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go into the business of hauling people for hire. The stands are not very large.

Therefore when a man happens to come on the stand very many times the stand is occupied by all kinds of vehicles belonging to guests in the hotel and business men. Anyone can drive their car on what is supposed to be a hack stand where the men may do business. Therefore if a man did not drive around slowly in the streets of Washington with a " For Hire" sign on his machine, will you tell me how he can make a living? We have tabulated it and these men have almost a billion dollars invested in automobiles and equipment. They have come almost to the point where they can not even make a living. Conditions are such in this town that they can not make a decent living for their families by reason of the fact that where the business is large they are barred. Everybody knows it is around the public hotels, the station, and the steamboat wharves, where people come, and that is where they want automobiles for hire. They naturally visit the hotels and naturally come into the Union Station and naturally come on the steamboat wharves. Those are the people to patronize the public vehicle drivers. It is not the citizens of Washington who patronize the public vehicle drivers. Unless they are put in a position where they can make a living, it is useless to continue the business. That is our grievance the fact that these corporations can control the streets of Washington and drive their vehicles in front of any hotel and stand there sometimes as much as 15 or 16 vehicles long, in a line, from photographs we have in our possession, blocking every chance for a public vehicle driver to get in line if he desired. But let a public vehicle driver get in front of the Shoreham Hotel, the Willard, or the Raleigh and stand there two minutes, and he will be put under arrest. He is told, “You get on the hack stand where you belong," and no such stands exist in reality. The chances are that when he gets on the hack stand there is no place for him. We contend that it is time not to have a square deal, but it is time to have a new deal, if these men are going to have sny chance at all to make a living.

Mr. ZIHLMAN. Did I understand you to say that the vehicles of the Terminal Taxicab Co. and other corporations have the use of Fifteenth Street, Fourteenth Street, and Twelfth Street, adjacent to the Raleigh, the Willard, and the Washington hotels, and if one of these 1,000 or 1,500 drivers that you speak of runs his machine on one of these streets and tries to take on a passenger, he is put under arrest? Is that a correct statement?

Mr. STERNE. That is correct.

If a man had business in the Willard Hotel and left his car on Fourteenth Street and left his sign on, if he forgot to take off his "for hire" sign the hack inspector would put him under arrest.

Mr. LANHAM. And what would be the charge?

Mr. STERNE. A charge of loitering, off the hack stand, soliciting business on the street.

Mr. LANHAM. In other words, a loitering charge can be laid against the private driver, but not against the corporation driver? Mr. STERNE. It looks that way.

Mr. ZIHLMAN. The law says that loitering of public cabs and hacks and public vehicles of all descriptions around theaters and

public buildings is prohibited. It does not say private vehicles, unless you construe it to mean that cabs of these companies are not public cabs. That is the only way such an interpretation could be put on the law.

Mr. STERNE. Mr. Chairman, in answer to that I might say that that may be the law, but we do not find the law enforced in that

way.

Mr. LANHAM. I wonder if there has been any judicial determination of the question.

Mr. ZIHLMAN. I understand there have been two test cases and they are now pending.

Mr. STERNE. I understand the latest case has been pending for 27 weeks.

Mr. ZIHLMAN. I understand that they arrested one of the drivers of the public hacks and also one of the taxicab company's drivers and Judge Hardison has been holding it for 27 weeks. I called up Judge Hardison some weeks ago and he said he was writing his opinion. There are a number of decisions in the court of appeals and there is a test case now pending before the District branch of the police

court.

Mr. STERNE. Mr. Chairman, I would like to see this bill amended so that when a public vehicle driver accepts a fare there will be some assurance he will get his money. If I should take a fare now and drive until 12 o'clock at night, under the law at $4 an hour, and the fare should refuse to pay me, I have no redress under the District of Columbia Code to collect my money. That seems such an injustice to me and to these men, and I think it ought to be remedied. Repeatedly fares have refused to pay and the men have appealed to the police and they have stated that there is nothing they can do, except that you can go out and sue the man if you can find him. We believe that is an injustice, just as much an injustice as if a man refuses to pay his room bill in a hotel.

Mr. LANHAM. Do you know of any way in which that can be remedied, with the possible exception of requiring payment in advance?

Mr. STERNE. We think the law should be amended so that a man hiring a public or private vehicle shall be amenable to the law, but not being a lawyer I can not tell you just exactly how it can be done. Mr. LANHAM. But how are you going to enforce a criminal law on a breach of that character? How are you going to put a penalty on it?

Mr. STERNE. The only way I can answer that is on the same ground that the hotel is able to collect its board bill.

