260 



BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS 



production sufficiently to obtain a total output which 

 was only 3 per cent less than the previous maximum, 

 but it is probable that they would have achieved an 

 absolute maximum of output if they had worked about 

 sixty hours a week instead of fifty-four hours. 



TABLE III. YOUTHS BORING TOP CAPS 



Overtime Work. To return for a moment to the 

 hypothetical example, we will suppose that the worker 

 who, during a ten-hour day, is expending the whole 

 10 units of his available energy, is called upon for two 

 hours of overtime work. If he continues to work at 

 the same speed he must draw upon the capital of his 

 energy for this extra work, and such an expenditure 

 is extremely wasteful. We will assume that he needs 

 3 units for his two hours' work, and so next day he starts 

 work with only 7 units of available energy instead of 

 10. If he continues to work at the same speed, and 

 continues on his overtime, he will quickly become so 

 over-fatigued that he will have to take a rest from 

 work in order to recuperate. As a matter of fact, he 

 generally begins to slack off to some extent directly 

 overtime hours are worked, and he must do this if he 

 is to last out at all. Also comparatively few workers 

 are in the habit of utilizing every fraction of their 

 available energy over their work, but they keep i or 

 2 units of energy in reserve even in war-time, and this 

 reserve they can draw upon for overtime purposes 



