orkmanship

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

The Baron liked when skiing season was at hand in Lilliland. Many skiers from other countries traveled great distances to ski in the Alpine Mountains. The Baron made sure that everyone had a good time so the visitors would plan to come back again.

Usually the ski facilities under Lilliland’s management were very profitable for the country. But for the last several seasons the annual costs of repairs to the three ski lifts cut into the profits. The Baron wanted to know why the repairs were so expensive. It was very important to the Baron that the ski lifts were as safe as possible and there would be no effort spared to keep them so.

The Baron asked his chief advisor, Professor Hamblin, to investigate the ski lifts. The Professor was asked to bring in a ski lift specialist from Switzerland. The investigation was to be kept very private and no one was to know about it.

The investigation on all three lifts was conducted in complete secrecy over three weeks. Finally, the Professor made his report known to the Baron.

It seemed the outside company that had a contract with the Lilliland government to make any major repairs to the three lifts was using second rate equipment and shoddy workmanship so that the repairs would only last for one season. At the end of the season the repairs would have to be done all over again year after year. The Swiss expert said that the repairs should last an average of five to seven years and not just one season.

The Baron confronted the officials of the company that held the maintenance contract. The officials fired the crew that worked on the lifts over the past several years and returned some of the money they had been paid. They later resigned in disgrace, and, the Baron made sure he hired a different company that guaranteed their work for the five to seven years suggested by the Swiss expert, and that it would be performed under quality workmanship.

The skiers were happy with the results and could rest assured that the ski lifts were now being well maintained and in safe repair.