Mr. LANHAM. That is done by giving a lien on any property that the guest has in the hotel, but ordinarily your fare has no property. Mr. STERNE. If I rent a room in a hotel and get out of town, if they find me they can bring me back.

Mr. LANHAM. I do not know anything about the District laws in that regard.

Mr. STERNE. That is the law. Now, Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, as I stated before, the large taxicab companies have no authority to do a hacking business, as I have tried to make clear. If they accept a fare at the Union Station and go to another point in the District

they must return to their garage, they must not return to the Union Station. Under the law they are not in the hacking business. I have here some 50 violations of the law giving the date, the number of the cab, the amount of fare charged, and if it is not objectionable I would like to leave it with the committee for their information. It shows where these taxicab companies had violated the law, where at various times they have accepted fares in violation of the law, giving the cab number, the meter number, the District license, the far paid, etc.

Mr. LANHAM. Have they been brought to the attention of the authorities?

Mr. STERNE. These men have. I would like to say this, too: The men who collected this information were told by the property clerk of the District of Columbia that if they could bring these violations to his attention that he would be glad to get them and that they would be compensated for the time lost and gasoline burned and the wear and tear on their cars in following these cabs, which was the only way they could get the information. These violations happened in 1917, but we have another gentleman who will give you some more violations in 1918 and 1919. But what interests me more than anything else is that these men put in a bill for $50. They signed the voucher, and to this very minute they have never been able to get a cent from the District government.

Mr. LANHAM. Your complaint there is not so much against the law as the manner in which the law has been enforced.

Mr. STERNE. The law is not enforced against the corporations at all. I do not know whose fault it is, but it is not enforced. If it was enforced the conditions that exist at the Union Station to-day, where women and children have to climb over a platform and jeopardize their lives, would not exist, if it was a fair deal. I do not consider it fair to you or to anybody else to have to be told where I have got to get out of my cab and let the corporation control the curb line.

Mr. ZIHLMAN. That is the condition, because I have been there in my own car.

Mr. STERNE. If there is no objection I would like to leave this statement of violations with you, and you can use your judgment about putting it in the record.

(The paper referred to followss:)

BARNETT TAXICAB CO.-EBBITT HOTEL.

November 5, 1917: From Ebbitt to Lafayette; meter No. 49220; District of Columbia No. 58260; fare, 60 cents; time, 7.43 p. m.

November 8, 1917: From Ebbitt to Lyceum; District of Columbia No. 52186; fare, 50 cents; time, 7.32 p. m.

November 12, 1917: From Ebbitt to Mount Vernon Station; meter No. 73073; District of Columbia No. 52791; fare, 50 cents; time, 7.12 p. m.

From Ebbitt to Lyceum; District of Columbia No. 57195; fare, 50 cents; time, 8.55 p. m.

POWHATAN HOTEL.

November 12, 1917: From Powhatan to Ebbitt; District of Columbia No. 42953; fare, 60 cents; time, 7.05 p. m.

From Powhatan to Mount Vernon Station; District of Columbia No. 39631; fare, 75 cents; time, 7.47 p. m.

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STERLING HOTEL.

November 12, 1917: From Sterling to Powhatan; District of Columbia No. 40261; fare, 75 cents; time, 6.55 p. m.

From Sterling to War and Navy Lunch; District of Columbia No. 40261; fare, 75 cents; time, 7.35 p. m.

FEDERAL TAXICAB CO.

November 1, 1917: From Raleigh to Willard; cab No. 61; meter No. 34036; District of Columbia No. 41966; fare, 50 cents; time, 7.25 p. m.

From Willard to Lafayette; cab No. 69; meter No. 33197; District of Columbia No. 41974; fare, 70 cents; time, 7.35 p. m.

From Lafayette to Ebbitt; cab No. 5; meter No. 42920; District of Columbia No. 58557; fare, 60 cents; time, 7.47 p. m.

November 5, 1917: From Raleigh to Powhatan; cab No. 61; meter No. 34036; District of Columbia No. 41966; fare, 70 cents; time, 7.05 p. m.

From Willard to Capitol Park; cab No. 2; meter No. 40130; District of Columbia No. 58560; fare, 90 cents; time, 8.38 p. m.

November 8, 1917: From Raleigh to Powhatan; cab T; District of Columbia No. 59116; Maryland No. H-19061; fare, 80 cents; time, 6.57 p. m.

From Lafayette to Ebbitt; cab No. 5; meter No. 42920; District of Columbia No. 58557; fare, 60 cents; time, 7.25 p. m.

From Willard to post office; cab 0; District of Columbia No. 58555; Maryland No. H-19060; fare, 90 cents; time, 8 p. m.

From Willard to Columbia; meter No. 31267; District of Columbia No. 46989; fare, $1.60; time, 8.25 p. m.

