the vested interests and the common man-第13章

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monopoly　in　the　transfer　of　baggage　and　passengers；　employing　a　
large　equipment　and　labor　force　and　costing　the　traveling　public　
some　millions　of　useless　outlay　yearly；　with　nothing　better　to　
show　for　it　than　delay；　confusion；　wear　and　tear；　casualties　and　
wrangles；　twenty…four　hours　a　day；　and　that　this　arrangement　is；　
quite　profitably；　duplicated　throughout　the　country　as　often　and　
on　as　large　a　scale　as　there　are　towns　in　which　to　install　it。　So　
again；　there　is　an　exemplary　weekly　periodical　of　the　most　widely　
reputable　and　most　profitable　class；　with　a　circulation　of　more　
than　two　million；　which　habitually　carries　some　60　to　80　large　
pages　of　competitive　advertising　matter；　at　a　time　when　the　most　
exacting　economy　of　work　and　materials　is　a　matter　of　urgent　and　
acknowledged　public　need；　with　nothing　better　to　show　for　it　than　
an　increased　cost　of　all　the　goods　advertised；　most　of　which　are　
superfluities。　This；　too；　is　only　a　typical　case；　duplicated　by　
the　thousand；　as　nearly　as　the　businesslike　management　of　the　
other　magazines　and　newspapers　can　achieve　the　same　result。　These　
are　familiar　instances　of　business　as　usual　under　the　new　order　
of　industry。　They　are　neither　extreme　nor　extraordinary。　Indeed　
the　whole　business　community　is　run　through　with　enterprise　of　
this　kind　so　thoroughly　that　this　may　fairly　be　said　to　be　the　
warp　of　the　fabric。　In　effect；　of　course；　it　is　an　enterprise　in　
subreption；　but　in　point　of　moral　sentiment　and　conscious　motive　
it　is　nothing　of　the　kind。　
　　　　All　these　intricate　arrangements　for　doing　those　things　that　
we　ought　not　to　have　done　and　leaving　undone　those　things　that　we　
ought　to　have　done　are　by　no　means　maliciously　intended。　They　are　
only　the　ways　and　means　of　diverting　a　sufficient　share　of　the　
annual　product　to　the　benefit　of　the　legitimate　beneficiaries；　
the　kept　classes。　But　this　apparatus　and　procedure　for　capturing　
and　dividing　this　share　of　the　community's　annual　dividend　is　
costly　　one　is　tempted　to　say　unduly　costly。　It　foots　up　to；　
perhaps；　something　like　one…half　of　the　work　done；　and　it　is　
occupied　with　taking　over　something　like　one…half　of　the　output　
produced　by　the　remaining　one…half　of　the　year's　work。　And　yet；　
as　a　business　proposition　it　seems　sound　enough；　inasmuch　as　the　
income　which　it　brings　to　the　beneficiaries　will　presumably　foot　
up　to　something　like　one…half　of　the　country's　annual　production。　
　　　　There　is　nothing　gained　by　finding　fault　with　any　of　this　
businesslike　enterprise　that　is　bent　on　getting　something　for　
nothing；　at　any　cost。　After　all；　it　is　safe　and　sane　business；　
sound　and　legitimate；　and　carried　on　blamelessly　within　the　rules　
of　the　game；　One　may　also　dutifully　believe　that　there　is　really　
no　harm　done；　or　at　least　that　it　might　have　been　worse。　It　is　
reassuring　to　note　that　at　least　hitherto　the　burden　of　this　
overhead　charge　of　50　percent　plus　has　not　broken　the　back　of　the　
industrial　community。　It　also　serves　to　bring　under　a　strong　
light　the　fact　that　the　state　of　the　industrial　arts　as　it　runs　
under　the　new　order　is　highly　productive；　inordinately　
productive。　And；　finally；　there　should　be　some　gain　of　serenity　
in　realising　how　singularly　consistent　has　been　the　run　of　
economic　law　through　the　ages；　and　recalling；　once　more　the　
reflection　which　John　Stuart　Mill　arrived　at　some　half…a…century　
ago；　that；　〃Hitherto　it　is　questionable　if　all　the　mechanical　
inventions　yet　made　have　lightened　the　day's　toil　of　any　human　
being。〃　
　
Chapter　5　
　
The　Vested　Interests　
　
　　　　There　are　certain　saving　clauses　in　common　use　among　persons　
