Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 72 — page 102: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

REWARD FOR VALOUR in combination with phrase twenty-five it nullified three entirely. Well, there was the expected loophole, the invitation for graft. | knew what I was sup- posed to do. For a price I was to point out the loophole to the companies I inspected. Then a later inspector would come around and impose a stiff fine upon the company for non-compliance with the regulation. The fine would be split among the attorneys, judges, inspectors, and others involved in the deal. The companies like it that way. Although they may have to pay a fine of a few thous- and, they get the chance in the meantime to bilk the public out of a million. The officials on up the line seem to like it, because the inspectors who co-operate always get the choice assignments. Everybody seems to like it, except me. I have to be contrary. I have to be honour- able. I get the stinking back hills assignments because of it, where there isn’t much money to be had anyway. You didn’t do right by us 101 kids, grandfather. You should have let us grow up with an attitude to fit our own times, instead of giving us a set of standards out of a world which is dead and almost forgotten. I looked up again from my attempts to understand the regulations. MacNab was out of his seat and had the floor- boards of the pilot cabin up. His head was buried down among the activators. The seat of his britches showed the neat stitches of a large patch. I saw one smeared hand come up and lay down a wrench. It fumbled around for a screwdriver. It picked up the.screwdriver and returned into the hole. I looked out of the quartz window, expecting to see the bleak landscape. But some- thing of interest had arrived. A private space yacht was Janding near the trader post. Across its side was emblaz- oned the word, Press. That word would get it through where even high officials would be stopped. Everyone knew the tremendous power of the Press. A vindictive reporter commiclooolkks.com