§ MR. JOHN O'CONNOR (Kildare, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the minimum fare for the hiring of hackney carriages in London is fixed by law; whether, having regard to the provisions of 30 and 31 Vic, c. 134, s. 26, and 32 and 33 Vic, c. 115, s. 9 (3), the recent order issued by the Home Office fixing fares for the hiring of hackney carriages furnished with taximeters at a sum less than the statutory minimum is within such provisions; and, if not, will the regulation to these fares be withdrawn.
§ MR. GLADSTONEThe only fares fixed by my recent Order for taximeter cabs are the fares set out in Schedule K for motor-cabs fitted with taximeters, to which—so I am advised by the Attorney-General—the provisions as to fares in Hackney Carriage Acts before 1869 do not apply. Horsed taximeter cabs are dealt with by Regulation 32, which merely lays down that the fares shall not exceed the fares payable by hirers of ordinary cabs. Any lower scale indicated by the taximeter as payable by the hirer would be a contract scale as recognised by Section 45 of the London Hackney Carriage Act, 1831.
§ MR. JOHN O'CONNORasked whether the minimum fare fixed by law was one shilling; whether motor-cabs, whether with or without taximeters, were hackney 1414 carriages; and how could the right hon. Gentleman within the provisions of the law fix a less fare than one shilling?
§ MR. GLADSTONEwas understood to say that the Attorney-General had advised that this could be done, there being a distinction between a carriage driven by power and a carriage drawn by horses.
§ MR. JOHN O'CONNORasked whether he was to understand that a motor-car, with or without taximeter, was not a hackney carriage, although it plied for hire.
§ *MR. GLADSTONEI am advised as I have stated.