The decision to reject, the proposal for running small taxicabs in the Miternational Settlement seems to be sound, Objections based on the notion, that the Council te, thereby extending special protection 10 special Industry, cannot be sustained. The public transport system, must always. be subject to imitations; Which in effect appear to give a quasi-monopoly, This 1s clearly in the public interest. The taxi-car Service which Shanghai gets Is ex: ceptionally satisfactory. wer confronted by a competitor of the type suggested, It would not be able 0 give the public so smoothly-run-hint an organization for reasons which Will be appreciated, The'small taxlcab would merely contribute another Variety of conveyance to the traffic congestion and, however optimistic the promoters are, there is reason gravely to" doubt, whether such T'form of transport. would as eMelently "serve the public as the taxi-cars do now. The probable result would be that the existing faellitles would be shorn of their chief merits and before long the Intruders would be demanding from the Council permission to raise their fares. By that time the harm would he done, Shanghai would fall between two stools. The demand for a cheaper taxi-car service for short dis-tanees tay perhaps receive attention, Dut it might not be met without sacrificing the convenience of the station-hiring system for it would necessitate the adoption of cruising methods as in other cities, In Shanghial's narrow streets that' is unthInkable: the rickshaws are bad enough. More can be effected by improving the bus-services and, in particular, extending the general public's know-Yedge of what those services can perform in ihe way of providing cheap transport between given points.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.