Odd Treasure Troves

[WallShadow]

You're missing my point. You DON'T have enough to spread.

For example, my town recovers a enough spare parts for us to make 25 alarm clocks. We can now have 25 houses live in a synchronized civilized manner.

But we cannot make another 25 to trade with another town. No parts.

When someone elbows their clock and cracks the case, we cannot build them a spare. No parts.

Unkated, I _got_ your point: true, if you only scrounge components, you only have limited opportunities.
But-- what I was trying to put forward is, if you focus not only on parts, but on components of _machine tools_--tools which can make tools-- you have a greater chance of making an industrial base that can make parts or repair damaged parts, and there are probably lots of broken clocks out there that can be _fixed_ if the right capacity in manufacturing is built up.

When you use the parts for 5 computers to make one that works, you have... one computer. You cannot mate them to make more.

My point was that you cannot make another visit to a giant warehouse of parts to take away a truckload and build another load of stuff. One trip to a dead factory may get you a useful load - but there won't be more built to go back a second time.

Salvage is not a bottmless pit, and its scattershot for what you find; it may be useful - or it may not be helpful at this point in time.

IMHO

Uncle Ted

I agree that _salvage_ is a crutch and a bandage, but the time gained in their use must be put to use in growing industry and agriculture. If that is done, then, yes, a community can get enough industrial muscle to reach out in trade and aid to their neighbors, mutual defense agreements, protected trade routes and convoys, reestablishment of the infrastructure, perhaps fixing/rebuilding a bridge or highway tunnel, clearing blocked roads, fixing connecting roads, loan or lease (perhaps paid with a small, fair percent of the harvested crop) of heavier agricultural machinery, offering armory/gunsmithing service to keep cooperating militias' weaponry in working repair, creating a hydroelectric dam for a local power net, reestablishing phone/telegraph lines, or repurposing a connecting rail line as a transportation/trade artery, with associate armed oversight, patrolling, and escort.