"THIS IS IT'
Our Bountiful Continent
Chapter 13
I awoke on the one hundred and ninety-ninth day of the year, after a restless night of dreams about the Delegates. I dreamed that they had become tired and weary of the rapid pace I had set for them on the tour of this continent. In my dreams the sheik and Mr. Varsolov had become ill, and had requested to return to their homeland. Then, as my dream progressed, Miss Jensen and Mrs. Gandhi had rebuked me for not permitting them to rest for a few days. Mr. Murakomi of Japan and Mr. Shults of Germany said I was impairing their health by such a rapid pace. My dream was so annoying that I had arisen very early, and was walking along the beach, attempting to clear my mind and to decide what was best for a group of people that had been placed in my charge.
To my annoyance I hadn't reached a decision, even after arriving at the hotel. While sitting in the lobby, I was attempting to be at least logical about the well-being of the Delegates, as to what was best for them and concerning the time element involved. Every time I thought of staying in one location for a rest period, the thought came to my mind that time was elapsing, and that suitable weather for traveling in the far north (which I so much wanted them to experience) would have passed, and the weather would no longer be clement or suitable for traveling in that area of the continent. I was so deep in thought that I wasn't aware of Frank Cassidy's and Tom Browning's presence, until Tom said, "Man, you sure look down in the mouth-just like a hound dog that's been caught sucking eggs." Frank said, "Mr. Thorp, why are you so glum, on such a beautiful morning?"
I was amazed at how the cheerful attitude of friendly people could change one's outlook from gloom to cheerfulness. When I told them of my dreams, and my deep concern for the Delegates, Tom said, "Good God, man, if you were to suggest to those excited people, who are having the time of their lives, that they stay here for a few days' rest, they will skin you and hang your hide on a wire fence." Frank said, "Tell you what, to allay your unwarranted worry and concern, I will just casually suggest to them, at breakfast this morning, that we stay over here for a rest period. However, if I do so, I want you to stand in front of me as a shield. If I know Miss Vollnogle, there will be a barrage of knives, forks, and spoons. Nevertheless, in deference to your worry concerning their desire, I shall do it regardless of the dire consequence." To my surprise and pleasure, everyone came to breakfast talking and laughing about their experience the day before at the free speech gathering in the amusement area.
When everyone had been seated, Miss Vollnogle said, "All right, you sinful people, if you don't get right with the Lord, and quit having so much fun and leisure time, or fail to give a tithe to God, he will cause a rain of fire and brimstone, and you will spend eternity in hell." Her little mimic of Mrs. Melborn caused hilarity and hand clapping. The sheik said, through his interpreter, "The Social Dynamic is no good, because I can't make lots of money and look down on the rest of you with disdain." It seemed to please the sheik greatly that he had mastered the American humor, to the extent of entertaining the group with his comment, because he nodded his head at Tom and said, "You are not the only one who can do it."
When talking had ceased and eating began, Frank very casually said, "Well, seeing that you folks are all tired out, we are going to stay here in the hotel for a few days, so you can sit around, or sleep, so you can get your strength back." Frank's suggestion was tantamount to lighting a firecracker under the table, because food on forks, en route to mouth, was stopped in midair as though an invisible hand had grasped their wrists. For several seconds, it reminded one of a motion picture that had been stopped. Everything became exceedingly quiet, and eyes were dilated. Suddenly everyone came to life and attempted to speak, but incoherently at first. As expected, Miss Vollnogle was the first to speak coherently. She said, "Good God, heads I win and tails you lose! What do you think we are, a bunch of babies on nursing bottles?" Then a gleam came to her eyes, and she said, "Ah, no you don't, I will bet a price system nickel that Tom had you say that." Within seconds the humor of it reached everyone. Some, not realizing that Frank had a humorous and devilish side to his nature, were surprised when, as Miss Vollnogle was pointing an accusing finger at Tom and him, Frank said, on the spur of the moment, and as a lark, "No, Mr. Thorp told me to say that." For several seconds all eyes were on me with a look of disbelief.
