E21: What happened to "Busy" Amherst?

Monopolies Killed My Hometown

I'm heading back to the Royal Commission on Price Spreads Report from 1934, specifically to look at the Chapter on Industry.

I wanted to look back at this chapter specifically for two reasons. First, the switch to a consumer welfare focus to our competition and anti-trust laws reduced people to only consumers. It removed any considerations about all the other roles people play in their lives like, friend, family member, business owner, worker, community member. It put the focus solely on our ability to spend money. This chapter on industry brought in so many of those other roles.

Second, Amherst historically had a large manufacturing base, and at the turn of the 20th century Amherst was known as "busy" Amherst. We've had plants that manufacture train cars, pants, trunks and baggage, boots, wool, steel i-beams, airplane parts, license plates, appliances, windows and doors, plastic bags, amongst many others.

Enjoy the introductory episode on Industry.

Links:

• Historic Amherst
• Robb's Engineering
• Looking back to Canada's home front when yellow aircraft dominated the skies
• Cory Doctorow on Google