November 12, 1917: From Willard to Lyceum; cab No. 2; meter No. 40130; District of Columbia No. 58560; fare, 50 cents; time, 8.37 p. m.

TERMINAL TAXICAB CO.

November 1, 1917: From station front to Raleigh; cab No. 41; meter No. 42907; District of Columbia No. 23724; Maryland No. H-19005; fare, 80 cents; time, 7 p. m.

From Shoreham to Capitol Park; cab No. 47; meter No. 40867; District of Columbia No. 23730; fare, $1; time, 8.20 p. m.

November 5, 1917: From station arch to Raleigh; cab No. 45; meter No. 42912; District of Columbia No. 23728; Maryland No. H-19010; fare, 90 cents; time, 6.50 p. m.

From Shoreham to Ebbitt; cab No. 24; meter No. 34347; District of Columbia No. 18053; fare, 60 cents; time, 7.35 p. m.

From station to Sterling; District of Columbia No. 15835; fare, 80 cents; time, 8.50 p. m.

November 8, 1917: From station to Sterling; cab No. 55; meter No. 33548; District of Columbia No. 23738; fare, 80 cents; time, 6.42 p. m.

From station to Shoreham; cab No. 5; meter No. 31118; District of Columbia No. 15648; fare, 90 cents; time, 8.10 p. m.

November 12, 1917: From Shoreham to Lyceum; meter No. 33062; District of Columbia No. 15737; fare, 70 cents; time, 8.22 p. m.

To show you how fair these men are, I invite this committee and the entire District Committee, or as many Congressmen as want to go, and we will take you on a tour of Washington and we will point out to you the places and show you the violations of the law. If this is not satisfactory, we will furnish you the pictures of how these streets and highways are controlled to the exclusion of these public vehicle drivers.

Mr. LANHAM. In other words, you contend that if one of the hackers has no right in front of these hotels, that these other people have no right there?

Mr. STERNE. Absolutely.

Mr. LANHAM. Now, Mr. Sterne, are there any specific places in this bill where you have any particular amendments to propose that

you think should be incorporated in the bill? In other words, you have spoken generally in reference to your views about the bill. Have you any specific recommendations to make?

Mr. STERNE. I might say further, that I believe that under the bill if we have a traffic commissioner, a man who is familiar with traffic conditions, it will improve the situation. Only yesterday there was a life snuffed out in Washington. Spring is coming on, and there will be a great many more vehicles in use. If this traffic commissioner could be given full authority in the matter, even more authority than he would have under this bill, I do not know just how to suggest an amendment, but I believe that if the citizens of the District could have a man that they could go to, to look after their interests, it would be a great help. I am not unmindful of the fact that the District Commissioners have a great deal of work to do. I do not believe they get time enough to give attention to all the duties they have. Yet a commissioner is desirable.

Mr. LANHAM. I meant with reference to the bill, have you gone over the bill by page and line?

Mr. ZIHLMAN. Let me ask Mr. Sterne right there. Do you not think that if section 18 should be enacted into law as it stands in this bill, it would cure the conditions that you speak of?

Mr. STERNE. Absolutely. Now, unless there is something else, Mr. Chairman, I will ask you gentlemen to consider carefully the grievances of these men, and we will be obligated if you can see your way clear to report the bill favorably. We stand ready to help you to secure any information you desire. I thank you.

Mr. ZIHLMAN. I understand that the men you represent are favorable to the provisions of the bill in regard to a test for drivers, fines to be imposed, and revocation of license, and certain penalties?

Mr. STERNE. Yes, sir. We are willing to comply with all law, and we are anxious that the traffic regulations shall be such as to protect life and limb. These men favor a traffic court. They believe they can get a square deal at a traffic court and they are particularly interested in section 18 that gives them a right to earn a livelihood on an equal basis with corporation-owned vehicles.

Mr. ZIHLMAN. I might say that Congressman Treadway, of Massachusetts, has made somewhat of a study of the conditions that you speak of, and if he desires I will ask him to appear before the committee and give us all the information he has on the subject.

STATEMENT OF MR. GEORGE F. KING, PRESIDENT OF LOCAL NO. 625, PUBLIC VEHICLE CHAUFFEURS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Mr. KING. Mr. Chairman, may I give one piece of information? It will only take a few minutes.

Mr. ZIHLMAN. Whom do you represent?

Mr. KING. I am president of the Public Vehicle Chauffeurs of the District of Columbia, Local No. 625. This is in regard to what our friend over there asked Mr. Sterne with reference to the public hackers and the incorporated taxicab companies. I do not know whether you know it or not, but it is a fact that there is a penalty of a fine for any incorporated taxicab company to take up a fare on

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