Naoshi Tokunaga

“ We must not get into our head the idea that it’s enough to belong to the union. The company feels the financial depression and is like a mad dog. They’re counting on two or three of the Right Wingers at this efficiency committee meeting, and if things go as they plan they’re hoping to make a split among us. So you see, at a dangerous time like this Toyama may turn against us.” Tora-Ko listened in silence.
“So you’re to let Nagai at headquarters know within five hours how many of that element there are in your department. ”

“ The abolition of the Works Council. (2) Reintroduction of a piecework system. (3) Reintroduction of night-work, etc., etc.
“What the hell’s this? Back to where we were before the 1924 strike!”
“You’re right. It’s a challenge!”
The sharp, piercing eyes of the president roamed continuously over the benches of the employees, where countless other eyes, sharp as needle points, stabbed back at him.
“As the balance sheet shows, production has suddenly dived right down. It is because you gentlemen have been more concerned with the efficiency of your union than with the efficiency of your work.” ”

“ Compared with the men working in the foundry, the vocabulary of the men of his department was very small. He had understood the gist of what Nagai was saying quite well—that in their present condition, even if they gained control of the factory, it would be no use to them; the working class was far inferior in administrative ability; therefore they must fight through the works council or the efficiency committee. ”

“ But, just as he had gauged it, the truck pulled up withing a hair’s breadth of them.
The girls picked themselves up and began stammering something, but the boy cut them short.
“You oughta look out, you fools,” he thundered, but there was a twinkle in his eyes; the girls, who resented being put in the wrong, flushed with anger.
“What a dirty trick to play, you red-nosed——”
To be called “red-nose” was a sore point with the boy, and the girl who said it knew this very well. She had her hair done in Japanese style, and wore the red badge of a member of the works council. ”

“ The dumpling with the scraped knee turned to Kimi-chan and said: “It doesn’t hurt to do a little go-slow when the dirty old boss treats us so rotten, and sends us out here to do the same old job every day. Listen Kimi-chan——”
“But, Kimi-chan, if the efficiency committee is really formed, we won’t be able to take it easy like this, will we?” One girl with their hair waved in Western style bent over and asked. ”

“ For that very reason to-day, when you have given up every office, clashed with the union leaders over theory, and still go on as if nothing had happened, you can’t call it unreasonable if comrades become suspicious. ”

“ Again he let out a wild yell.
“Get away, get away! It’s because people like you play round when you should be working that they go starting efficiency committees. Get away, I tell you.”
There was a burst of merriment from the girls.
“Efficiency committee, ha, ha, ha!”
Taking a chance while they were laughing, the boy dashed away merrily with the truck. The next minute one girl excitedly pulled the sleeve of the one who wore the council badge. “Look, Kimi-chan, the boss is watching us from upstairs.” ”

“ Toyama?” The vice-president forced a smile and sat down beside him. “I wonder if we’ll launch the efficiency committee successfully, what do you think?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” answered Toyama brusquely. He had the high cheek-bones and stiff beard of a Kushu man, but seemed to have lost all his vitality. At one time, as a leader of the 1924 strike, he had carried weight with all the workers; to-day his influence was gone. Younger men were taking his place. ”

“ They had gained something since the great strike of 1924.
They were all fully alive to their strength. Brought up for two years in the cradle of the Left-Wing unionism, as members of the S. Labour Union which embraced 10,000 workers in the printing trades, they had been like a victorious army. ”

“ With the efficiency committee within sight, a clean-up was started. About twenty of the Right-Wing element were raided in the upstairs of a noodle restaurant near the works and beaten up by the picketing squad.
The pickets, like a gale, swept through all the neighbourhood of the factory and every corner of the workers’ tenements. The atmosphere there, even after nightfall, was menacing. ····· ”When I ask you not to——” The girl clung on to the man’s arm and would not let go. ”

“ The employees’ representatives were Nagai, Toyama, Takagi, Kondo, and three others.
Just outside the door they stood making their plans. “Do you get that? We’ve got to keep cool. If we’re going to ferret out what they’re up to, we’ve got to force ourselves to be calm...”
“Look, what are they?” Kondo caught sight of something and gave Nagai a prod in the back. “Look, cops went in that room just now; I’ll swear I saw their sabres.”
They all looked round, but the door to which he pointed, leading into the president’s room, had shut tightly. ”

“ If you gentlemen will examine the table of statistics and the balance sheet, you will understand that the company is in a very difficult predicament. The nation’s currency, which at the time of the great earthquake was greatly inflated, is now being deflated, and this has an enormous influence on this company. ”

“ The officials, feeling their responsibility, looked very solemn before the president, but the employees maintained their firmness. They were enjoying better conditions now compared with the old days. It was because the piecework system had been abolished that the colour had to some degree come back into their cheeks and made them look human once more. ”