he Wheelwright's Dilemma

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

One of the main concerns that the Baron had was for the well-being and safety of the citizens of Lilliland.

A new wagon builder came to Lilliland to open a shop and practice his craft. He was said to be a builder of high quality and very safe and sturdy wagons. In fact, that is what the term wheelwright means, a person whose trade is to build or repair wagon wheels. In this particular case, he built the wheels and the rest of the wagon to go with the wheels.

After a few months, it was reported to the Baron that the five new wagons that Lilliland Castle bought had problems with the wagon wheels falling off on the Alpine Mountain trails.

The Baron had reports from many of the other citizens of Lilliland who purchased wagons from the new wheelwright whose wheels fell off after being used for a very short time.

After the Baron's investigation, it was discovered that the wheelwright was using an inferior grade of metal to attach the wheels on the axels of the wagons. The Baron ordered a replacement of all the metal parts with a safe and reliable grade of metal. The Alpine Mountain roads are steep and treacherous and there can be no margin for error when it comes to having safe wagons. After the wheelwright replaced all of the metal parts to make the wagons more secure and sturdy, he was called into the Baron's office. The Baron said, "We do not tolerate shoddy workmanship in Lilliland and if one more wheel falls off, you must close your shop."

The safety of the citizens of Lilliland was one of the Baron's most important jobs. Everyone appreciated that the Baron took his position so seriously when it came to the safety of the people of Lilliland. This made everyone very happy.