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They gave themselves a leeway of twelve days that they might not be able to guarantee. Each man might suffer twelve days of unemployment in the course of the year without having broken the pattern. As a matter of fact, they hadn't suffered twelve days of unemployment. They had practically never had any unemployment, but they allowed that for breakdown of machinery, for unforeseen weather that prevented deliveries, for the possible, but most unlikely cancellation of an order, that twelve days was enough. They had never utilized it to any large extent. They'd been able to operate on a very smooth production basis, but it was the guarantee and the wages were also guaranteed on the same basis.
That was, of course, a very orderly community. People who worked there knew they had work every week. Therefore, they became good customers. Their credit was good. They could buy a piano and pay for it on the installment plan. There was no risk to the local tradesmen and it made a very good community.
I remember that very plainly because it was true, it worked and it had been going on for a long time. As a matter of fact, it went on right straight through the depression. They never had to close down. At one time they changed the guarantee of fifty weeks of work a year to forty-nine weeks
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