When some time had elapsed, Miss Jensen said, "All of you are damned liars." Her comment caused another burst of laughter. When the group became serious again, Frank said, "Well, folks, as my grandfather would say, 'Time is wasting."' Then he said, "Mr. Thorp has informed me that your tour time schedule permits one more day in this region of the continent. So you folks have a choice of several things. There are a number of places to go, such as the museum, the planetarium, Disneyland, or the industrial center at Burbank. The decision is yours." The decision to visit Burbank was almost unanimous. When the decision had been made, Frank said, "All right folks, let's shake a leg and get with it."
When I called the Air-Frame Sequence of Regional Division 11834, a voice said, "John Smith, Director of the Air-Frame Sequence in Regional Division 11834, speaking." When I introduced myself and told Mr. Smith that the Delegates and I would like to make a tour of the Air-Frame facilities in that Regional Division, he said, "By all means, do so. We would consider it an honor to have you inspect the shops. I will have someone meet you at the intersection of Hollywood Way and Victory Boulevard, to escort you in. You can park your vehicle in one of the hangars."
The ride from Long Beach was an interesting one. Since I had last seen the area, drastic changes had been made. While traveling on the freeway, I was contemplating the contrast between the present condition and that of a few years past, when what one mostly saw when traveling along that roadway was cottage roofs, which reminded me of chicken coops, or rabbit hutches, crowded close together. What I saw while riding along on the drive to the Air-Frame Sequence was beautiful high-rise living complexes, located in park areas, with citrus and walnut orchards nearby, including, of course, some industrial structures surrounded by park areas, and connected by rapid transit elevated railway. When we had been escorted to and had parked our vehicle in a massive hangar (containing jigs for unit assembly of various segments of air-frame and coaches for different modes of rapid transit), we were met by Mr. Smith and Mr. Schultz.
When introductions were made, Mr. Smith said, "We are certainly honored to have you here. I would like very much to conduct you to the various activities, but at the moment I have a number of things to attend to that are very urgent. In my absence, I have asked my assistant, Mr. Schultz, of the tooling division, to escort you to any division you care to inspect." Mr. Smith impressed everyone with his knowledge and technical ability, and as being a man capable of deep thought, but possessing a retiring nature. One immediately recognized his importance in the Air-Frame Sequence.
In contrast, Mr. Schultz was outgoing-an organizer and a natural leader of men, who by his personality and knowledge of psychology could inspire those around him to achieve the very best of which they were capable. In spite of his innate ability, and of his place in the pecking order among his fellows, he didn't possess the meticulous exactness that Mr. Smith had.
It came to my mind that the two men of different personalities and attributes made for a team that was an asset to the AirFrame, or any sequence in which two men of their caliber might function. Mr. Schultz, being a man who caused people to feel completely at ease, said, "Folks, we are in the hall of jigs that are used to assemble the segments of various things, which are then attached to a master jig for the complete assembly of air-frame, or transit coaches. Now we are moving along to the different assemblies. As we progress, feel free to ask questions of me or any of the assembly personnel, concerning the technique of operation. You will note that the outer and inner skins, along with braces, and other segments, are bonded, one to the other, by the technique of metal bonding, which is accomplished by means of autoclave. The others that are of a more compound contour, such as the area around the windshield, the cockpit, and parts of the empennage, are riveted. The bonding method affords greater strength and a smoother exterior, and requires fewer man-hours for assembly."
As we moved along the various assembly operations, many questions were asked and answered by Mr. Schultz, and by others who were making the assemblies. The order of magnitude of some of the jigs, coupled with small detailed parts that were being assembled to the larger skins, so amazed the Delegates as to evoke many questions, of which many must have seemed rather childish to Mr. Schultz, but they were answered by him and others as though they were questions of great importance.
