Denver labor bulletin., 1915-06-26
SPEEDING SYSTEMS
PRODUCE INSANITY
Workers Lose Mental Balance
Under Force Pressure
D. c. Manning, 20 Years a Sailmaker
at Mare Island, Wrecked Mentally
and Physically Under Stop Watch

Speeding up systems are sufficient
to upset the mind of an ordinary indi-
vidual and produce insanity.
This is what the solicitor of the
United States department of labor
thinks of the stop watch method of
| production.
The department has sustained this
view, which is included in an opinion by
| its legal advisor that a worker injured
because OF strain from working under
a speeding up system is entitled to re-
| lief under the federal workmens com.
| pensation act.
The decision was made in the case of
| ID. c. Manning. sailmaker at the Mare
! Island navy yard. CalifoEnia, who worked
| for twenty years without losing a dav
from illness time card system was
introduced, and in his plea for compen-
sation Manning brought out these
points:
Under the time card system You had
TO give an account OF every minute YOU
were on a job. and we were given to uu-
dersiand that the men who did the most
work would hold their Jobs the longest.
| Later the IIalsey system was introduced.
| Under this plan a time man, equipped
with tablet. lead pencil and stop watch.
sat in front OF the worker to find out
how long il takes 10 do a certain piece
OF work The report to headquarters
was your future standard for that class
of work.
Collapsed Under the Strain.
The Hal-ey system is designed 10 get
, ont Of the men employed under Il the
/ grsatest possible amount of work he can
! do iu n given time. with the fear ever
] hanging ovct hi- head that a failure 80
/ keep up to the standard will cause him
| to- iu-r bis lob"
! Manning wa- engaged iu making coal
| ing bse-. which are a. inches long and
/ ci.ht feet iu circumference, IL j. the
/ hsrls.i work in saiImaking
| Between the physical strength neccs-
/ -rry m this work and the mental strain
/ caused Ly every move being ~tahbed. %
/ Manning collapsed. and asked for relief
under the compensation act because of
/ - strain from rushing work under the
Hal-ey system" Physicians reported
that he would be disabled for life and
that he was suffering from ineurable
heart condition"
The attending physician reported that
Manning was IAN unusually vigorous
man. as well as an energetic worker"
Entitled TO Compensation
In indorsing the statement of claimant
| that he was entitled to compensation.
the solicitor Of the department of labor
declared that the treatment accorded
Manning was enough TO produce insan
/ ity. The official said:
| Here was a strong. hearty. hard work
\ ing empioyo who. for about twenty
years had been regularly employed by
the government and whose rating was
| II. ...s. !. s,,
/ wears OF fervicc and retaining his
health. strength and vigor. a new sys-
tenn was installed in the government cs.
tablishmcnt by which the employe was
| kept under the highest nerve raeking
| tension bv reason of the fact that a
man sat watching his every movement
| during every minute of an eight hour
| day In addition to this il viii be oh
served from claimants letter. above
quoted. that the work he was perform
| ing was one of the heaviest and hardest
kind to BE- performed in his occupation.
Ruling in Line With Dietriek Act
Under such circumstances il is not n
matter of surprise that his health should
| be injured and shattered. for it certainly
| seems that such treatment of a man en-
\ gagged in heavy manual labor, necessi-
| tating also the use OF the intellect.
would be sufficient TO upset the mind of
an ordinary individual and produce in-
sanity"
| The ruling OF the department of labor
is in line with the views of the last
congress, which passed the Dcitrick bill.
outlawing all forms of speeding up in
government arscnals and navy yards.
The passage of this bill was the result
of long campaign by organizcd labor.
Opponents of the bill insisted that these
speeding up" systems really benefited
the cmploye, who was thereby paid "ac.
| cording to his worth
LIVE COUNTRY ITEMS