Culled from Contemporaries.
Page 18
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Press Comments from all Quarters on Various Aspects of the Taxicab Situation.
But the Drivers Couldn't.
"I could do with 1,500 more drivers to-day if I could get them.' —A managing director in " The Daily Sketch."
Smoking Carriages.
The combustion of tobacco is only One of the "burning questions" which the drivers' union would like to discuss with the Home Secretary by means of deputation.—" The Times."
A Truthful Tribute.
Apropos of taxis, Mr. Shrapnell Smith has performed a public service in calling attention, not for the first time, to some of the mistaken notions current in regard to this class of public conveyance.— " Truth."
The Proof of the Pudding, etc.
If thirty shillings represented the earnings of the driver and three times that sum, or 24 100., the earnings of the owner, the public would be in danger of losing a vehicle that not only added to its comfort but also to its capacity for the speedy transaction of business.— " The Daily Mail."
No Opposition.
Thousands of them are to gather in Trafalgar Square on Sunday afternoon to declare their innocence, and to give the cab-proprietors a piece of their mind in English as undefiled as circumstances will permit. No counter demonstration is being organized by the fares.—" The Western Morning News."
The Nerves of the Driver.
Apart from the possible discomfort of the driver's smoke to his fare, there can hardly be any question that the taxidriver's cigarette does not make for public safety. He can hardly need it. to steady his nerves; a man who is in that state is not the man to be entrusted with the power to endanger life in the streets, —" Pall Mall Gazette."
The Evils of Education.
The fact was said Mr. Michaels [The secretary of the Motor-cab Drivers' -Protection Association—En.], that the Press of London had taken it upon itself to educate the public into the habit of paying the exact amount registered by the "clock." If a driver had fifteen fares during the day, the average tip nowadays would not work out at more than a penny a fare.—"The Daily Mail."
Hardly Necessary.
There is some danger, indeed, that the drivers of taxicabs may develop into a
pampered class. Complaints are rife already as to their bad manners, inattention, and ingratitude. If to this they are going to add a foolish insistence upon mere trifles, and the magnifying of petty personal considerations, the general public may be forced to reconsider its attitude towards the whole body employed in this useful, but hardly necessary work.—" The Morning Advertiser:'
Running Expenses.
In spite of the gloomy view taken by Mr. Michaels of the men's financial position, it appears that they are still able to afford some little luxuries, and notably tobacco.—" The Morning Post."
During Working Hours.
No trade is more fruitful of disputes than cab-driving; possibly the long bouts of idleness when fares are scarce, leads the men to discuss and, possibly, even to manufacture grievances. — " The Globe."
That Shrinking Average.
"I am in a position to prove from the books of members of the association (The Motor-cab Drivers' Protection Association) that the average takings of a taxicab in London now do not exceed 15s, a day, and 30 per cent. of the fares do not give tips, which average at the most is. 6d. per day."—Mr, Sam Michaels in " The Daily Mail."
Hard Times.
Next month a party of London taxidrivers, horse-cab drivers, and others will visit their colleagues in Paris for nearly a week. . . The London cabmen will probably be entertained by their fellow-unionists in Paris, as they were on a previous occasion, and visits will be paid to places of special interest. —" The Westminster Gazette."
Qualified Admiration.
It is no use being secretary of a MotorCab Drivers' Protection Association unless you can defend the wrongs as well as the rights of the men, and, while admiring the vigorous attitude taken up by Mr. S. Michaels in defending the men's interests from the attacks of Mr. E. Shrapnel! Smith, I do not agree with a single thing he says.—"J.0." in "The Westminster Gazette."
The Terrible Risk to His Health.
"Taking one season with another a taxi-cabman is lucky who can make 36$. a week all the year round. And that, mind you, is for skilled work of so exacting a kind that no one can do it very long without injury to his health. It is a nerve-shaking business. . . The question of tips is a delicate one, and, of course, no man has a right to demand more than the amount registered as the fare."—From an interview with Mr. Michaels in " The Morning Post."
A Plain Statement.
A proof of the prosperity of the majority of taxicab men is shown by the num'ber who can afford to retire early for the night when London's need is most pressing, and Mr, Shrapnel Smith, the editor of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR. goes so far as to assert boldly in print that there exists a tacit conspiracy amongst the men to complain of bad times in order to discourage others from taking it up as a means of livelihood.— Gerald Hiss in "The Standard."
Going One Better.
It is calculated that these " extras," charged for third and fourth passengers and for heavy luggage, mean 2273,000 a year to the companies—the difference between success and failure.—" The Daily Mail,"
Overcome With Gratitude.
Of course it is too much to expect these aristocrats on the box to thank you for a "tip," but that may be because they cannot easily find words to express their gratitude until you are out hearing.—" The Western Morning News,"
An Unusual Tone.
With a view to provide temporary monetary assistance to those desirous of learning to become motor drivers a fund has been established . . athletic sports are being organized. We therefore humbly appeal to the public for dunatiens.— The Secretaries of the London Cabdrivers' Trade Union Benevolent Fund, in " The Morning Advertiser."
The Whereabouts of that Strike.
The taxicab drivers at Waterloo Station have certainly chosen a moment for their strike when it was calculated to cause a minimum of inconvenience to the travelling public and the minimum of loss to their own pockets. Possibly this last consideration did not fail to enter into their calculations. Passengers who alighted at Waterloo to-day usually found hall-a-dnzen or more taxis waiting on the station rank.—" The Bristol Times and Mirror."
Taxica bless London.
It is certainly difficult to picture London taxicabless, especially now that so many thousand hansoms -have been run off the streets by the new locomotive. Even the growler would find himself in
sudden and flattering demand. The tubes would have to run a constant bad weather service, though the skies were cloudless. Pirate buses would revel in unaccustomed loot, the captain chirping to his steeds and humming the black flag chanty Twenty fares on the lower deck, Yo-ho-ho, and a tanner a mile ! " —" Glasgow Herald."
The Penny Tip.
The drivers of the London taxicabs appear to live in a perpetual state of grievance, either with their employers or with the public, and now it is their much enduring patrons who -shrink under the lash of their indignation, because —so the allegation runs—the average tip which the motor cabby receives from each fare does not exceed one penny. . It is the independence of the taxi-driver that stamps him as a new London character, but it is a quality which will bear a. little dilution, even if it be with the salt tears of its possessors.—" East Anglian Daily Times."