Standing slightly to the rear of the group, and gazing in awe at a massive jig, Miss Jensen said, "Mr. Schultz, what amazes me is how the original contour of such a massive jig was established." After smiling a bit, Mr. Schultz said, "Miss, that is accomplished in our plaster mockup division." On further insistence for clarification, he said, "Templates are placed in relation to each other linearly, on stations, by means of a transit, and are held firmly in position by various methods, after which plaster is placed between them, by clever artisans, to form the contour. If we have time we will visit that department, so you can get a better understanding of how it is accomplished." "I hope I am not making a fool of myself," Mr. Proulx said, "by asking foolish questions, but how, after you have established the contour, by means of template and plaster, do you transfer it to the jigs?" "It is," Mr. Schultz said, "a rather lengthy, but not necessarily a complicated process of taking impressions off the mockup, after skin lines have been established and scribed on. The materials used to take impressions are plaster and also glass cloth and plastic resin, using normalized metal strips as reinforcing, in order to maintain the contour after the impression has been made." On further questioning, he explained that the normalization of metal to be used for reinforcing meant that, after the metal had been bent or shaped to a desired contour, it was heated to a high temperature and let cool gradually, in order that the molecular structure of the metal will maintain its contour and not be subject to after movement. The molecules in metal that has not been normalized have what is known as memory, and this metal tends partially to regain its original contour.
After inspecting the jigs, we were conducted through the department of massive machines, consisting of machine lathes and tape-operated milling machines, which were turning out various things, among which were massive landing gear. The operator of one machine informed us that the operation the machine was accomplishing could never be accomplished manually. He said, "Due to human error, the parts would never be completely uniform in shape or weight, which is highly important, especially in landing gear." We had seen and heard so many things of interest that time had elapsed without our realizing it, until Mr. Schultz informed us that the time was nearing twelve hundred hours. After we left the machine shop, Mr. Schultz said, "Unless you have other plans, we would like your group to have lunch with us in the cafeteria. By now, everyone in Air-Frame knows you are here, and I assume they are looking forward to visiting with you, rather than just talking shop as they usually do." We had just collected food and begun to sit, when the AirFrame personnel began seating themselves. They were all smiles and curiosity, and in general a jovial and congenial group of men and women.
For a period of several minutes, questions were posed, and the Delegates attempted to answer them. The rapid conversation brought smiles to the faces of Mr. Smith and Mr. Schultz. While attempting to converse with Mr. Smith, I heard Miss Vollnogle ask a young woman sitting across from her what function she performed in the Air-Frame Sequence. "I really enjoy what I am doing in Air-Frame," she said. "I install the most beautiful interior paneling in the coaches that one can imagine. It is formed plastic with simulated wood-grain surface. Every time a coach is completed with such beautiful paneling, and such lovely comfortable seats, I always stand at one end to gaze with admiration before leaving it. I simply can't wait until the tubes are completed so I can ride on one. I just know it will give me the most wonderful feeling of achievement to think that I helped build them. I have been told that the velocity attained in the tube is almost incredible, because the coaches, when moving, are held suspended by a magnetic field. If you have time before leaving this area, I would like for you to see them."
While the young woman was talking, Miss Vollnogle noted that Tom was sitting with his mouth open in awe at the wonder of it all, and at the beauty and attractiveness of the young woman. With a look of devilment in her eyes, she said, "Tom, there is a story that you can't top." With a deadpan expression on his face, Tom said, "Well, the highest velocity I ever witnessed was a hound dog with a tin can tied to his tail." Tom's comment was just too much for the young woman, because she choked on a bit of food, and reached very rapidly for a glass of water. After regaining her composure, she said, "Man, you are just too much." On witnessing that bit of jest, Mr. Smith put a napkin to his mouth to stifle a laugh and said, "Who is that fellow, and where did you find one so witty?" I said, "Mr. Smith, aside from his witty remarks, he has any number of attributes. In fact, he is my right leg, so to speak, on this tour."
