A

1. What is the difference between wages, and wages of management ?

2. On what ground may workers be divided into hard-handed and soft-handed groups ?

3. Why are railroad men often referred to as the "aristocracy of the hard-handed group " ?

4. What is meant by the expression "noneompeting groups"?

5. Just how do doctors and lawyers compete? plumbers and electricians ?

6. What is the relation between education and income ?

7. What are the exact facts about the movement of persons from one income group to another?

8. What should be one of the guides in selecting a profession or a trade ?

9. What is the relation between efficiency and wages ?

10. How does the working environment affect efficiency?

11. Why is the cheapest labor often the highest paid?

12. Why do business men usually refuse to pay inefficient employees more than they earn, trusting thereby to increase their efficiency ?

13. Should men and women receive the same wages for the same work ? Discuss.

14. What is the difference between piece wages and time wages ?

15. Which is the more fundamental?

16. Why does organized labor generally oppose the piece-wage system ?

17. Define "profit-sharing."

18. What does profit-sharing attempt?

B

1. Determine by inquiry the occupation or profession of the father of each lawyer and doctor in your community.

a. How many were lawyers, doctors, or business men (including farmers) ? 6. How many were unskilled laborers ?

c. Explain any marked differences that appear between the occupations of the fathers of the younger men on your list and the fathers of the older ones.

d. Formulate conclusions on your investigation as to competition between members of the same noncompeting group.

2. Let each student in the economics class state the profession or occupation he expects to pursue.

a. How many expect to compete directly with their respective fathers ?

b. How many expect to enter other lines in the same noncompeting group?

c. How many expect to cross over into a group not occupied by their respective fathers?

d. What does this examination show regarding the ease with which lines between noncompeting groups can be crossed ?

3. Make a list of several natives of your community who have made exceptional success in business.

a. How did their respective fathers rank in the community as to income? as to wealth? 6. What were their educational opportunities? c. Considering differences in time and circumstance, can they offer their children better educational opportunities than they themselves enjoyed?

4. Call to mind boys engaged in selling newspapers, in sweeping out offices, or in similar occupations.

a. From what income groups do these boys come ?

b. How many are the sons of well-to-do parents?

c. How many attend high school?

d. How does society in general regard this kind of work by boys ?

e. How do the boys themselves regard it ?

C

1. The statement is often made that many college graduates may be found in the bread lines of our cities.

a. What effect on the popular mind has the discovery of one college graduate begging for food ?

b. Does such a discovery make an interesting news item ? Why ?

c. What is the probability of magnifying such a discovery ?

d. What is the probability of such a beggar pretending to be a college graduate?

e. How, therefore, should the statement be regarded ?

2. "It can easily be proved from history that a majority of the successful men of the United States were reared on farms and attended country schools." a. Until recent times, where else could an American youth be reared ?

b. Where else, except in the country school, could the previous generation get an education?

c. What is likely to be the trend in coming generations?

3. Discuss the need of profit-sharing in American business affairs, its probable success, and the results that may be expected.

Supplementary Reading

Bullock, Introduction to the Study of Economics, 3d ed., pages 446-460

Ely, Outlines of Economics, 3d ed., pages 427-443.

Fetter, Economics, Vol. I, pages 211-231.

Fisher, Elementary Principles of Economics, pages 433-463.

Johnson, Introduction to Economics, pages 151-172.

Seager, Principles of Economics, pages 244-261.

Seligman, Principles of Economics, 5th ed., pages 411-428.

Taussig, Principles of Economics, 2d ed., Vol. II, pages 147-157.