§ MR. EYKYNasked the right hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to a decision given in the Westminster Police Court with respect to Cab Fares, to which he had already called his attention, Whether he is prepared to take any steps during the present Session to render more clear the position of the public and the cabowners in connection with those fares?
MR. BRUCEreplied that on the following or the next day amended regulations dealing with the subject would appear. He might also take that opportunity of stating that, inasmuch as he considered what was called the free trade experiment had already been sufficiently tried, and he was bound to say with no substantial success, he thought it would be convenient that the fares should now be fixed. He proposed, therefore, to fix them at the rate at which, with a very few exceptions, they had been fixed by the free action of cabowners themselves. A few experiments had been tried at somewhat higher fares with a better class of vehicles; but the public had given but little encouragement to those experiments, and the old fares had to be resorted to—that was to say, 2s. per hour in the case of the ordinary four-wheeled cab, and 6d. per mile, subject, of course, to the arrange 1397 ment with respect to the first two miles which had been some time in operation; and in the case of Hansom cabs 2s. 6d. per hour and 6d. per mile. He felt bound to add that he expected there would have been more enterprize on the part of the cabowners, and more encouragement given on the part of the public. He wished to take that opportunity of stating that, so far as he and the police were concerned, everything had been done to fulfil the promise which had been made to the House—that all cabs should be removed from stands which were not considered to come up to the proper standard. He had not in his hand the Return of the number of cabs which had been struck off last year; but he believed, including Hansoms and four-wheelers, it amounted to above 1,500.