The Nome nugget., 1950-03-13
COMPETITION INSURES PROGRESS

(By George S. Benson, President Harding College)
 Little Rock Junior College had quite football team. Their Trojans feted by proud townspeople after victory CaforniaS Santa Ana Junior College in the Little Rose Bowl The Trojan coach told hometown CTS their wouldn't have at Pasadena had not bandy-legged little hafback named Benny Scott CPS poundS been the greatest competitor the field that day To cnch victory the little hafback whirled 80 yards through the entire California team in of the most sensational punt returns in the bowls history
 Describing this and other thrills of the game their coach Said Every of boys is great cOmpet- tor All have splendid character and play cleany But they love to win They work hard in practice and play fercely to win is this spirit of individual competition, moulded into team play, that has, above all else, been responsible for success
 Yes America turns out fine competitors ath- letic fields Every the great competitors win games Is it that way the field of life, the longer range game? How about the pursuit of economic com fort and security? I'm afraid may be losing the spirit of individual competition in this vitaly important arena, Workaday world Consider labor-manage ment relations for instance Both sides often fail to derstand and make of this spirit of individual com petition which belongs to every American. ..
 Management strives to find capital so it build bigger factories Then batteries of huge machines and clankng assembly lines to dwarf the individual worker and smother his tiny flame of individual petition. An employee of big automobile factory may be of 900 workers scattered through hundred plants Not even his initials show the Buick or Chryser he helps produce. Sometimes company's lationshp with such worker is distant and mpersona
 Unions, the other hand, sometimes set standards jobs and wages that permit little if any outlet for individual competition Rigid standards and codes that put limits ability and productivity cast the ndivd- ua into mould from which only exceptional few rise. To standardze human ability is dangerous prac tice. Moreover ceilings on individual productivity based the unsound theory of scarcity In nations march of progress there be substitute for Stantly rising productivity.
 Fortunately in most of industries there still is ward awaiting the great competitors awaiting the good competitors Various forms of incentives for ind vidual performance are being offered These are attracting the favorable attention of more and more sound thinking union leaders and workers. And at Hardngs Freedom Forum last year heard several executives report new employee relations programs that are bringing understanding and warmer re- lationshipS into the labor-management picture.
 Yet in quarters there is trend away from the competitive idea. Some of political planners and social reformers want to fit American workers into mouds and set their capacity of production by stand ards and limits, like machines Their plea is that the individuals competitive spirit must be sacrificed for the good of the masses This is absurd No civilization in history has benefited by holding down produc tivity.
 We got where today in American because our free enterprise system gives free rein to mans nstnc tive competitive spirit has been the wellspring of progress It gave the atmosphere of competitor