Part 26 (2/2)

”Now do not misunderstand me. I serve as an interpreter between the minds of the workers and your mind as Director of the Works. As for the muscles developed in the gymnasium, those were developed for sport and not for labour. But that is not the worst of it; you have designed the new benches so low that the mixers must stoop at their work. It is very painful.”

”Good G.o.d,” I cried, ”what became of the stools? The mixers are to sit down--I ordered two thousand stools.”

”That I know, Herr Chief, but the equipment expert consulted me about the matter and I countermanded the order. It would never do. I did not consult you, it is true, but that was merely a kindness. I did not wish to expose your lack of knowledge, if I may call it such.”

”Call it what you please,” I snapped, for at the time I thought my labour psychologist was a fool, ”but get those stools, immediately.”

”But it would never do.”

”Why not?”

”Because these men have always stood at their work.”

”But why can they not sit down now?”

”Because they never have sat down.”

”Do they not sit down to eat?”

”Yes, but not to work. It is very different. You do not understand the psychic immobility of labour. Habits grow stronger as the mentality is simplified. I have heard that there are animals in the zoological garden that still perform useless operations that their remote ancestors required in their jungle life.”

”Then do you infer that these men who must stand at their work inherited the idea from their ancestors?”

”That is a matter of eugenics. I do not know, but I do know that we are preparing for trouble with these changes. Still I hope to work it out without serious difficulty, if you do not insist on these transfers.

When workmen have already been forced to change their habitual method of work and then see their fellows being removed to other and still stranger work it breeds dangerous unrest.”

”One thing is certain,” I replied; ”we cannot delay the installation of the new method; as fast as the equipment is ready the new operation must replace the old.”

”But the effect of that policy will be that there will not be enough work, and besides the work is, as you say, lighter and that will result in the cutting down of the food rations.”

”But I have already arranged that,” I said triumphantly; ”the Rationing Bureau have adjusted the calorie standards so that the men will get as much food as they have been used to.”

”What! you have done that?” exclaimed the labour psychologist; ”then there will be trouble. That will destroy the balance of the food supply and the expenditure of muscular energy and the men will get fat. Then the other men will accuse them of stealing food and we shall have bloodshed.”

”A moment ago,” I smiled, ”you told me I did not know your business. Now I will tell you that you do not know mine. We ordered special food bulked up in volume; the scheme is working nicely; you need not worry about that. As for the other matter, this surplus of men, it seems to me that the only thing is to cut down the working hours temporarily until the transfers can be made.”

The psychologist shook his head. ”It is dangerous,” he said, ”and very unusual. I advise instead that you have the operation engineers go over the processes and involve the operations, both to make them more nearly resemble the old ones, and to add to the time and energy consumption of the tasks.”

”No,” I said emphatically, ”I invented a more economical process for this industry and I do not propose to see my invention prost.i.tuted in this fas.h.i.+on. I appreciate your advice, but if we cannot transfer the workers any faster, then the labour hours must be cut. I will issue the order tomorrow. This is my final decision.”

I was in authority and that settled the matter. The psychologist was very decent about it and helped me fix up a speech and that next night the workers were ordered to a.s.semble in their halls and I made my speech into a transmitting horn. I told them that they had been especially honoured by their Emperor, who, appreciating their valuable service, had granted them a part-time vacation and that until further notice their six-hour s.h.i.+fts were to be cut to four. I further told them that their rations would not be reduced and advised them to take enough extra exercise in the gymnasium to offset their shorter hours so they would not get fat and be the envy of their fellows.

~3~

For a time the workers seemed greatly pleased with their shorter hours.

And then, from the Listening-in-Service, came the rumour of the strike.

The first report of the strike gave me no clue to the grievance and I asked for fuller reports. When these came the next day I was shocked beyond belief. If I had antic.i.p.ated anything in that interval of terror it was that my workers were to strike because their communications had been shut off or that they were to strike in sympathy for their fellows and demand that all hours be shortened like their own. But the grievance was not that. My men were to go on strike for the simple reason that their hours had been shortened!

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