Cork City Council Hackney Carriage Committee Minutes
TitleCork City Council Hackney Carriage Committee Minutes
ReferenceCP/CO/HC/M
Date
1890-1927
Production date 1890 - 1927
Scope and ContentInspection and licencing of vehicles plying for hire in the City was a function of Cork Corporation from the mid 19th century, and was subject to regulatory legislation and bye laws. Minutes of meetings of the hackney car committee from the 1860s to the 1880s are contained in General Committee Minutes (CP/CO/GC/M). Also contained are minutes of the Gingle Committee, which supervised public use of a different kind of hired vehicle. The Tolls and Markets Committee had responsibility for supervision of hackney carriages, the Inspector of Hackney Carriages reporting to that committee, in the period from March 1882 to December 1889 [CP/CO/TM/M]. The present series begins with the first discrete volume of Hackney Car Committee minutes, the Gingle Committee evidently no longer in existence by this time.
The committee initially met weekly, with councillors and, usually, the city secretary and hackney car inspector in attendance. The general superintendent also sometimes attended. In July 1892 the number of councillors ws increased from seven to 14, to represent each ward of the city. A note on the committee’s accounts occurs regularly in minutes. The inspector’s report was also read weekly, raising existing and planned traffic arrangements, disciplinary and licensing matters, and traffic and other issues arising.
The committee was responsible for licencing of hackney car owners and drivers, with licences generally renewed annually. It also heard complaints from the public, and could reprimand operators or revoke licences for misconduct or breach of bye laws. Drivers were generally convicted of such breaches, or unlicenced operation, by the Magistrates’ Court. The committee also heard complaints from operators regarding damage to vehicles on the public roads, and other matters. The committee provided shelters and stands for the cars, and was responsible for their upkeep. The Corporation’s area of jurisdiction over hackney cars extended to a radius to five miles from the General Post Office.
From mid-1890s the committee also had responsibility for licencing of omnibuses, larger carriages capable of taking greater numbers of passengers. The minutes reflect the initial resistance to the advent of these vehicles by hackney car proprietors.
The increasing number of motor cars on the city’s streets from the 1900s on, and its implications for the public, was also a concern of the committee, which had a role regarding speed limits and addressing of complaints. Tramways also came to operate in the city in these years, and while these were run by private companies, the committee similarly addressed complaints and matters arising. There were also dealings with railways operating into and out of the city, particularly in terms of hackney stands and related arrangements and bye laws.
The committee for a time had responsibility with regard to overseeing general traffic in the city, eg, noticing obstructions to roads and footpaths, deposit of goods on quays, movement of cattle, and street preaching. Regulation of street traffic was assumed by the Constabulary in August 1890, Corporation bye laws still applying. The committee and the general superintendent continued to play a role in regulating traffic matters, although the Improvements Committee also had functions with respect to use and maintenance of roads and public spaces.
From November 1924 to March 1929, while the Corporation was dissolved, committee meetings were attended by the City Commissioner (later City Manager), with other officers sometimes attending. City Manager Monohan continued to attend meetings, without Councillors present, up to 14 November 1929, when the present series ends.
The series documents the operation of hackney carriages in the city, forerunners of today’s taxis and cabs, and provides much information on the early development of omnibus (bus) services and tramways in the city. In addition, it sheds light on traffic issues, cycling, motor cars and cycles, and other matters, and will be of interest to those studying the history of public transport.
The committee initially met weekly, with councillors and, usually, the city secretary and hackney car inspector in attendance. The general superintendent also sometimes attended. In July 1892 the number of councillors ws increased from seven to 14, to represent each ward of the city. A note on the committee’s accounts occurs regularly in minutes. The inspector’s report was also read weekly, raising existing and planned traffic arrangements, disciplinary and licensing matters, and traffic and other issues arising.
The committee was responsible for licencing of hackney car owners and drivers, with licences generally renewed annually. It also heard complaints from the public, and could reprimand operators or revoke licences for misconduct or breach of bye laws. Drivers were generally convicted of such breaches, or unlicenced operation, by the Magistrates’ Court. The committee also heard complaints from operators regarding damage to vehicles on the public roads, and other matters. The committee provided shelters and stands for the cars, and was responsible for their upkeep. The Corporation’s area of jurisdiction over hackney cars extended to a radius to five miles from the General Post Office.
From mid-1890s the committee also had responsibility for licencing of omnibuses, larger carriages capable of taking greater numbers of passengers. The minutes reflect the initial resistance to the advent of these vehicles by hackney car proprietors.
The increasing number of motor cars on the city’s streets from the 1900s on, and its implications for the public, was also a concern of the committee, which had a role regarding speed limits and addressing of complaints. Tramways also came to operate in the city in these years, and while these were run by private companies, the committee similarly addressed complaints and matters arising. There were also dealings with railways operating into and out of the city, particularly in terms of hackney stands and related arrangements and bye laws.
The committee for a time had responsibility with regard to overseeing general traffic in the city, eg, noticing obstructions to roads and footpaths, deposit of goods on quays, movement of cattle, and street preaching. Regulation of street traffic was assumed by the Constabulary in August 1890, Corporation bye laws still applying. The committee and the general superintendent continued to play a role in regulating traffic matters, although the Improvements Committee also had functions with respect to use and maintenance of roads and public spaces.
From November 1924 to March 1929, while the Corporation was dissolved, committee meetings were attended by the City Commissioner (later City Manager), with other officers sometimes attending. City Manager Monohan continued to attend meetings, without Councillors present, up to 14 November 1929, when the present series ends.
The series documents the operation of hackney carriages in the city, forerunners of today’s taxis and cabs, and provides much information on the early development of omnibus (bus) services and tramways in the city. In addition, it sheds light on traffic issues, cycling, motor cars and cycles, and other matters, and will be of interest to those studying the history of public transport.
Extent4 volumes
LanguageEnglish
Persons keywordCork City Council, Cork Corporation
AccessOpen by appointment to those holding a current readers' ticket
RightsSubject to Rules Governing Reproduction of Records
Levelseries
RepositoryCork City and County Archives