Taximen Squabble, but No Fight Expected As City Opens Parking Berths to All Cabs

"You may find a few fenders bumping into each other, that's all," prophesied Judge Edward A. Counthan, counsel for the Cambridge Taxi Company, as he commented on yesterday's City ruling which threw former private taxi stands open to all back trade.

More than 150 privately-owned stands fell open to use by all registered cabs following a 7 to 9 City Council vote that Harvard Square Police termed "an unquestionable break for the veterans who own their own cabs."

No trouble developed during the first day of operation under the new rule, as drivers pulled in and out of the four main stands in the Square without incident. Tempers were rough, however as dispatchers for the Cambridge Taxi Company claimed that "people will go right on choosing the cabs they always have."

Independent drivers viewed the situation in a brighter light, asserting that the new rule was "a good idea" and adding that they would be able to handle any roughness. "There's no trouble yet," stated one cabble, "but give 'em time We'll do all right anyhow."

With both groups conceding that the new development was a definite give in favor of the small operators, the management of the larger company claimed it planned no "official" action against the rule.