THE QUESTION OF FATIGUE FROM THE ECONOMIC STANDPOINT. 317 



three examples of soldering tins recorded at three different factories 

 (Tables III. and V. Col. 3) is as follows :« 



and the average hourly outputs added together of the three examples 

 of hand-labelling of tins recorded at two different factories (Tables V. 

 and VI.) is as follows:' 



Great attention for, and quick reaction to, a cue is involved in much 

 of the wool and cotton industries. A conclusive output curve for these 

 industries is extremely hard to give, since, in nearly all processes, the 

 machine sets the pace and the human element only enters in filling, 

 tending, or emptying the machine; and the figures we have collected 

 in Table VII. show the conflict between the human and the mechanical 

 'work-curve.' But it is interesting to find that (Table IX.) cotton 

 and wool are the only large industries in Massachusetts in which 

 accidents are by far more numerous on Friday, the last full working- 

 day of the week, than on other days. A similar statement can be 

 made of textiles in Belgium (Table XIV.) on Saturdays, and in England 

 cotton accidents (Table XIV. d) increase regularly throughout the 

 week quite in contrast to the engineering and foundry accidents. 

 These figures, combined with the steepness of the rise in hourly acci- 

 dents during all three of the English spells (Table IX. a and 

 Diagram III.b), suggest cotton and textiles generally as including some 

 of the most fatiguing processes found in industry. 



An example of work that is not ' persistent ' and involves a large 

 proportion of rest or lack of activity is provided by iron and steel 

 making, some average proportion of active time to full time in that 

 industry being given in Section La. It should be added also in the 

 words of Mr. R. A. Bull (Index C5) that ' though the difficulties 

 of the work are not constant but periodic, the work is distinctly 

 arduous, physically and mentally, and carries a responsibility which 

 puts a man's nervous system in frequent high tension.' This industry 

 is also remarkable, however, in that the men at the blast-furnaces, 

 Bessemer converters, open hearths, and in the rolling-mills take no 

 breaks even for meals throughout a spell of eight to twelve hours ; 

 for this reason the iron and steel accident and output curves were not 



* Weighted roughly in proportion to numbers and days at work ; i.e. Cadbury's 

 -r-5, Peek, Frean's 1, Jacob's x 3. 



' Table VI. Col. 1 is reduced to average per girl, but there is no other ' weighting, 

 since numbers x days at work are not very difierent in each case, i. e. 8, 20, and 1 8. 



