Trolleys

The trolley car, or--as their operators prefer to call it--the "electric railway industry," is only 36 years old. Not until May 4, 1888, did the first commercially successful overhead trolley car appear in this country and spell the extinction of the older, slower and smaller 'horse car ' systems. To Richmond, Virginia, belongs the honor of witnessing on that date the beginning of the electrically-operated street railways. From that experimental beginning, the industry grew until at present it represents about $6,000,000,000 of invested capital, an annual income of about $1,000,000,000 and a record of carrying some 16,000,000,000 persons in 1923. At first the new "electric railways" often proved very profitable and several of America's large private fortunes resulted from them. During the War and until very recently, however, the industry fell upon evil days. Operating costs were doubled or tripled, fares advanced little or not at all, competition with jitneys arose, and about a sixth of the industry went into the hands of receivers. Both track and equipment were sold for junk.

Now, according to the American Electric Railway Association, the industry is coming back. Cooperation between trolleys and buses is being effected, living fares are paid, and the public is taking a more sympathetic interest in its local trolley lines. In 1923 the industry spent over $2,000,000 in advertising and intends to increase its appropriations for this purpose during the present year.