Fenwick v. City of Klamath Falls

297 P. 838, 135 Or. 571, 1931 Ore. LEXIS 53
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 29, 1931
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 297 P. 838 (Fenwick v. City of Klamath Falls) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fenwick v. City of Klamath Falls, 297 P. 838, 135 Or. 571, 1931 Ore. LEXIS 53 (Or. 1931).

Opinion

*572 CAMPBELL, J.

The plaintiff is engaged in the motor carrier business in Klamath Falls, Oregon, operating as an “anywhere for hire carrier”: Oregon Code 1930, § 55-1307, class 2. That is, in transporting passengers from points within to points without, from points without to points within, and from point to point within the city of Klamath Falls. He has complied with all the general laws and the rules and regulations of the Public Service Commission of the state of Oregon. The defendant, through its duly constituted officers, has passed an ordinance known as number 2044 for the regulation of this class of business. Plaintiff claims that defendant intends to and will enforce said ordinance. That the enforcement of said ordinance will contravene the fourth and fifth amendments to the United States constitution, and section 20, article 1 of the constitution of Oregon. That the enforcement of the ordinance will greatly damage and injure him in his business and property rights. He asks that the defendant be restrained from the enforcement thereof, and that the ordinance be declared void.

To his complaint a demurrer was filed on the ground that it did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of suit against defendants or either of them. The demurrer was overruled by the court, whereupon defendants refused to plead further, and an order was duly entered permanently restraining the city from enforcing said ordinance and declaring said ordinance No. 2044 void. From this judgment this appeal is taken.

The defendant assigns as error the action of the court as follows: “1. The order overruling defendant’s demurrer to plaintiff’s complaint. 2. The order of the court granting the plaintiff a permanent injunc *573 tion against said ordinance and the enforcement thereof. 3. The ruling of the court holding that said ordinance No. 2044 is void.”

The particular sections of the ordinance complained of are as follows:

“Section 3. No vehicle or vehicles used for the transportation of passengers for hire on the streets of the City of Klamath Falls, shall park, wait for passengers, or stand for hire, on any street, unless the owner or owners thereof shall have secured a permit from the common council of the city of Klamath Falls, authorizing the owner thereof to stand such vehicle for hire on such street or streets.
“Section 4. The owner or proprietor, lessor, or lessee, of every motor vehicle, operated in the City of Klamath Falls, and/or used for transporting passengers for hire, whether by contract, wages, or otherwise, shall pay a yearly fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for the first car and ten dollars ($10.00) for each additional car.
“Section 5. The owner of such vehicle desiring a permit, shall make a vertified, written application therefor to the common council, and such application shall contain the name and address of the owner of the vehicle or vehicles to be used for such purposes, the factory number, the state license number, and trade namje of such vehicle or vehicles, an accurate description of the particular place in the streets or street, together with the name of the streets or street, where, and the hours of the day, during which the owner desires to stand such vehicle or vehicles for hire, and the name and address of the person or persons who will drive or be in charge of such vehicle. The chairman of the street committee shall examine into and investigate the traffic conditions surrounding the place upon which the owner desires to stand such vehicle, and report to the council his recommendations as to whether or not a permit shall be issued to such applicant.
*574 “If upon consideration of the report of said chairman, and a view, if necessary, of the place where the owner of such vehicle desires to stand the same, the council is of the opinion that the standing of such vehicle at the place and during the time stated in the application will interfere with traffic, or the proper regulation thereof, then such permit shall not be granted.
“If, however, the council is of the opinion that the standing of such vehicle at the place and during the time mentioned, will not interfere with, traffic, and the proper regulation thereof, then such permit shall be granted. The permit shall contain the name and address of the owner of the vehicle, the factory number, state license number, and trade name of such vehicle, the name and address of the person or persons who will drive or be in charge of such vehicles, and an accurate description of the particular place in the street or streets, together with the name of the street or streets where, and the hour of the day during which such vehicle shall be permitted to stand for hire or wait for passengers. Provided further, that no vehicle belonging to a person, firm, or corporation, shall at any time be permitted to park, stand for hire, or wait for passengers within the same block wherein another vehicle, belonging to the same person, firm or corporation, is standing for hire or waiting for passengers.
“It shall be unlawful for the owner or driver of any vehicle, licensed by the City of Klamath Falls, either as a taxicab, or for-hire car, to park the same upon any street, except the stands covered by permits as above provided, unless such vehicle is under hire at the time of such parking. A violation of any provision of this section shall be sufficient grounds for the revocation by the council of any permit issued hereunder.
“All permits issued under the provisions of this ordinance, shall expire on the 31st day of December of each year, and must be renewed for the following year.
“The chief of police shall have the authority to temporarily revoke a permit issued to any owner or *575 chauffeur or driver of any taxicab or for-hire motor vehicle, when he has reasonable ground to believe that the chauffeur or driver is an incompetent and/or improper person to operate a motor vehicle and the owner, chauffeur, or driver, having his permit temporarily revoked by the chief of police may appeal within five (5) days from the date of said revocation to the common council, from such order.
“Whenever the chief of police temporarily revokes the permit of any chauffeur or driver, he shall report such fact with a statement of his reasons therefor to the council. Whenever the council authorizes taxicabs or for-hire vehicles to be placed at any certain stand in the city, the chief of police shall have the right to regulate the motor vehicles as to the matter of alternating on the stands, subject to general parking rules and regulations.
“Section 7. Upon filing an application for a permit or license under the provision of this ordinance, the owner, proprietor, or lessor of such motor vehicle, shall file with his application an insurance policy issued by some reliable insurance company, authorized to transact business in the state of Oregon, in the following amounts, to wit: Property damage, $1,000.00.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
297 P. 838, 135 Or. 571, 1931 Ore. LEXIS 53, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fenwick-v-city-of-klamath-falls-or-1931.