Every Man to His Trade.

Every Man to His Trade.

其他地方我们从芝加哥三打印一篇文章bune, purporting to give the substance of an interview with Fire Marshal Benner, of that city, relative to building Steam Fire Engines, According to the statements of the reporter, Marshal Benner is ambitious to have the Repair Shop connected with his Department so enlarged in its scope and equipment as to enable him to build all the fire apparatus needed by the city, including Steam Fire Engines. He argues that inasmuch as a Repair Shop is necessary to keep the apparatus in order, it could be so enlarged in its held of operations as to enable him to build Steamers at a less cost than they can be bought from the manufacturers. He mentions the fact that Hose Tenders and Hook and Ladder Trucks have already been built at the Shop, and claims that they have cost less than they could have been bought for from manufacturers of such apparatus, if Marshal Benner can see his way clear to building tire j apparatus, as an incident to his legitimate business, to better advantage than others can who make a specialty of such work, he has solved a problem in business matters upon which millions of dollars have been squandered by other men. The history of Steam Fire Engine Building in this country I is emphasized upon every page by the misfortunes of men who have engaged in the business, have struggled bravely for a time, and then gone to join the great army of bankrupts. We might name a dozen manufacturers who have thus sunk their fortunes, impoverishing themselves and their friends. And these were men who devoted their whole time and energy to the prosecution of Steam Engine building as a specialty, doing their work in the most economical manner possible, giving to every detail their personal attention. They were working to make the apparatus as cheaply as possible, that they might make a profit by it, but, with the exercise of every economy, they were unable to save themselves from ruin. If they could not make the business profitable when conducted on such a basis, how much less could they hope to do it if managed simply as an adjunct to some other business. The Amoskeag Company illustrated how little is to he expected from the manufacture of | Steam Fire Engines as an auxiliary to other | business enterprises. The Amoskeag Comj pany is one of the largest cotton goods i manufacturing companies in the country', j As a necessary part of their business, they i run an extensive repair shop in connection : with their mills at Manchester, New HampI shire. Having the necessary shop, machini ery and workmen, they began making the Amoskeag Engine, a very popular machine, j which is the standard in some of the larger cities. Two years ago the company was glad to sell its patterns and everything peri taining to the manufacture of Steamers to another company, engaged in locomotive | budding. We have been credibly informed that the Amoskeag Company lost $100,000 in building Engines, notwithstanding the large number of machines they sold. If a i company possessing the means and facilities i that the Amoskeag did, with enterprising and careful business men to watch the busii ness in all its details, could net make it profitable, there would seem to be little hope of an irresponsible municipal government being successful in doing so.

In this city we have a very extensive Repair Shop, so fully equipped with machinery i that all that would be necessary to enable it ; to turn out complete Steamers would be fa; cilities for making boilers; yet it has never been thought to be economy for the city to undertake their manufacture. Ilook and Ladder Trucks, Hose Tenders, wagons, etc., have been built at the Repair Shop, but it has always been a question whether they j were economically built. Various manufacturers have told us that they would be willing to contract with the city to duplicate j any of this apparatus for a much less sum j than these cost, and give bonds for the j faithful execution of the contract. It does j not look reasonable that any municipal ccrj poration can carry on the manufacturing j business as successfully as private enterprise can do it. It is a good sound political ! economy which declares that no government has the moral right to attempt to do that of itself which belongs to the legitimate sphere of private enterprise. It can also be accepted as a demonstrated fact that whenever government does undertake to compete with private industry, it always does so at a heavy loss. What is true of governments is also true of municipalities. Municipal corporations are created for the government and protection of the people, not to become rivals and competitors in the industrial pursuits of private citizens. But, independent of the question of moral right, we not believe that any municipality can economically compete with private industry in manufacturing enterprises. To carry Marshal Benner’s suggestion to its logical conclusion, cities should manufacture everything they require, and thus drive all private enterprise out of the market. They should own the gas companies, the street railroads, should manufacture furniture for their public offices, build their own buildings, and not give to the citizens, who pay the taxes, a chance to earn a living. If the city can economically make its fire apparatus, why buy anything from private manufacturers, or have any work done by contract? It is the inventive genius and the personal industry of the average American citizen that has given this country rank among the first of nations, and that genius and that industry should be encouraged by every one, whether in his individual or official capacity. That is a homely but expressive old adage which says, “ Let the shoemaker stick to his last.” Fire Marshal Benner has been so successful as the executive officer of a large Fire Department that we should regret to see him fail as a Steam Engine builder. Let him stick to his trade, and not seek to participate, in his official capacity at least, in the ups and downs of private enterprise.