Motorcab Topics.
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Sees contributions are invited : payment will be made on publication.
The first taxicab has taken its first fare in the city of Dublin. Up to the time of going to press nothing had been broken.
The lay Press is almost unanimous in its condemnation of the attitude of the London cab-driver in his strike for the right to steal.
The General Motor Cab Co., Ltd., on Monday last, issued 70 summonses, returnable at Lambeth Police Court, in respect of the "last day's" money, which its drivers who were on strike had neglected to pay in. The union had instructed their members that such money should be paid.
Divided Counsels.
The garage manager of the Gamage-Bell Co. attended at the union offices last week and signed an agreement to the effect that his drivers should have the "extras" and carry "permits" and go to work. This agreement was repudiated by the company, and has not been confirmed.
The History of the London Strike.
The Editorial point of view of this journal, with regard to the unrest in the taxicab industry, so far as London is concerned, is set forth on the first page of this issue. We briefly record here the principal incidents which have characterized the negotiations up to the tinie of going to press.
On Thursday of last week, the men in the employ of the federated owners struck work. The immediate cause of this disruption was the complaint by two National drivers that they had been unjustly accused by two of the recently-appointed " spotters" of having carried " extras " and of not, having accounted for them to their employers. These individual instances were used by the drivers' union as an excuse to strike as a protest against, the means which the proprietors had taken to insure the due collection of "extras."
On the Wednesday, all the men at both the National garages had ceased work. The men at the " W. and G." garage at Acton went to work as usual, but, on hearing that about 100 of their fellow drivers had been stopped on account. of the new " extras "-collecting campaign, telephone messages were dispatched to all the cab shelters by the officials of the trades
union, and at about u a.m. all the " W. and G. men, with but very few exceptions, had returned to Acton.
On the same day, the London Cab Drivers' Trade Union issued a circular " stop-note," which, after announcing a mass meeting to be held at the Empress Theatre, on the following day, proceeded to dictate to all London cab drivers in the following terms : " The taxidrivers of London who are working for federated masters or other firms who are adopting the same attitude (sic) are ordered to cease work on Wednesday night and attend when resolutions will be submitted, etc. Small proprietors, inutuals and co-ops. who are working in accord with their men are exempt from this order." The Napoleonic tone of this mandate also was evident in the decision of the union to issue what it was
pleased to style permits" for other licensed cab drivers to pursue their calling. Those drivers, being members of the union, but not being in the employ of the large companies which were involved in the dispute, were asked to contribute 2s. per day to the strike fund, in return for which they would be " allowed" to ply their calling. Obviously, those drivers who still remained at work were most delighted to pay 2s. per day per cab for the privilege of nullifying the competition of over 6,000 of their usual competitors. A considerable number of private owners, of course, continued about their business without feeling it necessary to carry the " permit " of the union. We understand, at the time of writing, that the advisability of allowing this misleading " permit " system to he employed is engaging the attention of the authorities. The public is liable to imagine that the union has some power to prevent licensed drivers from plying their trade unless they are expressly permitted to do so by the officials. The police very properly ordered the removal of the " permits " on Tuesday last.
The meeting on Thursday last in the Empress 'Theatre did not start until 12.15 p.m., and at that time between 5,0i)0 and 6,000 drivers and others were present. The boxing ring in the centre of the hall, which was to have been used for the Johnson-Wells match, was utilized as a platform, and the chair was taken by the tradeunion president. Several officials of the Carmen's Union and Transport Workers' Federation were also present. The chairman pleaded that the union had not precipitated the strike, and had indeed done its best to avoid it. He complained that the masters had refused to join in a round-table conference. The union was still waiting to meet the masters. He referred to a conference which was planned for the following dayFriday, the 3rd November. A resolution of protest against the action of the proprietors in appointing their "travelling observers" was moved by a W. and G." driver. Entire disapproval was also expressed of what was termed the boycott which was in force, by whicha man was prevented from obtaining employment at federated garages when he had previously been dismissed from one of them.
One of the speakers, a Mr. L. Russell, suggested that "the agitation in the Press by the proprietors" had been renewed on account of the appointment of Mr. McKenna as Home Secretary, the idea being, it was suggested, that the Home Secretary might be induced to increase the fares. Mr. Godfrey, an official of the Carmen's Union, stated that his organization would support.the drivers. Mr. C. Randall, a small proprietor, stated that he could run a cab on the London streets at the rate of Be. a day. On the following day, the drivers' representatives met the members of the London Cab Proprietors' Association, at the offices of the Dunlop Co., in Regent Street. This meeting continued until after midnight, and the parties could come to no agreement. A similar meeting on the following day (Saturday) was also unproductive. The final offer of the masters was an insistence on the payment of 6d. per day by each driver in lieu of "extras" until such time as some other conditions of working could be arranged. This the drivers refused.
Mr. McKenna, on Tuesday, in the House of Commons, denied that there was dishonesty amongst taxidrivers. The Home Secretary is, of course, " new at his job."