From the caveman to the hand-workers of three generations ago, the
increase in efficiency for food- and shelter-getting has been very
great. But in this day, by machinery, the efficiency of the hand-
worker of three generations ago has in turn been increased many
times. Formerly it required 200 hours of human labour to place 100
tons of ore on a railroad car. To-day, aided by machinery, but two
hours of human labour is required to do the same task. The United
States Bureau of Labour is responsible for the following table,
showing the comparatively recent increase in man's food- and shelter-
getting efficiency:
Machine Hand
Hours Hours
Barley (100 bushels) 9 211
Corn (50 bushels shelled, stalks, husks and
blades cut into fodder) 34 228
Oats (160 bushels) 28 265
Wheat (50 bushels) 7 160
Loading ore (loading 100 tons iron ore on cars) 2 200
Unloading coal (transferring 200 tons from
canal-boats to bins 400 feet distant) 20 240
Pitchforks (50 pitchforks, 12-inch tines) 12 200
Plough (one landside plough, oak beams and
handles) 3 118
According to the same authority, under the best conditions for
organization in farming, labour can produce 20 bushels of wheat for
66 cents, or 1 bushel for 3.
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