Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

330 BRITAIN AT WORK. arrangement is not a satisfactory one, inas- much as there is no check upon the employee’s honesty, save the master’s general knowledge of the state of trade. The objections to this system could be overcome by the introduc- tion of the taxameter. This is an instrument in use in Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Basle, and other Continental towns. It registers the distance traversed, and the amount to be paid by the passenger. It also in- dicates the indebtedness of the driver to the master when the day’s work is finished. The conditions under which the trade is conducted in London render its use unneces- sary so far as the masters are concerned. It would, however, be a convenience to the public, though the drivers would probably view its advent with regret. There is no limit to the number of hackney carriages that may be licensed in the metro- politan area. But in Southampton, Black- pool, Scarborough, Preston, Wolverhampton, Leeds, and several other places the number is strictly limited. The London cabman has long desired a change in this direction, in the hope of benefiting by the diminished com- petition. The landau as a hackney carriage is very popular in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and while the victoria is for hire in nearly all the English provincial towns, in London it is CABMAN S SHELTER. Photo: Cassell & Co., Ltd. i A FAMILIAR STREET SCENE. practically unknown. Some years ago the experiment was tried of placing them on the cab-ranks, but the share of patronage accorded them was so insignificant that they were very soon withdrawn. The “ outside car” is peculiar to Ireland. There is, how- ever, a world of difference between the well-appointed vehicle, with pneumatic tyres and plated fittings, which may be hired at any of the principal cab-ranks in Dublin and the jaunting-car found in remote country districts. At Irish seaside resorts, just as in similar places throughout the United King- dom, there are always landaus and victorias on hire for the convenience of visitors. The railway stations in London, and in most of the leading provincial towns, are closed against the general body of cab- drivers. Waterloo is, however, excep- tional, for it is open to all comers on payment of an entrance fee of a penny. The men who attend the railway stations are known as “ privileged drivers.” Rent varies from 2s. to 3s. a week for admission to a station, the Great Central, Paddington, and the London, Brighton and South Coast being the most expensive. Formerly a cab could only work at one station ; but an interchangeable system now prevails, under which a vehicle which is housed at one station is free to all.