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contributions are invited : payment will be made on publication The General Motor Cab Co., Ltd., is this year presenting each of its " learners °' with a Xmas gratuity of 7s. 6d.
Electric Lighting.
Messrs. C. A. Va,ndervell and Co., of Warple Way, Acton Vale, W., equipped half-a-dozen "W. and G." taxicabs with self-contained electric-light, sets some 18 months ago, and we understand that the outfits have given considerable satisfaction.
Undue Speed.
A taxi owner-driver was summoned at Bow Street a few days ago for exceeding the limit in St. James's Park. The cab was a fourcylinder Unic, and the driver had had a licence for four years without any conviction or endorsement. The speed alleged was 22 miles per hour, and the magistrate imposed a penalty of 60s. and 2s. costs. This is an unusually heavy penalty for this class of offence, and we think it shows the necessity for all ownerdrivers to fit a speedometer.
Lighter Petrol Cabs for Berlin.
Our Berlin correspondent writes: " At the instance of Dr. Hasselan, a high Berlin police official, a Berlin cab-owner has introduced a lighter type of petrol cab, equipped with only two seats instead of four. In point of fact, as statistics show, in upwards of 85 eases out of 100, cabs are hired by one person or two only, and, consequently, much of the horse-power goes to propel the dead weight of coachwork. I hope to refer to this matter more fully on a future occasion." A driver recently took 13s. with his cab during a long day. .His mileage, however, showed 70 disengaged miles out of a total of 130. He received a letter from the management stating that his takings were unsatisfactory—a letter which he failed to understand.
Still Quiet in Dublin.
The issue of licences to hackneycarriage drivers to ply for hire in Dublin rests with the Metropolitan police, but the right to stand at the ranks within the city boundary must be obtained from the Dublin Cor poration. This latter permission has not yet been obtained. The cabs of the Dublin Motor Car Co., the inauguration of whose services we have already reported, are at present on hire at the company's garage, The Cape Town Taxis.
A correspondent of this journal, who, on his way to Australia., was recently shipwrecked at St. Helena, writes to us from Cape Town that he was much impressed on his a.rrival there with the smartness of the taxicab service in that city. We reproduce two photographs of the several which he has sent to us in this connection. He tells us that the steam car and all the tools and other fittings which he was taking out to Australia were destroyed in the fire on, the s.s. " Papanui."
" At St. Helena," he writes, "I had nothing to write to you that would be of interest, but at Cape Town it is different. Perhaps a brief description of the types of cabs in use there will interest your
readers. There are only about 50 taxis in service there, but they compose an efficient fleet. Twentyfour are run under the initials "B. and L.", by Messrs. Benjamin and Lawton ; six of these are closed Napiers of the London type ; three are Gladiators, and nine are Siddeleys, with the same type of body, but by far the finest type of machine is the 15 h.p. open Napier fitted with a touring body and Cape cart hood. This latter type seems to be very popular indeed, and although it is fitted with a taximeter has the appearance of a smart private car. The drivers get 15s. per week and 10 per cent. commission. They do not buy their own petrol, nor are there any disbursements. They must put in 10 hours a day with their cars. Petrol is about 13s. per 8-gallon case, but drivers think that a heavier spirit would be more suitable. From my experience in Australia I agree with them. I always ran cars on " 740 " spirit, which was then 10s. for the 8 gallons. It certainly gave me much more power in hot weather, because a lighter spirit was too volatile.
"The other cabs in Cape Town are all private owned, and they consist of Talbots, Panhards, Darracqs, Stars and Humbers.
" Every driver has to pass an examination by the city engineer, and the South African Automobile Club's test. Next year all cabs which ply for hire will have to be fitted with taximeters : at present this is not the case, The rate is it. per mile, with 6d, increments for any fraction of a mile, and 7s, per hour waiting time."