Evening star., 1937-09-26
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
THE United Automobile Workers,
/ G. I. o. spearhead, has caused
nlef1tV of trouble in the La ST

G. I. o. spearhead, has caused
plenty of trouble in the last
a two years.
1t perfected, if it did not invent
the Shutdown strike. 1t is accused
perhaps with some justice, of re-
cruiting methods which approach
terrorism. 1t apparently lacks rigid
control over its membership, such as
Is essential for the keeping of con-
tracts. Consequently it has been left
open to the probably unjust accusation
Of bad faith.
The organization is headed by clever
fellows. Some of them are college
graduates. Even their worst enemies
will admit that they are clever trouble
makers. They are the sort of fellows
who read deep books in their spare
tlme-a practice which some of their
opponents might do well to follow.
Now they have done something quite
praise worthy, something which strikes
at the roots of the growing chaos in
economic relations, something with
which 1t would be we'll for the indus
trial leaders themselves to Cooperate,
however much it might seem super
flclally to react against their own
interests.
On the part of the union itself this
may be deeplaid plot, or it may be
a mere gesture. But, whatever the
motive. 1t very likely will outlive any,
thing else Homer Martin and his
colleagues have done and be a vital
factor in the life of the world long
after slt-down strikes are forgotten
and such things as wages and hours
automatically adjusted to the satisfac-
ton of everybody.
Sum Set Aside For Research.
The U. A. w, in brief, has set aside
small sum for research" into the
causes and treatments of occupational
olseases-chief1y, it appears, silicosis
and various anemias believe to arise
from breathing paint fumes. 1t is
unlikely that much will be accom-
pllshed here. Various research organi-
Ztions--most notably the Public
Health Service-are already in the
held with resources and experience
such as the union cannot hone to
duplicate.
But as sort of tail on the kite. the
automobile workers announce that
part OF the funds shall be devoted to
the study of "speed-up neurosis. -
Here they are in field of their own.
held hitherto touched upon very
superflcially if at all, field of re-
search into which nobody has gone
Very far. Potentially the findings
may be of supreme Importance.
1t is possible that the traditional
causes for labor disputes-wages and
hours-are just froth on the surface.
fatlonallzations of a deeper unrest
which the workers can neither escape
nor explain, and which they must ey-
press IN some way. And it also is
likely that anything the EMPLOYERS
can do, however we'll intentioned. to
bring about better relationships will
be thrown away until this funda- =
mental problem is understood and at
tackled.
Man Is an animal with certain
eenetlcally determined ways of life
He has existed on earth, in one form
or other, for about a million wears
For at least 100000 of these million
years he has led a rather precariol,s.
uncomfortable existence. the prev of
wild beasts, hungry. shelterless and
cold. He has had brief intervals of
plenty, long intervals of suffering
The exlgencies of life as hunter and
Warrlor-and to some extent as q
husoandman-have conditioned him
IN certain directions. Notably thev
nave conditioned him to brief epi-
sodes OF supreme exertion and long
episodes of loaf1ng and playing. They
nave conditioned him to working con-
elnuously at top speed for a day.
week or a month to meet emergen-
cles-to hunt game in season, to
gather crops, to fight off the enemy.
How Primitives Live.
That is about the way Neanderthal
man lived. That is the way a Chin
panzee or gorilla lives. That is the
way most primitive peoples live to-
day. Nine hundred and ninety thou
sand years is long time. 1t is long
enough for neural patterns to become
rather deeply grooved. And a species
can no more escape from its neural
patterns than it can escape from the
force of gravity.
1t may be questioned seriously
whether any human being is actually
capable of doing anything at a steady
pace for any prolonged period. Man
was made to work by spurts at irreg-
ular intervals. Modern industry-not
alone the manufacture of automobiles
is geared so that every bit of it's
mechanism, including labor, must
work steadily at regular intervals.
Each piece of the machine must fit
including the man. Now this. it NAV
be. is utterly impossible. No man is
the same from day to day or from
minute to minute. Human energies
are wavelike, rising and falling.
1t is different with horse or a COW.
These are herbivorous animals, their
nervous systems grooved through
millions Of generations to work steadily
at cropping and eating grass. They
were easy to domesticate because do
mestication didn't involve any very
radical departure from their normal
ways of life. A horse probably can
work ''on the line" without any great
psychic or physical discomfort. Nature
has trained it to work on the line. A
man or gorilla or tiger is made
differently. The psychic system of
any of these animals revolts against
. clock-dictated regularity. It's what
makes small boys hate to 60 to
school.
Efficiency engineers stress with pride
that with their machine-like methods
they actually have reduced labor and
vastly increased output. The man
ION the line" doesn't expend by any
means as much energy in seven hours
as the old-fashioned hand mechanic
in the same length of time, and he
sometimes had to work twice as long
to earn. his daily bread. Every year
the actual OUTPUT of energy renIlired