who　speak　for　that　well…known　order　of　pecuniary　rights　and　
obligations　which　the　modern　point　of　view　assumes　as　〃the　
natural　state　of　man。〃　Among　them　are　these：　〃Given　the　state　of　
the　industrial　arts〃；　〃Other　things　remaining　the　same〃；　〃In　the　
long　run〃；　〃In　the　absence　of　disturbing　causes；〃　It　has　been　the　
praiseworthy　endeavor　of　the　votaries　of　this　established　law　and　
custom　to　hold　fast　the　good　old　plan　on　a　strategic　line　of　
interpretation　resting　on　these　provisos。　There　have　been　
painstaking　elucidations　of　what　is　fundamental　and　intrinsic　in　
the　way　of　human　institutions；　of　what　essentially　ought　to　be；　
and　of　what　must　eventually　come　to　pass　in　the　natural　course　of　
time　and　change　as　it　is　believed　to　run　along　under　the　guidance　
of　those　indefeasible　principles　that　make　up　the　modern　point　of　
view。　And　the　disquieting　incursions　of　the　New　Order　have　been　
disallowed　as　not　being　of　the　essence　of　Nature's　contract　with　
mankind；　within　the　constituent　principles　of　the　modern　point　of　
view　stabilised　in　the　eighteenth　century。　
　　　　Now；　as　has　already　been　remarked　in　an　earlier　passage；　the　
state　of　the　industrial　arts　has　at　no　time　continued　unchanged　
during　the　modern　era；　consequently　other　things　have　never　
remained　the　same；　and　in　the　long　run　the　outcome　has　always　
been　shaped　by　the　disturbing　causes。　All　this　reflects　no　
discredit　on　the　economists　and　publicists　who　so　have　sketched　
out　the　natural　run　of　the　present　and　future　in　the　dry　light　of　
the　eighteenth…century　principles；　since　their　reservations　have　
not　been　observed。　The　arguments　have　been　as　good　as　the　
premises　on　which　they　proceed；　and　the　premises　have　once　been　
good　enough　to　command　unquestioning　assent；　although　that　is　now　
some　time　ago。　The　fault　appears　to　lie　in　the　unexampled　shifty　
behavior　of　the　latter…day　facts。　Yet　however　shifty；　these　
facts；　too；　are　as　stubborn　as　others　of　their　kind。　
　
　　　　The　system　of　free　competition；　self…help；　equal　opportunity　
and　free　bargaining　which　is　contemplated　by　the　modern　point　of　
view；　assumes　an　industrial　situation　in　which　the　work　and　
trading　of　any　given　individual　or　group　can　go　on　freely　by　
itself；　without　materially　helping　or　hindering　the　equally　
untrammeled　working　of　the　rest。　It　has；　of　course；　always　been　
recognised　that　the　country's　industry　makes　up　something　of　a　
connected　system；　so　that　there　would　necessarily　be　some　degree　
of　mutual　adjustment　and　accommodation　among　the　many　
self…sufficient　working　units　which　together　make　up　the　
industrial　community；　but　these　working　units　have　been　conceived　
to　be　so　nearly　independent　of　one　another　that　the　slight　
measure　of　running　adjustment　needed　could　be　sufficiently　taken　
care　of　by　free　competition　in　the　market。　This　assumption　has；　
of　course；　never　been　altogether　sound　at　any　stage　in　the　
industrial　advance；　but　it　has　at　least　been　within　speaking　
distance　of　facts　so　late　as　the　eighteenth　century。　It　was　a　
possible　method　of　keeping　the　balance　in　the　industrial　system　
before　the　coming　of　the　machine　industry。　Quite　evidently　it　
commended　itself　to　the　enlightened　common　sense　of　that　time　as　
a　sufficiently　workable　ideal。　So　much　so　that　it　then　appeared　
to　be　the　most　practical　solution　of　the　industrial　and　social　
difficulties　which　beset　that　generation。　It　is　fairly　to　be　
presumed　that　the　plan　would　still　be　workable　in　some　fashion　
today　if　the　conditions　which　then　prevailed　had　continued　
unchanged　through　the　intervening　one　hundred　and　fifty　years；　if　
other　things　had　remained　the　same。　All　that　was；　in　effect；　
before　the　coming　of　the　machine　technology　and　the　later　growth　
of　population。　
