THE QUESTION OF FATIGUE FROM THE ECONOMIC STANDPOINT. 291 



(e) The intervals of recurrence of the whole operation is veiy 

 irregular in the piecing up of the spinner and all machine-tending; 

 but it is particularly irregular in dealing with people, as the tram- 

 conductor, policeman, and telephone operator have to do. For the 

 telephone operator, for instance, there is a ' curve of work ' which 

 depends mainly on the demands of the business and social world, and 

 is of a shape well known to all telephone-company managers. In New 

 York City, for instance, demand is at its maximum between 10 and 

 12 in the morning, and has a lesser maximum in the middle of the 

 afternoon. 



Recurrence is fairly regular in iron and steel smelting and very 

 regular in all machine-feeding operations, such as stamping and pressing 

 where the machine is continually running independent of the operator's 

 will. 



The whole question of the affections evoked by different kinds of 

 work, apart from the particular actions involved, may be summed up in 

 tabular form in three columns, the first showing the relevant conditions 

 of material, machinery, and organisation, the second the evocative 

 characteristics of the work produced by such conditions, namely : 



Great or little Complexity (C & c), 

 Great or little Uniformity (U & u). 

 Great or little Frequency (F & f). 

 Great or little Regularity (R & r), 



and the third, the affections (states or feelings) of the worker evoked 

 by these characteristics, that may be supposed to lead ultimately to 

 general fatigue. 



(Bore- 



Monotony in the worker would thus seem to be caused by a com- 

 bination of great uniformity and great frequency of recurrence in the 

 work; Worry by complexity of actions in combination with great 

 frequency and little regularity of recurrence ; Care (or strain of atten- 

 tion) by a combination of great frequency and little uniformity; the 

 helpless feeling of being driven by a combination of great frequency 

 and great regularity of recurrence; and Lack of Interest by that com- 

 bination of great uniformity and gi'eat regularity usually coupled with 



u 2 