Wherever we traveled, and whatever sequence function we inspected, Miss Jensen seemed always to want a comparison of every function in the Social Dynamic to that of the price system. While sitting across the table from Mr. Schultz, it became obvious that something was on her mind, judging by the way she would lay her fork down, then pick it up, only to lay it down again. Eventually, with some effort she said, "Mr. Schultz, how does the production of air-frame in the Social Dynamic differ from that during the price system?" "Well, I am pleased that you asked that question," Mr. Schultz said, "because I am going to be very candid with my answer. To begin with, for many years in the past, air-frame was designed by very capable aerodynamic engineers, but the companies that were building them were a completely different story. The companies that were in the business of building airframe were, I will have you know, not alone in being guilty of selecting incompetent people for positions of supervision, in an industry that required a high degree of competence. "The clique system of placing incompetent people in a supervisory capacity was especially prevalent in the air-frame industry. In many instances, a relative or close friend was placed in a supervisory capacity who knew little or nothing about the functional requirements of the operation to be performed. In many instances, those who were placed in a supervisory capacity had neither mechanical, technical, nor leadership ability, which caused it to be very difficult for those who were attempting to build airframe or air-frame tooling.
"Thinking in retrospect," he said, "it is amazing that tooling or assembly was accomplished as well as it was. The accomplishment can be attributed mostly to those who were known as workmen. In many instances, the requirement of those who were placed in a supervisory capacity was keeping their superior off the hook, so to speak, or arranging things in such a way that their superior would never be directly responsible for any malfunction of a tool or an assembly. "I will have you know, however, that there were some good and knowledgeable people in supervision," he said, "but they were the exception. "There developed within the various departments of airframe," he said, "the pun phrase 'drop cloth.' When prefixed to a name it was indicative of one who was incompetent. It was quite common to hear one's fellows speak of someone as 'Drop Cloth' John or 'Drop Cloth' Joe or 'Drop Cloth' Charlie." Mr. Schultz sat very reflective for a time, then said, "In spite of all, there was some good air-frame built."
When Mr. Schultz had ceased talking, Miss Vollnogle said to a man across from her, "Mr. Adams, I have read about the effectiveness of labor unions in the United States, prior to the inception of the Social Dynamic. Couldn't the Air-Frame Union have overridden company officials to select and appoint men to supervisory positions who were competent, as well as having a natural peck right?" The question posed was such that Mr. Adams sat with a blank but amused expression. The silence was so lengthy that I was on the verge of interceding with an answer to Miss Vollnogle's question, when Mr. Adams shook his head and batted his eyes, as though he were emerging from a trance. Eventually he said, "Miss, that kind of action was not within the jurisdiction of the union. Regardless of how the union members felt regarding the working conditions in a shop, the union officials certainly had no desire to bite the hand that was feeding them. In fact the unions were more lucrative than big business, and the union officials were not about to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. "The pathetic thing about the whole thing," he said, "was that many people in industry were placing blame on the wrong thing. They didn't realize that adverse conditions in industry, as well as in many other phases of society, were the result of a static social!, order. Unknowingly, and innocently, they were, in many instances striving to patch up, and make function, to their betterment., social order that was dying-one that was well in the throes of death. Rather than scrap the old order of static conditions, and install a dynamic social order that is compatible with technology they seemed to cling tenaciously to the old order of insecurity and privation. "I love people," he said, "but I will have to admit that they are very difficult to understand, in that they tend to resist change-- the change to a garden of Eden.' Now that that era is over and gone, many people, in fact most everyone, realizes that a Social dynamic could have been installed long, long ago. The only requirement for a Social Dynamic is a new concept of social operation. In short, the only requirement, on the part of each individual, is a social concept of abundance, rather than one of scarcity.
