Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/346

 332 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

more in the way of mutual help than have the other unions. But they still have their socialistic political flavor. In 1895 the Hirsch-Duncker unions had 69,000 members while the other had in 1894 about 221,500 members. In 1894 the former spent 73,050 marks while the latter spent relatively far more. Both have agitated for and founded many cooperative associations. Both carry on a great educational work. Besides this direct mutual help to the members, the unions also perform a function in deter- mining the conditions under which their members shall work. They have in a great many cases provided councils of arbitration. But in this whole work they are hin- dered by not having a legal status. The state should confer this status upon them and then regulate their action. Bills having this in view have been presented to the Reichsstadt but have not been passed upon favorably. Just now, however, it seems that such a measure will soon be made into law. K. FRANKENSTEIN in Vierteljahr- schrift fiir Staats- und Volks-virtschaft.

Industrial Arbitration and Its Limitations. Unlike many the author of this article thinks the labor question is becoming less serious and, especially, less menacing. This is true because manufacturers are recognizing the rights of their employe's, and they have too much capital invested to permit strikes and so lose the use of it. The laboring men, too, are becoming more intelligent and more considerate of the rights of their employers. There is a community of interest as the basis of our modern indus- try. Public opinion is affecting the actions of both employer and employe". For these several reasons a peaceable means is sought by all for the solution of the labor problem and all have turned to some form of arbitration. Then what kinds of arbitration do we find and what are its limits ?

There are two kinds of differences between employers and employe's. One is a question of wages or conditions of labor, the other a question of principle. Within certain limits the former question can be arbitrated, and arbitration has done much in settling such questions. But a question of principle, upon the other hand, cannot be arbitrated, there is no compromise. So arbitration is limited to certain questions con- cerning wages. What form of arbitration is best ? England has one form resting upon the voluntary formation of boards of arbitration, while in the United States we have made it a state function. From an examination of the work in this country he asserts that the work would be done very much better by boards as they exist in England. Our boards are distrusted by both sides and are not often used. Further, the members of the board have not the technical information necessary to make a wise decision. In England, where the boards are composed of an equal number of repre- sentatives of the employer and the employe's of the particular institution where the case to be arbitrated is, the members are well acquainted with the whole situation and the board being equally divided between the factions, the right wins, and so the board is trusted by both factions. This is the kind of arbitration we should have. The state should not be appealed to for "this is one of those questions that should be left to work out its own solution by natural selection." S. D. NORTH in Quarterly Joirral of E.conomics, July 1896.