Page:Shop Talks on Economics.djvu/5



If you are a working man or woman, no matter what you do in the shop or factory, or mine, you know that there are two kinds of power used in the plant—human, or labor power, and steam, or water (or perhaps—gas explosion) power.

The owner of a new barrel plant in Indiana decided it would be cheaper to have some company furnish power to run his mill than to install a power plant himself, so he sent for the three representatives of the three power plants in that city.

The first man came from the company that offered to run the machines in the mill by steam power; the second came from a firm which wanted to sell him a gasoline engine to furnish the power by the explosions of gas, while the third came from a great water-power company. This man offered to supply power to run the mill machinery at a lower price than the others asked. Of course, he secured the contract.

By this time the mill owner was almost ready to have his plant opened. He had logs (or raw mate-