"Thinking in retrospect," he said, "they can be forgiven, due to the many centuries they were conditioned to think in terms of scarcity. In fact, when there was a scarcity of the skill they possessed, they could demand a higher price for it, or, if the product they were producing was scarce, they could sell it for a higher price. Thinking about it objectively, it was useless and pathetic that people had to meet with and suffer through extreme chaos, bordering on catastrophe, before they could acquire a concept of abundance.
"I didn't intend giving a lecture," Mr. Adams said. "Now that you have heard the negative side of things, I think it is fitting that John Smith, being the Regional Director of the Air-Frame Sequence, and having a thorough knowledge of all its phases, give you the positive side of it." After some hesitation, at which time Mr. Smith slowly began to realize that he was expected to give an explanation of airframe activity in the era of our Social Dynamic, his face became flushed, and he acted as though he wanted to get lost. However, when Mr. Adams said, "John, will you give the Delegates an , explanation of how air-frame shops are operated today, including the high morale of all personnel functioning in every phase of this sequence?" he realized that he had been placed on the spot. He sat straighter and cleared his throat. Mr. Smith sat for several seconds in deep thought, then, very slowly, selecting the correct terms and phraseology, he said, "Well, to speak on this subject, one has to cover a vast area, because many other production sequences are very similar in operation, and in the handling of personnel. "There is such a vast array of things to cover," he said, "that in order to do justice to the subject, I hardly know where to begin. However, I will start with the very basic, using the term axiom, for lack of a better term. It is an axiom that, in the absence of monetary consideration, human behavior takes a rightabout turn of 180 degrees, and, by virtue of the turnabout, selfcenteredness in the human being practically vanishes, and competition blows away with the first breeze. "The freedom from privation, self-centeredness, and competition," he said, "puts man, for the first time in the history of man, in a mental state that is practically indescribable to one who has never witnessed it. Since the inception of our Social Dynamic, man no longer thinks in terms of what can I do to get ahead financially? Rather, human beings think in terms of what is needed to improve living conditions for everyone on the continent, and how projects can be accomplished, regardless of the order of magnitude. Once the mind of man has been freed of petty thoughts, the extent of his mental capacity concerning massive projects causes one to think that only the sky is the limit. No, it has been proven that the sky is not the limit. "I want to stress," he said, "that the nature of man has not changed, because nature is very basic. Finding himself in a different environment, it is only man's behavior that has changed, Being a gregarious animal, man, when placed in an environment that is conducive to community betterment, finds that his behavior and thoughts, as regards the attitude and value he places on his fellows, are quite different than when he has to think of them as a competitor or a financial threat. For example, I like to wear good shoes, but haven't the knowledge of how to make them, or the desire to do so. Therefore, I place a high value on one who makes shoes; in fact, my esteem of him borders on worship. Yes, I value him so much that I would have him enjoy all the fruits of this continent to the last day of his life.
"Now, regarding the making of air-frame and transit coaches, there is no way of comparing the attitude and service of the personnel in air-frame, as against what it was before the inception of our Social Dynamic," he said. "To begin with, we no longer have to think of monetary cost, and are no longer subject to the whims of incompetent people, who had little knowledge of building air-frame, but who held a financial club over our heads. All we have to think of now is how to make the best product, with the least extraneous energy, and the least man-hours involved. "With the freedom of thought that our new social order affords," he said, "man is doing things that seemed impossible only a few years ago. He is dealing with things that stagger the imagination.
Solar energy will soon be in use. I read in the research bulletin that hydrogen will soon be used as an energy, source and that the Research Sequence personnel are conducting research on any number of heretofore unused energy sources. Yes, things are happening in our new society that seemed incredible only a short while ago. "I think now you have some idea," he said, "of why everyone is serving so enthusiastically at their function in the Social Dynamic. It is because we can all share equally, though not identically. I say not identically, because different people desire different things than others, and in different amounts. "Now that we are free of financial and political barriers, we are," he said, "only limited by the laws of nature. So long as we adhere to the law of thermodynamics (in that energy is not created or destroyed, but is only degraded from a higher to a lower degree of temperature, and is no longer usable to move objects on the earth, but is in no way destroyed), we can and will delve into the unknown, and bring forth wonders that, as of now, seem impossible. "This is being done," he said, "for the well-being and pleasure of mankind on this earth, because in the final analysis he is the only thing that counts. "I challenge anyone to come forth with a plan or religion that is more Godly or Christlike than this Social Dynamic," he said.
