[SEL] Fwd: Letter to the Editor - TOMM

[fero_ah at city-net.com]

To the Editor:

I read with great interest the Letter to the Editor from Mr. Andrew Gibb (TOMM,
Issue 133, Oct-Nov, 2007).  The letter was entitled “Anti Export of Machinery.”
It was only by chance that I happened to read the piece as I had just finished
reading the main content of that issue.  One of the things about the content
that really struck me was how few Australian engines and tractors were
included.  By my count there were 19 USA, 30 British, and 11 Australian.  I’m
not counting the steamers or the items For Sale.  It seems to me that an issue
containing ONLY those 11 Australian entries would be bloody boring; especially
to the Australian readership.

And this brings me to the heart of the matter and where I strongly disagree with
everything that Mr. Gibb has to say.  How can a so-called engine man drift so
far off the track?  The essence of this hobby is the enormous diversity of
machinery that is around and the equal diversity in the folks who make the
hobby so much fun.  If poor old Mr. Gibb had his way, we’d all become hermits
squatting alone in dark caves on the few machines we happened to own.  What a
horrible prospect.  I feel so incredibly sorry for the man.  He needs to get
out more.  He NEEDS to get a life!

The USA and British engines were included in the TOMM issue for the same reason
that different engines appear in Stationary Engine Magazine and Gas Engine
Magazine.  Diversity is what makes the hobby interesting.  Who wants to go to a
rally and see the same old local stuff year after year?  Why does an American
engine on an Australian rally field attract so much attention?  And why does a
British engine attract so much attention on a rally field in the USA?  It’s
something different and there’s usually an interesting story that goes along
with the engine.

As an example, a good friend in England decided to get her husband an American
oilfield engine for his 40th birthday.  She contacted friends in the USA who
quickly located a very rare 20 hp Tillinghast half-breed.  The deal was done
and the friends began to restore the engine.  The finished engine on massive
polished white oak timbers was presented to him and then rallied at the
Portland engine show (the largest in the world).  The engine was then crated by
the same group of friends and shipped over to England.  The engine is obviously
one-of-a-kind in England and is even pretty rare in the USA.  It commands a lot
of attention and is highly sought after by rally organizers.  The story, the
oak, and the engine itself generate equal interest.  The full story may be
found in articles in both GEM and in SEM.

Another friend has acquired a gorgeous 11 hp Austral.  It’s complete, on an
original transport, and in lovely original running condition.  Now this engine
has excited engine folks from one side of the USA to the other.  In addition to
displaying the normal adverts and engine literature, he also has history on the
engine and what it did for a living (pumping water and powering a
sheep-shearing operation) on the sheep station it came from.  Also displayed
are kero tins and boxes along with a description of how those were used in the
outback for everything from furniture to roofing and siding.  As a result of
this engine being on exhibit, Americans are learning that there’s far more to
Oz than Crocodile Dundee, kangaroos, and shrimp on the barbie.  The 11 hp
Austral is featured in a 5-page spread in the Dec-Jan 2007-2008 issue of GEM.

Mr. Gibb would be strongly opposed to the fact that the Austral was being
enjoyed in the USA.  I can only assume that he would be equally distressed that
an item of American “cultural heritage” ended up in England.  In fact, I
imagine that he is even more distressed that so many British and American
engines are in Australia at present.  He’s probably apoplectic at the current
rate at which old American iron is flooding into Oz by the container load
thereby diluting the native stock.  Damn the favorable exchange rate anyway. 
Although, interestingly enough, he doesn’t say a word about rare foreign iron
showing up on Aussie rally fields.  A bit inconsistent wouldn’t you say Mr.
Gibb?  Maybe now is the time to begin an old iron repatriation movement.  Let’s
start, shall we, with the ultra-rare 7 hp Frisco Standard Engine on page 34 of
that issue of TOMM.  That engine should be back in San Francisco where it could
contribute to the local cultural heritage.

The final aspect of his screed that I would like to address is his ranting about
“dealers” and someone making a “profit” on what they sell.  Clearly, Mr. Gibb
is a Communist and as such will have difficulty grasping what I have to say
next.  The presence of dealers in the old iron hobby is a good thing.  They
will buy whole barn loads of “stuff” from a farmer who wants to sell even
though only one or two pieces are desirable.  He then has his money tied up
until he can finally turn over the last knackered old Lister D.  Dealers also
make the investment so that collectors who might never encounter that
particular farmer are able to buy an engine that they’re interested in. 
Similarly, by having an inventory, dealers make it easier for newcomers to the
hobby to acquire an engine or two to start their collections.  I bought my
first engine from a dealer.

I loved this line in Mr. Gibb’s letter:  “How can genuine enthusiasts buy an
engine if they have to compete against the dealers who have too much money to
spend and no interest in our nation’s heritage?”  There is so much wrong with
that single statement that I hardly know where to begin.  Dealers, because of
the need to make a profit, can never pay more for an engine than a collector
would.  That’s just simple economics.  The market price for old engines is
pretty well normalized these days by the want ads in the various magazines
(TOMM, SEM, GEM), by eBay, and other Internet sales outlets like Harry’s
Engineads.  http://www.enginads.com/  

As to “profit” Mr. Gibb says “
it is a disgrace that some people are willing to
sacrifice our history, in order to line their own pockets.”  Well, excuse me
Mr. Gibb, but I guess you were absent at school when they discussed the concept
of personal property and the owner’s right to dispose of it how he sees fit. 
Engines change hands for a great many reasons.  It may be a change in personal
circumstances, it may be health related, perhaps a child is going to college or
getting married.  Or it might be as simple as getting bored with the old one
and wanting something different.  In any case, if the seller makes some money
on the deal, that allows him to buy something better or, as is often the case,
just keep up with the ever changing market price of old engines.  Making a
profit is not a bad thing.

I think you should wake up and smell the eucalyptus Mr. Gibb.  Instead of
ranting about old iron leaving Oz to go to collectors in other countries,
perhaps you would do better to encourage young folks by embracing the joy that
this hobby actually provides and a real part of that joy involves engines
moving from one collector to another and from one country to another.  Engines
and engine friends are not limited to one’s country of origin.

Best regards,  Arnie

Arnie Fero
7050 Leechburg Road
New Kensington, PA 15068 USA
Phone: 724-722-6004
Email: fero_ah at city-net.com