The London cabmen have been on strike this week against
the "privileged" system maintained by all the railways -except the South-Western. Under this system no cabman an use a railway station as a stand unless he is "privileged," that is, in fact, selected by the traffic managers. It is a revolt -of the cab democracy against an aristocracy created by the rail- ways. The latter prefer the system which gives them a certain -control, and which would, if the privileged men were faithful, defend them completely against strikes, but the cabmen are not universally faithful, yielding, as regards part of their number, -to their general Union. There is something to be said for the strikers from the point of view that cab-driving is a service to the public, in which all drivers ought to be equal; but the managers of the trade are exceedingly unwise. The railways can start cabs of their own, and are doing it, and the privileged cabs are turned out to increase the crowd of competitors in the streets, who, with omnibuses increasing in number every day, bicycles depriving them of custom from the young, and the danger of motor-cabs hanging over their heads, are already at their wits' end for a living. We have always maintained that cabmen are underpaid, that they have not shared in the general advance of London wages, and that they ought to have in all cases sixpence for the hiring, as they have now if the distance is under a mile ; but they are foolish to quarrel with their own bread.
Previous page
