John B. Slocomb on Fri, 29 Aug 2014 18:20:07
+0700 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 22:18:59 -0700, pyotr filipivich wrote:
John B. Slocomb on Thu, 28 Aug 2014 07:07:19
+0700 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2014 05:53:05 -0700, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2014 01:57:03 -0700, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2014 01:02:12 -0700, pyotr filipivich wrote:
John B. Slocomb on Wed, 27 Aug 2014 08:31:17
I don't know that the Military ever "made their own stuff" :-)
Once upon a time, there were Army Arsenals, and Navy Yards, where
the work got done.

Indeed there were.

It was not all contractors and bids and slush funds

Didn't they use soldiers and sailors to build those, keeping the
troops in shape and busy during times we were not at war? Take the
labor fees away from building a ship and it gets a whole lot cheaper.

What do you think it costs to train soldiers and sailors? If I
remember correctly when I was in the Service the A.F. calculated that
if they got one year's actual use out of guys in some of the technical
career fields that they were doing good, which is one of the reasons
that they had rather elaborate re-enlistment programs. And the cost of
the support system, housing, food, laundry, medical care, retirement,
etc.

that's today. "Back then..." (when ever "back then" was) - I do
not know enough to say definitively.

However, that said, what I'm understanding is that back in the day
(usually of Wooden Ships and Iron Men) - the navy had yards where the
Navy had ships built, outfitted and overhauled. It was Navy
paymasters in charge. There may have been _civilian_ workers, but
they worked for the Navy.

From what I've seen of civilians working for the Government I'd guess
that a straight out cost plus contract with a civilian yard would be
cheaper :-)

Some things never have changed, eh?

I understand as well, that a lot of the Roman Roads were ...
occupational deployments of the Legion to keep them busy and out of
trouble. The Roman Road was in many senses a wall laying on the on
the ground.

I believe that you are correct, but road building must have been part
of almost any Roman campaign, particularly outside Italy as with no
roads it is very difficult to move large numbers of men and supplies.

Which then let you move a legion or two to someplace new, where
they could build roads, aqueducts, sewers, public baths, fora,
schools, vineyards and city walls. "But aside from all that, what
have the Romans done for us?"

--
pyotr filipivich
"With Age comes Wisdom. Although more often, Age travels alone."