　　　　But　as　it　runs　today；　according　to　the　new　industrial　order　
set　afoot　by　the　machine　technology；　the　carrying…on　of　the　
community's　industry　is　not　well　taken　care　of　by　the　loose　
corrective　control　which　is　exercised　by　a　competitive　market。　
That　method　is　too　slow；　at　the　best；　and　too　disjointed。　The　
industrial　system　is　now　a　wide…reaching　organisation　of　
mechanical　processes　which　work　together　on　a　comprehensive　
interlocking　plan　of　give　and　take；　in　which　no　one　section；　
group；　or　individual　unit　is　free　to　work　out　its　own　industrial　
salvation　except　in　active　copartnership　with　the　rest；　and　the　
whole　of　which　runs　on　as　a　moving　equilibrium　of　forces　in　
action。　This　system　of　interlocking　processes　and　mutually　
dependent　working　units　is　a　more　or　less　delicately　balanced　
affair。　Evidently　the　system　has　to　be　taken　as　a　whole；　and　
evidently　it　will　work　at　its　full　productive　capacity　only　on　
condition　that　the　coordination　of　its　interlocking　processes　be　
maintained　at　a　faultless　equilibrium；　and　only　when　its　
constituent　working　units　are　allowed　to　run　full　and　smooth。　But　
a　moderate　derangement　will　not　put　it　out　of　commission。　It　will　
work　at　a　lower　efficiency；　and　continue　running；　in　spite　of　a　
very　considerable　amount　of　dislocation；　as　is　habitually　the　
case　today。　
　　　　At　the　same　time　any　reasonably　good　working　efficiency　of　
the　industrial　system　is　conditioned　on　a　reasonably　good　
coordination　of　these　working　forces；　such　as　will　allow　each　and　
several　of　the　working　units　to　carry　on　at　the　fullest　working　
capacity　that　will　comport　with　the　unhampered　working　of　the　
system　as　a　balanced　whole。　But　evidently；　too；　any　dislocation；　
derangement　or　retardation　of　the　work　at　any　critical　point　　
which　comes　near　saying　at　any　point　　in　this　balanced　system　
of　work　will　cause　a　disproportionately　large　derangement　of　the　
whole。　The　working　units　of　the　industrial　system　are　no　longer　
independent　of　one　another　under　the　new　order。　
　　　　It　is；　perhaps；　necessary　to　add　that　the　industrial　system　
has　not　yet　reached　anything　like　the　last　degree　of　development　
along　this　line；　it　is　at　least　not　yet　a　perfected　automatic　
mechanism。　But　it　should　also　be　added　that　with　each　successive　
advance　into　the　new　order　of　industry　created　by　the　machine　
technology；　and　at　a　continually　accelerated　rate　of　advance；　the　
processes　of　industry　are　being　more　thoroughly　standardised；　the　
working　units　of　the　system　as　a　whole　demand　a　more　undeviating　
maintenance　of　its　moving　equilibrium；　a　more　exacting　mechanical　
correlation　of　industrial　operations　and　equipment。　And　it　seems　
reasonable　to　expect　that　things　are　due　to　move　forward　along　
this　line　still　farther　in　the　calculable　future；　rather　than　the　
reverse。　
　　　　This　state　of　things　would　reasonably　suggest　that　the　
control　of　the　industrial　system　had　best　be　entrusted　to　men　
skilled　in　these　matters　of　technology。　The　industrial　system　
does　its　work　in　terms　of　mechanical　efficiency；　not　in　terms　of　
price。　It　should　accordingly　seem　reasonable　to　expect　that　its　
control　would　be　entrusted　to　men　experienced　in　the　ways　and　
means　of　technology；　men　who　are　in　the　habit　of　thinking　about　
these　matters　in　such　terms　as　are　intelligible　to　the　engineers。　
The　material　welfare　of　the　community　is　bound　up　with　the　due　
working　of　this　industrial　system；　which　depends　on　the　expert　
knowledge；　insight；　and　disinterested　judgment　with　which　it　is　
administered。　It　should　accordingly　have　seemed　expedient　to　
entrust　its　administration　to　the　industrial　engineers；　rather　
than　to　the　captains　of　finance。　The　former　have　to　do　with　
productive　efficiency；　the　latter　with　the　higgling　of　the　
market。