details of sweeping, cleaning, and keeping a certain section of a shop
floor windows, machines, etc., in order can be united to form a task.
Or, in a small factory which turns out a uniform product and in uniform
quantities day after day, supplying raw materials to certain parts of
the factory and removing finished product from others may be coupled
with other definite duties to form a task. The task should call for a
large day's work, and the man should be paid more than the usual day's
pay so that the position will be sought for by first-class, ambitious
men. Clerical work can very properly be done by the task in this way,
although when there is enough of it, piece work at so much per entry is
to be preferred.

In all cases a clear cut, definite inspection of the task is desirable
at least once a day and sometimes twice. When a shop is not running at
night, a good time for this inspection is at seven o'clock in the
morning, for instance. The inspector should daily sign a printed card,
stating that he has inspected the work done by ----, and enumerating the
various items of the task. The card should state that the workman has
satisfactorily performed his task, "except the following items," which
should be enumerated in detail.

When men are working on task work by the day they should be made to
start to work at the regular starting hour. They should, however, have
no regular time for leaving. As soon as the task is finished they should
be allowed to go home; and, on the other hand, they should be made to
stay at work until their task is done, even if it lasts into the night,
no deduction being made for shorter hours nor extra pay allowed for
overtime. It is both inhuman and unwise to ask a man, working on task
work, to stay in the shop after his task is finished "to maintain the
discipline of the shop," as is frequently done. It only tends to make