Moving Dirt Isn’t So Simple Anymore

Town officials voted against buying a Japanese dirt mover, only to learn that the machine was actually made in the United States--and its “American” competitor was made in Japan.

Town council members voted this week not to buy a used Komatsu excavator to use for creek-clearing, even though it was $15,000 cheaper than its only competitor, a John Deere model. The lawmakers said they decided against the Japanese machine after Japan’s house speaker called American workers lazy.

But the town has since learned that the Komatsu excavator is made by an American-Japanese joint venture. Ninety-five percent of the company’s excavators are made in the United States, a Komatsu spokesman said. The only other bid the town received was from Deere & Co., which makes John Deere excavators in Japan in a joint venture with Hitachi.

“I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls saying, ‘Buy the American one,’ ” Supervisor Roger Boily said. “Now we’re not sure we have an American one to buy.”