GROWTH OF ELECTRIC TRACTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7722, 4 June 1903, Page 2

GROWTH OF ELECTRIC TRACTION.

URBAN ELECTRIC CARS. (Daily Mail.) Recent developments of electric traction in Lancashire, and in the Thames Valley are calling attention to a coming change which will do niuch to promote the decentralising of manufacturing establishments. The inter-urban electric railway must be largely introduced into this country within the next few years. It will meet with much opposition, as steam railways did in the days of our grandfathers ; legislative shortsightedness and local interests may check it for a time. But come it must. Electric car services between towns are the logical development of our modern tra-mway. The tramway car of the future will convey goods, deliver mails, and do much of the lighter work that now falls on steam railways. It- can probably convey passengers for half third-clas3 fare, and give them first-class accommodation. It can take goods direct from the^barns of the farmer to the door of the townsman. It avoids the heavy expenses for levelling land and tunnelling necessary for the old steam railway. And its motive power and upkeep cost far less. The coming of the inter-urban car is not a; matter of theory. Already it is working successfully and on a large scale in several foreiglf countries. Northern Italy 13 giving a notable example, but the best developments are to bs se^n in the Western States of America. A prominent English engineer recently volunteered the opinion that for distances of more than five miles the electric car cannot compete withy the steam railway, on account of the longer tiire it takes. The West proves this view to be erroneous. Tho new lines that have sprung up there during the past two yeais -discard the highway, and, while usually running close to it, have their own tracks. On these they run frequent cars at high speed. The Aurora, Elgin and Chicago line, 82 miles long, is now running its own service at a maximum- speed of 65, miles an hour. The Union Traction Company of Indiana, one of the most noted of all_, operates 100 miles between cities, and is building 125 miles more. This company runs its ordinary local cars when outside city limits at 26 miles a.n hour, and its special through cars at from 40 to 45 miles an hour. Around Detroit 400 miles of electric line run into the country. Lines like these are practically destroying \ railway short-distance traffic where they operate, and then/ goods cars run as regularly as their passenger service. It is an open secret that foreign capitalists . have for some time been seeking opportunity to promote ( similar schemes mi England. They propose to cut special tracks for f their own rapid electric lines rather than, to use the highways. The difficulty here is the continual crossing of high roads that would be necessary, and the consequent precautions for safety Parliament would demand.