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'Let's see the Production Book, Mike.' O'Grady handed over the book and Bluemud
perused it slowly, finding what he had expected. There had been an increase of
production far above anything ever achieved before but, consistently, the quota had not
been met. He said sadly, 'Mike, we aren't making it, are we? Why not?' When Bluemud had demanded that O'Grady increase production the men were working six and one half hours a day with one day off in seven. As Carl said, Bluemud probably did not expect such a huge increase in production and would probably be content with a substantial increase. If he had really been serious he would not have sent the men who had been working on the schoolhouse to the foundry. At the time O'Grady was willing to go along with that. O'Grady winced. 'The fact is, sir, I... that is, it's difficult. The men... ' The Chief Foreman was still unsure about Bluemud's attitude. Carl had assured him that Bluemud would be pleased with their achievement. 'What about the men? Don't they know when they're well off?' 'Oh, they do, Mr. Bluemud, they do. But they're a little hungry and cold.' O'Grady looked about him citing the evidence of Bluemud's own chilly room. In his unsuccessful program to reach the required production level, O'Grady had first increased the working day to ten hours, reduced days off to one in fourteen and curtailed the hunters activities. Later he increased the working day to twelve hours. He did no more because his life had become even more pleasant. He was eating fish and fresh meat twice a week and sleeping later in the mornings. 'Hungry and cold? What do they expect in the middle of January? It's been a mild winter so far, hasn't it? Look at me! I've been working as hard as any damn man of yours O'Grady, trying to get this thing going for the benefit of us all and what do I find? There's no coal in the boiler of my own house. The last shipment was only six hundred tons and the stockpile's all gone. You've been slacking off!' Before the first train had been able to leave another problem had occurred: loading the coal took two days and a considerable number of men. Production went down again. O'Grady became desperate but, rather than curtail the hunters further he decided to abolish days off entirely and increase the working hours to fourteen. There had followed the expected winter decrease in the food supply to the men. 'I sent the Marshals into the mine,' said O'Grady miserably, ' with orders to make the men work. Two good men got their heads knocked in. The men complain they mine the coal all day and don't have enough to heat the barracks at night. They're nearly starving. We've spent nine months teaching them to get washed and now there's no hot water to wash with.' 'Those men! Who never had a bath in their lives until they came here? They're complaining? Well, I don't care! ' Bluemud shivered vigorously as much as for O'Grady's benefit as his own coldness. I expect you to make them work. That's what your job is, isn't it? If you don't want the job, I'll find someone else who does. And stop banging good men over the head! That's no way to keep up production!' O'Grady stared at the floor. Using the Marshals had been his idea and this was the second time he had been chastised for the result. Carl had said, 'I told you so, O'Grady. We're working with the men at the limit of their endurance and now your Marshals are trying to wreck it all.' 'They say,' said O'Grady, 'that the little bit of coal it'd take to heat the barracks would make no difference to production except it might increase it because the men'd feel more like working.' They, of course, was Carl, though his words were echoed by the men. But O'Grady had begun to resent Carl's power. While Carl received nothing but praise, everyone blamed O'Grady for the bad things. And it was clear to him by this time that the interview was going badly. 'Nonsense!' said Bluemud, surprised by O'Grady's argumentativeness. 'We can't afford it. The way to get coal for heating is to exceed the production quota. Whose side are you on, Mike? Mine or theirs? Do you want to go back to being a miner? Are you tired of the responsibility?' 'I'm not, sir.' O'Grady had done his best and now he was afraid. 'I'm with you, Mr. Bluemud, sir. I always have been, you know that.' 'I'm glad to hear it. You've done a good job in the past Mike but I won't deny I'm disappointed. You and I... we've always worked together, haven't we? We must go on. The men must understand it's in their interest to work harder. It's your job to show them how. It's either that or fall by the wayside. If that happens we'll sink without a trace. You understand me, don't you? We need more coal, not less. I didn't bring you here so you could tell me how badly off the men are. I know far better than you the alternative they and their women face. I know they'll do as I ask.' Bluemud put his arm about O'Grady's shoulders. The two men were about the same build but the one had a jagged head, grooved, stubby and withdrawn while the other's was domed and firm. 'I've been down to that boat, Mike, and I'll tell you now they're very upset down there. We're keeping them in port too long. It's dangerous to do that, Mike. I've found some extra cars and a locomotive which means we can carry more. We can do it, can't we Mike? A thousand tons a week?' O'Grady could only shake his head. 'Yes, we can, man!' Bluemud laughed loudly. ' Don't tell me that we can't. How many hours a day are the men working now?' 'Fourteen,' mumbled O'Grady. 'Well then increase them to sixteen, eighteen, twenty hours a day. Make them sleep where they work if you have to. Do whatever you need to do. Make them work damn them!' Bluemud laughed again as O'Grady rested himself against the mantleshelf. 'I can promise you this, Mike. There won't be any less food for them whatever happens. I'll speak to Muriel right away.' The sight of this tired old man, the dumb, mindless peasant whom he had dragged up almost from the primeval mud itself now standing, bewildered and pathetic in the middle of his study suddenly incensed Bluemud. He was filled with fury at O'Grady's ingratitude and utter helplessness. 'What do I pay you for, O'Grady?' He clipped O'Grady across the ear. 'Make them work, damn you! I want one train load of a thousand tons a week until further notice. Understand?' O'Grady had not even looked up. 'Until further notice. Understand?' screamed Bluemud grabbing O'Grady by the collar. 'I don't care if the men are cold, hungry or whatever. If it wasn't for me they'd all be dead! Tell them that! They should be grateful and they're to work! Work! Work!' Bluemud was so enraged that he half pushed O'Grady across a nearby armchair towards the door. 'Now get out!' O'Grady went slowly and he neither looked back nor raised his head. |
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