perators took advantage
of the anticolonialism of the times and declared that the Belt cities
were, and by right ought to be, free and independent political entities.
It was a ridiculous assumption, of course, but since the various Belt
cities were, at that time, under the nominal control of three or four of
the larger nations, the political picture required that they be allowed
to declare themselves independent. It was not anticipated at the time
that they would be so resistant toward the World Government."

He smiled slightly. "Of course, by refusing to send representatives to
the People's Congress, they have, in effect, cut themselves off from any
voice in human government."

Then he shrugged. "At the moment, that is neither here nor there. What
interests us at the moment is the death rate curve of the anchor-sinkers
or whatever they are. Did you know that it is practically impossible for
anyone to get a job out there in the Belt unless he has had experience
in the anchor-setting field?"

"No," Danley admitted.

"It's true. For every other job, they want only men with space
experience. And by 'space experience' they mean anchor-setting, because
that's the only job a man can get without previous space experience.
They spend six months in a special school, learning to do the work,
according to our friend, Mr. Georges Alhamid. Then they are sent out to
set anchors. Small ones, at first, in rocks only a few meters in
diameter--then larger ones. After a year or so at that kind of work,
they can apply for more lucrative positions.

"I see nothing intrinsically wrong in that, I will admit, but the
indications are that the schooling, which should have been getting more
efficient over the years, has evidently been getting more lax. The death
rate has gone up."

"Just a minute," Danley interrupted. "Do you mean that a man has to have
what they call 'space experience' before he can get _any_ kind of job?"

Tarnhorst shook his head and was pleased to find that no nausea
resulted. "No, of course not. Clerical jobs, teaching jobs, and the like
don't require that sort of training. But there's very little chance for
advancement unless you're one of the elite. A physician, for example,
wouldn't have many patients unless he had had 'space experience'; he
wouldn't be allowed to own or drive a space boat, and he wouldn't be
allowed to go anywhere near what are called 'critical areas'--such as
air locks, power plants, or heavy in