April 31, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



583 



numbers of young, about one millimeter in 

 diameter, were fouod on the rocks at Nobska 

 Point. During the latter part of August 

 and the earlj'^ part of September, Veligers, 

 all apparently of one species, were conspicu- 

 ous in the surface skimmings ; these disap- 

 peared at about the time that the young 

 Littorina were found. 



Vermes. Mr. K. H. Johnson found Bugula 

 turrita liberating embryos, even after the 

 middle of the month. 



Small specimens of Nereis limhata and cer- 

 tain allied forms occurred sparingly in the 

 auftrieb. On the evening of the 30th 

 Autolytus was still fairly abundant, and 

 many of the females were carrying eggs in 

 early stages of development. Ehyncobolus 

 and Diopatra were not breeding. 



Ccelenterata. With the exception of one 

 or two minute forms, no Medusae were 

 found. Gonionemus was abundant in the 

 Eel Pond, and specimens brought into the 

 laboratory about the middle of the month 

 extruded eggs. The greater part of these 

 eggs did not reach theblastula, and none de- 

 veloped beyond this stage. Ctenophores 

 iJneiniopsis, very conspicuous in late August, 

 appeared in increasing numbers during Sep- 

 tember. Ohelia, with a few ripe gonangia, 

 was obtained on the. 21st. Pennaria tiarella 

 formed the bulk of the abundant hydroid- 

 growths on the Fish Commission wharves, 

 although a Erudendium, probably E. ramo- 

 sum, was plentiful. Here and there small 

 patches of Pluimdaria tenella were found. 

 East Chop and Edgartown were visited on 

 the 12th. At the former place there were 

 few colonies of Pennaria, but a great abun- 

 dance of Eudendrium and Pluimdaria. At 

 Edgartown I did not find either Pennaria or 

 Eudendrium, but Plumularia occurred in 

 dense masses, which literally covered the 

 submerged woodwork of the wharves. 



At Woods Hole the colonies of Phmudaria 

 were small and sterile, while at the other 

 localities they were large and provided with 



gonangia in the various stages of develop- 

 ment. 



The Eudendrium and Pennaria bore me- 

 dusa-buds in all stages, and the latter 

 species remained in fruit as late as the 21st, 

 and perhaps later. 



M. T. Thompson. 



ECONOMICS IN 3IANUFACTUBES. 



One of the most diflBcult problems in 

 practical economics, in the whole range of 

 modern industrial systems, is that of se- 

 curing a just and satisfactory method of 

 insuring fair exchange of labor for capital 

 or wages where large bodies of workmen 

 are to be employed. Cooperation and in- 

 numerable plans of piece-work ' and 'profit- 

 sharing ' have been proposed, and none 

 have, in practice, been found either in the 

 abstract entirely equitable or wholly satis- 

 factory to the employer as securing sufBcient 

 output from bis always burdensome invest- 

 ments, profit on his sales, or a contented and 

 fair-minded relation between himself and 

 his employes ; nor has any system been 

 found which fully satisfies the workman in 

 either extent of total compensation, oppor- 

 tunity to secure compensation proportioned 

 to his exertions and ability, or in abstract 

 equity in distribvition of profits. 



One of the most promising of the later 

 plans for a fair and honest and satisfactory 

 distribution of profits and a very effective 

 stimulus of the right spirit in both em- 

 ployer and employe was described, as a first 

 experiment, to the American Society of 

 Mechanical Engineers, some years ago, by 

 Mr. F. A. Halsey, then or earlier manager 

 of the Canadian Eand Drill Co., at Sher- 

 brooke, Quebec, Canada. Mr. Halsey called 

 his plan ' The Premium Plan of Paying for 

 Labor,' and the title is indicative of its na- 

 ture.* 



The author of this system now reports 

 the outcome of a considerable number of 



* Trans. Am. Soc. Mech. Eng'rs ; Vol. XII. 



