One of the most colorful yet neglected eras in American transportation history is re-created in this definitive history of the electric interurbans. Built with the idea of attracting short-distance passenger traffic and light freight, the interurbans were largely constructed in the early 1900s. The rise of the automobile and motor transport caused the industry to decline after World War I, and the depression virtually annihilated the industry by the middle 1930s. Part I describes interurban construction, technology, passenger and freight traffic, financial history, and final decline and abandonment. Part II presents individual histories (with route maps) of the more than 300 companies of the interurban industry. Reviews "A first-rate work of such detail and discernment that it might well serve as a model for all corporate biographies. . . . A wonderfully capable job of distillation." —Trains "Few economic, social, and business historians can afford to miss this definitive study." —Mississippi Valley Historical Review "All seekers after nostalgia will be interested in this encyclopedic volume on the days when the clang, clang of the trolley was the most exciting travel sound the suburbs knew." —Harper's Magazine "A fascinating and instructive chapter in the history of American transportation." —Journal of Economic History "The hint that behind the grand facade of scholarship lies an expanse of boyish enthusiasm is strengthened by a lovingly amassed and beautifully reproduced collection of 37 photographs." —The Nation

Of experience with various forms of indirect taxation in developing countries.

The report asserts the probability of future widespread abandonments of branchline rail freight service. It stipulates the circumstances in which abandonments are most likely to occur, and assesses the negative impacts that may result. It is suggested that short line railroad operations may be an alternative to the complete loss of rail service. The report describes the savings that may accrue through a changeover from major railroad ownership to short line operation. Alternative institutional and financial mechanisms for establishing and operating short line roads are discussed. A broad description of capital and operating costs is given. Finally, several examples are provided of successful short line operations in the United States.

This book provides a detailed survey and analysis of the structure and operation of the state and local sales taxes.

"The growing knowledge of the nature and capabilities of electric power during the nineteenth century inevitably led to experiments in various countries with the use of this power for transportation. As early as 1834 a battery-powered motor operated a small car on the short section of track in Vermont, and by 1851 a car of this type made an experimental run from Washington to Bladensburg, Maryland. The intercity electric railway industry in Canada, which began in 1887, ended in 1959. Peak interest in the industry was between 1910 and 1920, the era of Sir Adam Beck's projected radial network that would have covered much of the southern portion of Ontario. But the plans came too late, and the radial system was never built. The Canadian electric lines developed later than their United States counterparts, but lasted somewhat longer, and for a time i the 1950's there were more electric passenger-carrying trains in Canada than in the United States. This study describes the rise and decline of the electric railway industry in Canada. It includes a general history of the industry, the development of the lines, their financing and control, and a brief but fascinating account of the 25 individual companies which operated the roads"- Publisher.