"As General Motors goes, so goes the country" . That perhaps used to be true, and certainly there was good reason to believe it, for the automobile industry was a cornerstone in America's growth and prosperity. The automobile became an indispensable part of life in the USA. (The author is not ready to give up his car- how about you?) Perhaps all of this was not a normal and natural consequence of the industrial revolution. An article a while back- before GM bankruptcy- in "Rachel's Environmental & Health Weekly" - before GM bankruptcy- suggested that it was a part of a plan by the automobile companies to buy and shut down the mass transit companies. Prior to this period, many American cities had electric street cars and were connected to other cities and towns with electric railroads and interurban trolleys. ( First hand knowledge: as a gift and treat, the author's aunt took him for a ride on the then still operating interurban line from Wichita to Hutchinson. Kansas) In the 1920's GM began buying electric transit systems and accumulated systems in 45 cities. They then let the systems decline and replaced the cars and tracks with less energy efficient smog generating buses. A Federal court in 1945 convicted General Motors and their co-conspirators, Firestone Rubber and Standard Oil of California of criminal conduct concerning the above actions. GM was fined the huge sum of $5,000 , their executive $1.00. "Many people think of Los Angeles as the original automobile city. However, before GM converted the city to buses and private automobiles, Los Angeles was served by the largest electric/rail mass transit system in the nation. The Pacific Electric Railway ran more than 1000 trains per day over 760 miles of rail lines to such outlying stations as Redlands, Corona, Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and Balboa, carrying light freight as well as passengers. Its last line, to Long Beach, was abandoned in 1961 . ." The article went on in length to describe the environmental consequences , and if interested the reader can click on the above link to read the article. Car of the future? In 1932 Mr. J.M. Custer invented a car that would run on compressed air that would travel 500 miles on 4 tanks of compressed air. Now, Magnetic Air Cars, Inc have combined compressed air with a magnetic /air motor. Stop by your compressor for a fillup? With Love and Kindness, THE HATMAN |
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