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Dawn of the Electric Traction Era 113 and other complications are eliminated; it is cleaner to handle, and, when standing still, it does not eat up fuel, the current being switched off during such periods of inactivity. It possesses all the mobility of the petrol-driven car with none of its shortcomings, and does not present any troubles which might be char- acterised as peculiar to itself, because there is prac- tically nothing to get out of order. The cost of petrol is rising rapidly, whereas the cost of electric current tends to decrease, especially in applications to power, under which category battery charging is rated. In these islands the price of current is governed by the fluctuations in the price of fuel—gas or steam being the agents which are employed almost exclusively for the generation of electricity. This influence is ex- perienced in every country where similar conditions prevail, but does not arise where water-power furnishes the means of generating the current. It is significant to remark the vast strides which the electrically driven vehicle is making, especially in industrial circles, both in the form of light delivery vans and heavy trucks. In some instances it has even ousted its petrol-driven rival, the running ex- penses, as a result of comparative data, being over- whelmingly in its favour. Furthermore, the use of batteries is not being confined to free road vehicles. Omnibuses and tram-cars operating upon short links, such as transverse feeders to the main networks of communication, have proved highly successful. In the case of the tramways they dispense with the neces- sity of installing costly overhead or underground con- ductors. Accumulators have even made their re- appearance upon the railways, especially in Germany, i