Should Municipalities Become Coachbuilders ?
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TIIERE is a tendency for certain important 1 municipalities to enter the field of the commercial coachbuilder. For 'instance, power to undertake this work. constitutes one of the clauses in a Bill which is being put forward on behalf of the Corporation of Glasgow.
It is extremely, difficult for us' to understand why altmunicipality Should want to dabble in such matters. The building of modern coaches is almostan art—certainly it ,is highly specialized. It demands a combination of woodworker and engineer, and in few other branches of the industry is" itt easier to make mistakes. Pristine beauty—even if that be obtained in a municipal coach factory—would probably have but little connection with long life and economical maintenance. Bus bodies; unless built on what almost amounts to mass-production lines, are bound to be excessively expensive. There are so many large builders of expellent bodies at comparatively _low' prices that the _idea -Of a municipality constructing its Own appears to be absurd, and any such suggestions which are put forward should be fought 'both by the ratepayers and the industry concerned.