MACKENZIE KING'S early work with the Rockefeller Foundation
was devoted to a general survey of the questions which were likely
to be involved in his research. It was tentative and not directly pro-
ductive. He developed, for example, a passion for abstruse charts;
some of the diagrams that were later published in Industry and
Humanity were originally drafted at this time and form an interesting
commentary on his approach to the problem. King also had a biblio-
graphy committed to some 10,000 cards of various colours, which after
the first few months he does not appear to have used again. He was
continually jotting down and revising the chief topics of his research
in response to new ideas. However, all this was part of the inevitable
process of trial and error associated with such projects, and his
thoughts did begin to assume a more orderly shape. Eventually his
plans became less ambitious than at first, and he discarded, at least
for the moment, any idea of setting up a large staff and limited himself
to the assistance of F. A. McGregor, his secretary.

King's mind worked to much better advantage on concrete problems.
Here he was speedily confronted of course with the awkward situation
that some of the Rockefeller industrial troubles impinged directly on
his general subject. A scheme that proposed to spend Foundation funds
on the task of devising improved labour policies yet ultimately derived
some of its income from an industry the labour relations of which had
become a national scandal, was inherently absurd. Interest in the
Colorado strike was thus not only immediate and urgent, it had a direct
relevance to King's work. He lost no time in coming to grips with the
difficulty. He drove home to the Foundation and to John D. Rocke-
feller, Jr. the double proposition that they should never forget that
they obtained a substantial revenue from the disaffected mines, and

-235-