Cabmen were often accused of being associated with prostitution. At the least, most would have known the location of brothels, which were illegal. Cab drivers had to prove that they were of good character to get a licence from the local authority. In 1885 Wellington City Council’s hackney carriage inspector wrote up a list of cabbies known to drive prostitutes in their cabs, and threatened to cancel their licences. But 13 years later Police Inspector John Cullen claimed that Auckland drivers were even worse, according to Wellington’s Evening Post.
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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference: Evening Post, 18 November 1898, p. 6
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