Summary
This mechanical taximeter model has a side-wind flag that rotates 360 degrees. When the flag was up it was visible from outside the taxicab and meant the meter was switched off. When the flag was down and no longer visible it meant the meter was on, which is how the term flagfall was coined. Taxi owners and regulators could police taxi drivers on the job by looking for the flag. The term high flagging referred to taxi drivers taking a job without turning on the meter.
Located on Exploration Lane in Melbourne Austral Argo Engineering Co. Pty Ltd. imported taximeters from Germany and adapted them to the local market. Established by Thomas Seymour Sharman, the business was taken over by his son Phillip. The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1943.