Suddenly Mr. Smith's face turned red and he said, "I hope you will excuse me, I got slightly off the subject of air-frame. We in this sequence have been building air-frame for so many years that to be challenged with something that is slightly, but not completely, different, such as rapid transit coaches for various modes of transportation, is quite a diversionary and interesting thing for all of us." He said, "I would like to escort you through the coach assembly building."
After leaving the dining area, we climbed aboard an interesting mode of conveyance, consisting of caster wheels supporting a long frame on which seats were anchored under a canopy. When someone asked what they were, Mr. Smith said, "They are referred to in air-frame as mercury buggies." After traveling around the end of a runway, we entered a large building through a massive door. As the mercury buggy moved along the various assembly operations, Mr. Smith explained the operation over an intercom system. "Now, here is where the monorail coach assembly line starts he said. "Now you see the wheels of the coach have been placed on a simulated monorail track. The assembly starts at the top, to which, of course, all parts are attached and suspended from the wheels, and continues downward until the complete body of the coach has been completed, which we will see as we travel along the line."
As the mercury buggy was pulled along by what was referred to as a donkey tractor, Mr. Smith said, "Now you will see, at this location of the line, the body has been completely assembled, and is ready for seats, paneling, and restrooms. Now we will inspect a finished coach before it is shipped away." When we walked into the coach, and had taken seats, everyone sat in aesthetic silence for the longest time, until Tom said, "Not bad, not bad; however, if the danged thing were to jump the track you might wish you were driving 'Old Dobbin' to the buggy." Miss Vollnogle said, "No, you are mistaken, Tom. If it should jump the track, you would be much safer slipping a rope noose over a lion's head."
After moving along the assembly line of the elevated track coaches, which are equally as beautiful as monorail ones, we were taken to the rapid transit tube assembly line. On arrival at the line, Mr. Smith said, "I think more explanation of assembly would be boring to you. Let's go to the end of the line and inspect the finished product." At the end of the assembly line, there were two sections of simulated tubes, identical in configuration, one for passengers, one for freight. The outer shell of the tubes were so close as to accommodate telephone conduits in the lower section. The area in which the coach sat was slightly larger, but of the same configuration as the coach, and, at the lower portion, was slightly trough-shaped, for the purpose of holding the coach firmly upright while at rest. There was an opening in the tube that passengers could step through, which corresponded in size and shape to the door of the coach. Both before and behind the openings was a series of openings in the form of vanes which allowed for air escape when the coach traveled at high-volocity. The coach was of streamline contour, with a slightly curved leading end, allowing for an airflow over the coach that eliminated vibration at high velocity.
After we had entered the coach and taken seats, Mr. Smith said "now folks, just imagine this coach is an electric motor, moving in a linear motion, rather than a rotating one, with no friction other than air, because when the coach is in motion, it is held suspended by electromagnetic current. Now observe, when I engage the switch manually you will feel the coach rise slightly. However when these are put in service, all movement of the coach will be effected by computerized remote control, which allows for no human error. "There are many more features which are rather lengthy to explain such as the proper air flow through the coach, temperature control, and a built-in sensory control in the event of any malfunction between coaches, while at rest or in motion. I want to remind you," he said, "that in many areas where the rapid transit line is elevated above ground, the upper portion above the conduit housing only requires a series of rails, held in a tubular configuration by a series of rigid frames, which, of course, lace the tube in those areas. "Well, folks, that just about explains it all, however briefly."
To be continued
This was chapter 13 - on to chapter 14