. per man as the total amount of strike pay. lt will be seen that, in some eases, this works out at 6d. per day. Only 50 per cent. of the drivers who were working during the strike period paid anything into the Union in the form of a strike levy.