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Show APPENDI The following quotation on the subject of "soldiering is take from the writer's paper on "Shop Management," read at the Saratog Meeting of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 190 "This loafing or soldiering proceeds from two causes First, from the natura instinet and tendency of men to take it easy, which may be called natural soldiering Second, from more intricate second thought and reasoning caused by thei relations with other men, which may be called systematic soldiering "There is no question that the tendency of the average man (in all walks o life) is toward working at a slow, easy gait, and that it is only after a good dea of thought and observation on his part or as a result of example, conscience, o external pressure that he takes a more rapid pace "There are, of course, men of unusual energy, vitality, and ambition wh naturally choose the fastest gait, set up their own standards, and who will wor hard, even though it may be against their best interests But these few uncommon men only serve by forming a contrast to emphasize the tendency of th average "This common tendency to ‘take it easy' is greatly increased by bringing number of men together on similar work and at a uniform standard rate of pa by the day "Under this plan the better men gradually but surely slow down' their gai When a naturally energetic man work to that of the poorest and least efficient ‘Wh for a few days beside a lazy one, the logic of the situation is unanswerable should I work hard when that lazy fellows gets the same pay that I do and doe only half as much work? "A careful time study of men working under these conditions will disclos facts which are ludicrous as well as pitiable "To illustrate: - The writer has timed a naturally energetic workman who while going and coming from work, would walk at a speed of from three to fou On arrivin miles per hour, and not infrequently trot home after a day's work at his work he would immediately slow down to a speed of about one mile a When, for example, wheeling a loaded wheelbarrow, he would go at hour good fast pace even up a hill in order to be as short a time as possible unde load, and immediately on the return walk slow down to a mile an hour, improvin In order to be sur every opportunity for delay short of actually sitting down not to do more than his lazy neighbor, he would actually tire himself in his effor to go slow "These men were working under a foreman of good reputation and highl thought of by his employer, who, when his attention was called to this state o things, answered: ‘Well, I can keep them from sitting down but the devil can' make them get a move on while they are at work. "The natural laziness of men is serious, but by far the greatest evil from whic both workmen and employers are suffering is the systematic soldiering which i |
