Motorcab Topics.
Page 9
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Mr. Richard Dunn, Secretary of the Liverpool Horse Carriage Owners' Association, announces that his association has decided to fit taximeters to about 100 horse-drawn cabs in the Mersey city.
Mr. H. Hirst, M.I.E.E., Chairman of the Aron Electricity Meter, Ltd., at the company's recent annual general meeting, reported highly-favourable appreciations from users of the Aron taximeter. One shareholder thought it was " rather ungainly."
The Penzance Town Council has referred back to its Hackney-Carriages Committee a report that an application to license three taxicabs could not be entertained " owing to lack of accommodation." We have not come across that indefinite and elastic excuse before.
" The Citizen " and a few other journals continue to assert that there will be larger distributions by the General Motor Cab Co., Ltd., for the year which ends the 31st proximo, than for the previous twelve months, but we fail to see how this forecast can be justified, if prudent finance is to count.
Cabs for India.
" The Statesman" reports that the Government of Bombay has accepted an offer from Europe to place 100 first-class and 50 second-class taxicabs on the streets of Bombay " next cold weather." " The Bombay Gazette " understands that negotiations have been proceeding for some time between the Government and a M. Bayens on behalf of the French conipany in question. As the cabs are ex pected to reach Bombay in October, it is evidently too late for anything to
be dons by British makers, especially as we read that the same concessionnaire has concluded an agreement with
the Government of Madras. Mr_ Alfred Adams, the managing director of the Adams Manufacturing Co., Ltd., of 106, New Bond Street, W., in drawing our attention to the fore going, expresses wonderment that, so far as he knows, no chance has been given to English manufacturers in the matter.
Glasgow Martyrs.
Glasgow's baillies, pending the construction of the municipality's central motor garage, have decided to use horse-drawn broughams instead of taxicabs. Some people do like to make martyrs of themselves unnecessarily.
Motorcabs at Ltrighton.
Brighton's niotorcabs are to be brought before the Watch Committee once a quarter for inspection and confirmation of licenses, the idea being that the vehicles will be kept in the town all the year round, and in better repair. Both conceptions are erroneous, as an annual re-licensing is sufficient for all purposes.
Taxis in the Transvaal.
Early in January of this year we recorded the formation cf the Transvaal Taxi-Cab Company. We now have reports to hand which state that the vehicles belonging to this company have been very fully employed since the commencement of the service. Additional machines are being hurried forward to meet the increasing demand in Johannesburg.
To Exploit the Australian Market.
The Colonial Taxicab Finance Syndicate, Ltd., with a nominal capital of £100, has been registered by Amery Parkes, Macklin and Co., Solicitors, of IS, Fleet Street, E.G., with the principal object of promoting a company, to be known as the Australasian Taxicab Co., Ltd., for the supplying of the principal cities and towns of Australia with motorcab and similar services.
The New Panhard Works.
At Acton, on Saturday morning last, Mr. Harvey du Oros, who is the " father" of so many motor and allied companies in this country as well as abroad, was the centre of an interesting function at the new Panhard motorcab works, Acton Vale, W., when, in the presence of a small' but select company, he helped to guide into place the foundation stone of thisimportant undertaking, and declared it " well and truly laid." We reproduce, at the foot of this page, a photograph of Mr. dii Cros during the ceremony.
The Manchester Motorcab Deadlock.
At the last meeting of the Manchester City Council the new "motorcab by-laws, which have been put forward by the Watch Committee and details of which we have already published in our issue for 27th May last, were before the members for ratification. In the coarse of a speech on the subject, the chairman, Mr. J. H. Thewlis, stated that " the Watch Committee had no intention whatever of increasing the fares of motorcabs" ; they are now again the same as those for horse cabs. Mr. C. Wood wished to have the regulations so modified as to include taximeters on horse-drawn vehicles. Mr. Bowie favoured the meeting with his opinion that while the purpose of the taximeter was to prevent over-charging, he believed there was more swindling done with it than under the old system of travelling by distance—which demonstrated precisely how little Mr. Bowie knew of the subject upon which he thought it necessary to air his views.