Hydro-Electric Railways

Electric railways consumed a huge amount of electrical power, and Beck saw their development as an opportunity to sell electricity. Beck envisioned that radials would share the right-of-ways of Hydro transmission lines. A provincial radial system would bridge gaps between various separate radial systems such as those in Toronto, Hamilton and the Niagara Peninsula.[4]

Beck piloted the Hydro Electric Railway Act of 1914. This repealed the requirement that municipalities bear all costs of radial construction, but allowed Ontario Hydro to develop co-operative agreements between Hydro and municipalities for radial construction. Only projects with the potential to be self-supporting would be considered, and municipalities would bear any deficits.[4]

With the new Canadian National Railways consuming considerable taxpayer money, critics feared costs to build radials could escalate. There was also a boost in automobile and truck traffic after World War I. The 1919 provincial election brought into power the United Farmers of Ontario party which was extremely skeptical of Beck's plan. In 1921, Premier Charles Drury announced that the province would not guarantee radial bonds, thus killing the radial scheme.[4]

In 1922, Beck made a proposal to the City of Toronto to build a high-speed, 4- or 6-track radial entrance to the city via the waterfront. There were objections to the radials crossing the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition and fears of a detrimental impact on waterfront economic development. In January 1923, voters rejected the radial proposal.[4]

Despite the decline of the interurban industry, Beck continued his advocacy for radials until his death in 1925 which ended Ontario Hydro's efforts to promote radials.[4]