|
Gharry Fares
1907
A horse-drawn
gharry at Post Office Pier in Post Office
Bay, Tawahi. c1909.
The Condensing
Engineer's house is behind the fence on the
right.
When the 2nd Battalion the
Suffolk Regiment arrived in Aden in 1907 the
‘Suffolk Gazette’ published by the battalion
included advice on what soldiers should pay
for a local taxi, the horse-drawn gharry:
“In this part of the world where the
taximeter has not yet been introduced, the
‘Gharry Wallah’ is likely to ‘come the old
soldier’ with his fares, and invariably
demands extortionate sums from soldier
passengers. The authorised rates of hire are
given below:
The whole day from sunrise or sunset, or any
period not exceeding 12 hours, if specially
agreed at time of hiring, within the
Peninsula of Aden, provided the distance
travelled within that time did not exceed 16
miles - Rupees 4.
If engaged to ply within any single
division, for every hour or fraction of an
hour - Annas 6.
|
From Crater to: |
For single journey |
For return journey
incl up to 1 hr detention |
| |
1 - 2
passengers |
3-4 passengers |
1-2 passengers |
3-4 passengers |
| |
Rupees |
Annas |
Rupees |
Annas |
Rupees |
Annas |
Rupees |
Annas |
|
Marshag |
|
12 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
Isthmus |
|
12 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
Maalla |
|
12 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
Tawahi
|
1 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
|
Muksar |
1 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
|
Steamer Point |
2 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
|
Gold Mohur Valley |
2 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
CRATER or (Town) includes all that portion
of Aden within and to the eastward of the
Main Pass as far as the South Gate.
MARSHAG includes all that portion of Aden
lying beyond and to the southward of the
South Pass.
ISTHMUS includes smaller and larger Isthmus
positions from the mouth of the large Tunnel
on the Crater side up to the Western gate in
the large Isthmus, and the space between the
Barrier Gate, Obstruction Pier and Western
Gate.
MAALLA includes all that portion of Aden
lying between the Main Pass and the Hedjuf
or Little Pass.
TAWAHI includes all that portion of Aden
lying beyond and to the westward of the
Hedjuf, or Little Pass, as far as the Post
Office Pier and the Condensing Engineer's
house (included).
STEAMER POINT includes all that portion of
Aden lying beyond and to the South and West
of Post Office Pier and Condensing
Engineer's house up to the Eastern Telegraph
Company's message receiving house.
GOLD MOHUR VALLEY includes all that portion
of Aden lying beyond and to the South and
East of the Eastern Telegraph Company's
message receiving house.
[The use of a gharry by the soldiers for
longer journeys, e.g. Crater to Tawahi, must
have been somewhat of a luxury; at 5 Rupees
to a Pound (and 16 Annas to a Rupee) a
gharry, even when shared, was not
particularly cheap bearing in mind their
rate of pay.] |
