Rita Curry, age 14, of Billing, Mont., for her question:

WHEN WAS THE RICKSHA FIRST USED?

Tourists call the light two wheeled cart once widely used as a public vehicle in Japan and China a ricksha. The correct name, however, is jinrikisha. It was first used in Japan about 1870.

The jinrikisha usually had a top, or hood, to protect passengers from the weather. The runner, or hiki, ran between the shafts and often pulled passengers 20 or 30 miles a day. These men earned very little money. Also, they never seemed to tire.

Jinrikishas lost their popularity as the leading taxicab in the cities of the Orient when the pedicab came along. This is a foot powered tricycle, and it has replaced the jinrikisha in most Asian countries. As a matter of fact, the jinrikishas were declared illegal in many Chinese cities because authorities felt using "human horses" was undignified.

With the pedicab, the driver sits on a bicycle seat and pushes pedals that turn the rear wheels. He guides the pedicab with bicycle handle bars.