The Principles of Scientific Management

48 THE PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT trusts, however, that before leaving this illustra- tion the reader will be thoroughly convinced that there is a science of handling pig iron, and further that this science amounts to so much that the man who is suited to handle pig iron cannot possibly understand it, nor even work in accordance with the laws of this science, without the help of those who are over him. The writer came into the machine-shop of the Midvale Steel Company in 1878, after having served an apprenticeship as a pattern-maker and as a machinist. This was close to the end of the long period of depression following the panic of 1873, and business was so poor that it was impossible for many mechanics to get work at their trades. For this reason he was obliged to start as a day laborer instead of working as a mechanic. Fortunately for him, soon after he came into the shop the clerk of the shop was found stealing. There was no one else available, -and so, having more education [than the other laborers (since he had been prepared for col- lege) he was given the position of clerk. Shortly after this he was given work as a machinist in run- ning one of the lathes, and, as he turned out rather more work than other machinists were doing on similar lathes, after several months was made gang- boss over the lathes. Almost all of the work of this shop had been done on piece work for several years. As was usual then, and in fact as is still usual in most of the shops in this country, the shop was really run by the work-