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Motorcab Topics.

17th August 1911, Page 14
17th August 1911
Page 14
Page 14, 17th August 1911 — Motorcab Topics.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

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Taxicabs, during the past week, have been used for the transport of mutton carcases and perishable goods of all kinds from the London Markets to outlying districts.

The London Cabdrivers Union has issued an order to its members, in view of the dock and transport strikes, to refuse to carry goods which, in the ordinary way, would be handled by the strikers.

8d. a Mile (?) One night last week, during the troubles in the transport world, £175,000 worth of bullion was taken from the Bank of England to Paddington, for eventual shipment abroad, by means of taxicabs instead of ordinary vans.

New Registration.

Dawfield Motors (1911), Ltd., by Messrs. Clifford, Turner and Hopton, of 80, Finsbury Pavement, E.C., capital £6,000. Objects : to manufacture and repair motor vehicles. Registered office : 279a, Uxbridge Road, West Ealing.

Burton at 8d.

After considerable discussion in the Burton Borough Council, the new taxicab by-laws for that town have been approved. It was decided that the initial fare should be 8d., although several of the councillors were in favour of 10d. or Is. as alternatives.

Price Maintenance of Petrol.

We are informed that, under a strike clause in the agreement between the petrol-supply company at Thames Bank and the British Motor Cab Co., Ltd., the price of petrol, on Thursday of last week, was raised from 8d. to 01d. per gallon. After some discussion, many of the drivers agreed to pay the extra lid., but, on the representation of the cabdrivers' trade union, the president of which organization interviewed Major Urquhart, Captain Lynch's locum tenens, on the subject, the company's employees were again supplied with petrol at the original price. It will be agreed that this is an interesting point, in view of the recent recommendation of the Denartmental Committee on Taxicab Fares, with regard to the suggestion that owners should supply drivers with fuel at 8d. a gallon, independently of market variations within 20 per cent, of present bond price.

We illustrate on this page the last of a small fleet of Belsize motoreabs which has been delivered by the Belsize London Agency, Ltd., of Dean's Yard, Cavendish Square, to Mr. R. Jeffrey, 16, Cranmer Boa,d, Brixton, S.W.

Doesn't Even Please the Driver.

The executive committee of the L.C.D.T.U., after further consideration of the recommendations of the Departmental Committee of the Home Office on London Taxicab Fares, has issued the following

statement We desire to re

affirm our conviction that the proposed changes suggested by the Departments/1 Committee are unsatisfactory from the trades-union point of view, and, in the event of any attempt being made to give effect to them, steps will be taken by this organization strenuously to resist them."

'Neutralizing the Taximeter.

The Licensing Committee of the Weston-super-Mare District Council has resolved that "if a motor hackney carriage is hired by time. the proprietor or driver thereof shall be entitled to demand and take for the hire of such carriage : (a) for the first hour or any portion thereof, 10s. ; (h) for each additional 15 minutes, 2s. ad. In every case the hiring shall be by distance undess the hirer expresses at the commencement of the hiring his desire to engage by time, in which case the hiring shall be determined by time." Thames Whar Petrol.

The British Motor Cab Co., Ltd., is still obtaining its petrol from the Motor Spirit Supply Co., Ltd., whose wharf, it will be remembered, is in Grosvenor Road, Pimlico. We recently recorded the fact that there was an explosion at this petrol depot, and that, as a result thereof, the L.C.C. had issued orders for the depot to be closed for a fortnight. The mishap, in which a man lost his life, was caused, it is supposed, by a spark from one of the motors which drive the petrol pumps in the underground supply room. The depot has now been opened again and is in full working order, but the motor-driven pumps are now handoperated, the electrical apparatus having been removed.

Strike News.

One London cab company, last week, had plenty of petrol but only five gallons of lubricating oil.

The Farm Lane depot of the General Motor Cab Co., Ltd., had its big installation quite full when supplies suddenly ceased.

In spite of its 40,000-gallon petrol-storage installation, the "W. and G." garage at Acton was caught napping with little fuel in stock last week.

At the time of going to press, no stoppage had occurred in the taxicab service of the Metropolis owing to the non-delivery of supplies of petrol from the depots, but, on Saturday last, we had information of quite a number of large concerns whose supplies were almost exhausted. Appreciation of the foresight displayed by Mr. George Pollard, the Brixton engineer-manager of the General Motor Cab Co., Ltd., is recorded elsewhere. When first he heard that a dock strike was imminent, Mr. Pollard immediately placed an order for the delivery of 20,000 gallons of fuel in addition to his regular supplies. His company, therefore, was placed in a position that was extremely favourable to the maintenance of a regular service of its machines if the strike had been sufficiently prolonged to exhaust the regular storage, upon which most of the other concerns depended.

Upon this aspect of last week's labour unrest, we direct our readers' attention to the editorial matter on the second page of this issue.


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