The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-06-08

dent outside of the state of Kansas
and therefore probably without full
knowledge or experience concerning
the exact scope and operation of this
law. Business and commercial organ
lzations very generally turnout the
state of Kansas have adopted resolu-
TOMS endorsing the industrial relations
court
Australian Plan Failure.
THE Australian acts have not Sc
cured Industrial peace. In
Australia the acts, while orisinally de-
signed in some of the states to pre-
vent strikes, have long since largely
lost that purpose. They are in effect
acts for the fixation of wages and the
regulation of industry Soon after the
passa ge of these laws the workers VINO
were not we'll organized found they
could secure an adjudication of their
! claims for better wages by alleging
the existence of a dispute. The ex
pectation that compulsory arbitration
| involved an occa sional Intervention of
| the state to avoid strike has proved
to be completely illusory.
Bargaining between the parties has
ceased. The terms of the wage con-
tract are fixed by boards. The Rmore
widely extended such system becomes
the more boards are driven TO rely
upon general principles in making
| their decisions and the less upon COM
parison with wages and working con-
ditions in other trades. Such
a plan would be much more difficult
to operate in the United states with
| its highly complicated industrial strue-
nomic world of Australia.
1T should be noted that in Australia
| the government enforces awards only
under arbitration. and the industrial
courts exist for the protection OF labor
and capital in connection with such
awards, while in Kansas the industrial
| relations court. exists primarily for the
protection of the public"
voluntary Mediation. Cancellation, Arbitrn-
tion.
Provision by law for voluntary
fia shetdf Fact that resort to arbitra
ton Is more likely II the facilities are at
hand. Permanent boards are given power
| lion of papers. etc. The awards may be
made legally binding on the parties, but
| this is also. possible under arbitration
agreement. Legislation usually provides
NewiqndF Act Of iSia applicable 70 train
men in Interstate commerce, provided for
/ the second National Industrial Conference
makes, similar provision for It's regional
Arbitration. a permanent body, has been
successful only as complimentary to a sys-
| TEN Of mediation.
All the types Of non conn ulsory .legisla-
| tive remedies fer strikes and loclSHuts are
| found in American states. Seventeen states
| have permanent boards of conciliation and
arbitration; others have industrial commits
sions performing the same duties
Some twenty, American states have made
| pulsory Investigation and publication Of
! findings, but they have rarely been utilized.
This failure Is due in part 70 the neglect
70 provide adequate machinery, but more
largely to the extension of this principle
TO too many industries not much affected
with the public interest or having much
! relation to public comfort. The general
| principles underlying such legislation are !;
where there is an effective p9biie interest
/ as In public utilities; OBJ To make inter-
vention In such cases mandatory; (c) To
findings of board OF inquiry have been
made public.
Economic Pressure.
| Existing organizations among -employeYs
and employees have developed a good deal
Of machinery for the settlement OF dis
| putes. 1t is the opinion of very ,arEe
| NUM- Der Of employers that this mnohihery
can be strengthened and made more effec
! tive without government interference. The
position that such employers take Is that
thru various forms Of shop organization
better cooperative relations can be estnb-
lishcd between employer and employe; pro-
vision can be made, for the prnmrt and
! lust settlement Of disputes that rise in
fixing of wages, hours of work, and other
working conditions; causes OF misunder-
| standings can be removed by frank per
J sOnal conferences between mana cement
and men IN the plant
| This position rests in part also on be-
| lief that there Is n growing recognition
| ON the part OF employers that good work
Ing conditions pay, and that good will in
! on economic Importance and Successful
| business. Hence outside pressure or gov
ernmental Interference is not necessary to
supplement or regulate the natural eco
nomic pressure from within.
In like manner the representatives OF a
very large majority, If not practically all
| chinery exists In the organization Of the
| trade union without the necessity for fnr-
the public agencies for voluntary media
| ton, cancellation and arbitration, for the
! satisfactory development of means of set
| Ting industrial disputes and preventing
their recurrence, as far as that is humanity
possible. The representatives of the
American Federation Of Labor. said in re-
machinery offered by the trade union
movement is accepted and applied with
intelligence, good will and earnestness, Sv-
cry desirable object is achieved and every
pilcation Of this principle must be worked
/ out within the industry itself" The indus
try, and not the individual Industrial es-
/ tablishment, is here regarded as the unit
! of operations.
Our inquiries show that many keen OBJ
| servers of the operations of the existing
machinery relied upon by employers or
trade unionists to bring about the prompt
settlement of industrial disputes, or their
| prevention, have not resulted in making the
public interest supreme, or in having the
| punt AHAtfeSt seriously cOnsiuereu q
factor, or in preventing the public eonstir
tuting from % to 90 per cent of persons
not in any way parties to the dispute suf-
fering severe losses and bearing almost the
whole brunt Of the economic pressure
which the parties to a dispute bring to
The results Of the answers 10 our anes-
| tionnaires indicate a widespread belief
among employers and the general public.
| with some measure of acquieseenee from a
few. REPRESENTATIVES of labor that good
viii inside the plant is a more valuable