New-York tribune., 1918-06-09

~ amenable to reason, and has made
the great industrial changes posi-
Bile. When the storm broke in
August, 1914, many of the British
trade unions had just demanded in
creased wages and shorter hours,
Approaching the national need, the
unions not only agreed to postpone
all such demands for the duration
OF the war, but also agreed to sus-
pension Of existing trade union
agreements and rules where they in
terfered with fast production. The
government agreed to restore these
restrictions after the war.
! Initiation Made
Wage Increase Imperative
The agreement in regard to
wages was feasible during the early
months Of the war, but between 1915
and the middle of 1917 commodity
prices rose rapidly, and the value
OF money conversely declined. This
condition made a general increase in
wages Indispensable. In most cases
these rises which have been put into
effect have been borne either by the
government directly, as in the case
of railroad workers, or through in
creased prices which the government
ordered
Capital is treated with more vari-
alton, depending on the special con-
ditions surrounding an industry. In
the case of the railroads the COM
panies are guaranteed virtually the
net revenue they earned in 1918, and
they have maintained within a small
fraction the dividends they paid on
their stock for that year. The
guarantee to canals and waterways
followed the same lines.
The controlled engineering, chem
ical and cognate establishments are
permitted to retain 20 per cent more
profit than they earned in 1913, and
special arrangements have been
made to meet the case Of new CAPT.
tai introduced for extensions and
betterments, especially in regard to
new plants which the cessation of
the war will render obsolete.
Other manufacturers come under
the operation Of the excess profits
tax, under which the government
takes share Of the profits in ex-
cess of the pre-war margin, the per-
centage in 1915 being SO per cent,
in 1916 so per cent, and since then
80 per cent.
The British government pays for
shipping on Blue Book rates, which
at present allow a very small mar
gin Of profit on the capital engaged
SO small, it is reported, that, at
the behest of the ship owners, the
question of increasing the rate is
under consideration.
The Two Great
Enabling Acts
From the viewpoint of shaping
American policy the legislative side
of Great Britains industrial war
fare is important. The bulk of the
authority for taking over industries
was conferred on the government by
the Defence of the Realm act and
the Munitions of War act of
1915-'16.
Under the Defence of the Realm
act the Admiralty, Army Council
and Ministry Of Munitions got au-
thority to do the following broad
things:
(a) To require that there shall be
placed at their disposal the whole or
any part of the output of any fac
tory or workshop of whatever sort.
(b) To take possession of and use
for the purpose of his majesty's
naval or military service any fac
tory or workshop or plant.
(c) To require any work in any
factory or workshop to be done in
accordance with the directions of the
Admiralty or Army Council or the
Ministry of Munitions, given with
the object Of making the factory or
workshop, or the plant or labor
therein, as useful as possible for the
production of war materials.
(d) TO regulate or restrict the
carrying on of any work in any fac
tory, workshop or other premises. or