Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-12-11
IS THE HEAD OR THE HAND
SUPREME?

Underlying many of todays problems
is the silent struggle which is taking
place between the head-worker and the
rhand-worker.
It is natural that the man who works
with his hands should feel that he does
more than the man who works with his
head. What the hand-worker produces
is tangible,-is more easily measured.
Yet behind his production is the thought,
the planning, the direction, of the head
worker who thinks for thousands of
hand-workers
One of the most valuable experiments
in history was Russia's experiment in pro-
duction. 1t was predicated on the theory
that "all wealth belongs to the toilers be-
cause they create it." The mills, factor
les and mines of the country were given
over to the hand-workers to be operated
on a uniform wage basis. Managerial
and executive positions were filled from
the ranks. Selling organizations were
created from them. Operations were
conducted according to the knowledge
and experience of those holding response
BILE positions, but production was limited
and quality was bad. Something was
wrong. Two important things were lack
ing-brain-work and capital
1t was thought that if capital could be
secured brain-work would develop. After
putting into production all the available
capital, brain-work was still lacking and
Russia is now hiring foreign executives
at princely salaries to do the thinking
which is essential to effective produc-
ton.
Russia's experiment has had a clear
field and has been tried in full view of
the commercial and industrial world It's
demonstration of the fallacy of the
proposition that all wealth is created by
the toilers, to whom it belongs, has been
witnessed by handworkers in every coun-
try. The proof it has supplied that pro-
duction cannot prosper without the BRAIN
worker should serve as a final answer to
the socialistic and communistic under
estimation of the value of thought and
intelligent direction in industry. While
we do not minimize the value of hand
work, certainly the larger credit must be
given to brain-work, larger than is being
given in our own country by some of the
misguided brain-workers who hold the
opposite view, before production can ap-
proXimate the limits of its possibilities
1t must be borne in mind that mere pro-
duction alone does not create wealth, but
rather the conversion of products at a
profit that makes men richer Produc-
ton makes wealth possible. Digging a
ton of coal or digging a barrel of pota-
toes is not creating wealth unless the
coal and potatoes are advantageously
marketed and to do SO requires brains.
Brain-work is the handspring of busi~
ness and industry. Destroy the main
spring and the wheels of production will
stop turning. There is no substitute for
brains and while there may be a substi-
tute for almost everything else, there is
little likelihood that anything will ever
supplant the human thinking machine.
1t is brains that keep the industrial world
moving, even when hand-work fails to
contribute its part to production, for then
the brain finds the automatic machine
that will do what labor refuses to do.
The high position which labor occupies
today in industrial councils was achieved
by the brain-worker who rose from the
ranks of labor.