In dealing with the great change of the economy, it is occasionally good to look back to other great changes through the years. Many areas had changes and they have consequences both good and not so good. The book The Soldier’s Trade – British Military Developments 1660-1914 by Frederick Myatt, McDonald & Jane’s, London, 1974 describes developments wonderfully. For example, a great invention was when rifles were rifles were introduced, however consistency was not to be found. In the movies, the front lines, shoots their rifles but after a few rounds shot they were out of ammo, the troops charged and used the rifle butt or the bayonet as a weapon. The reason – the rifles did not have many bullets, the rifles were inconsistent so there was no choice but to use the ends of the rifle to help.  There is an old saying, do not shoot until you see the whites off their eyes. The reason is it took many years before the rifle was accurate to what you expected and needed. The shorter the distance the more the accuracy. It took years to figure out the correct engineering specifics and needed materials.

As years go by, inventions make the rifle more dependable and it truly changed the manner in which wars are fought. The writer made an interesting point, when comparing weapons in history, check out the advances in sportsman rifles first. The military were often slow adaptors to changes in weapons.

The writer also discusses cannons, infantry and cavalry which all went through changes as times went on. For example when cannons were introduced – they were hard to move around, because of their weight. Once in place they were very effective, but they had to get to the point where they were in place. As materials and wheels changed the cannon becomes a more effective tool.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, we all look at what is and think what is now must have been the expected, that is rarely the case. From a great idea to a full functionary aspect in the military or companies operations often takes time. If you buy shares in a company that already makes a profit and pays a dividend as the new inventions come, the old company can be even more profitable and entrenched in the areas they serve.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions