Another reason why the strike has caused less public incon-
venience than was expected is that people have taken freely to the roads instead of using the railways. The power of adaptation in the nation is endless, and if ever we lose it we shall begin to go downhill. Not everybody can afford to drive in a motor-car or even in a side-car, though a side-car heavily laden with four or five passengers gives very much cheaper travelling than a train. But it is now possible to travel almost from one end of England to another by motor 'buses or coaches. The increase of the motor-coach traffic has been so rapid that it has far outstripped information on the subject. No doubt this will soon be supplied. People would be even more independent of railways than they are if they knew exactly where they could go by motor 'bus or coach, and at what times, and how long the journey would take.
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