This example of conservatism, though extreme, is characteristic of the attitude of the general public towards innovations in locomotion. Until mechanical power came to be used, there was--for many centuries--nothing which could be described as a radical innovation in transport. Roads were multiplied and improved; some advance was made in the design and construction of carriages; and the organisation of posting and stage-coach services was developed. But little more was done. Compared with these superficial changes, the idea of using steam power on the highway or on a railroad was so drastic a change that it roused tremendous opposition. The railway companies fought this opposition and overcame it, but the use of steam carriages on ordinary roads was postponed until the appearance of the petrol motor encouraged a movement--once more against strong prejudice--for the repeal of the legislation which restricted the use of mechanically-propelled vehicles on the roads. In a similar way horse tramways were violently attacked; and their conversion to electric traction was opposed by a determined minority in every town. More recently, there was a vigorous agitation against the substitution of motor omnibuses for horse omnibuses in London and elsewhere. To some extent this recurrent opposition was reasonable enough. The new forms of locomotion had dangers of their own; they were generally noisy and sometimes dirty; and occasionally, as in the case of early tramways, they were a nuisance to existing traffic. But it may be noted that electricity claims to provide a means of locomotion not only more rapid and more efficient (in most cases) than any other, but free from many of the drawbacks which gave conservatism an excuse for opposing the introduction of steam and other forms of locomotion. In the following pages I hope to give a clear account of the achievements of electricity in the field of locomotion and also to indicate some of its more immediate potentialities. CHAPTER II EARLY TRAMROADS AND RAILWAYS It has sometimes been remarked, by unfriendly critics, that tramways are an apology for bad roads. That is to say, if road surfaces were perfect, there would be no need to lay rails in order to allow vehicles to run easily. Although this view of the case may be no better than a quarter-truth, it is justified to the extent that tramways were, as a matter of fact, the outcome of an attempt to escape from bad road surfaces. In the early days of mining, coals were taken by horsedrawn wagons from the pits to the harbours. The passage and re-passage of heavy vehicles on the same roadway led to the formation of deep ruts; and the first step towards both the tramway and the railway was taken when logs of wood or 'trams' were laid in the ruts to facilitate transport.