SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF WAGES 149

power to labour which their expenditure supports, the sense
that wages are assigned with justice, and a degree of
contentment with the industrial situation, aid in ensuring
a willingness to use that power to the best effect. Efficiency
is not wholly a question of the material return secured for
labour done, but largely also a question of the mental and
moral attitude of the workman towards his work.
One further method of assigning to labour a share in any
advantage which economic conditions assure to the industry
in which it is engaged may be briefly noticed, namely, the
adjustment of wage rates by what is known as a slidingscale.
 This method is employed in some cases, such as
coal and iron mining, where the general condition of
prosperity of the industry is fairly accurately reflected in the
market value of its product. Though this value is far from
being a complete and accurate measure of employers’ profits,
it is practically accepted as the measure of the claim of
labour to a share in the good times which bring profits to
smployers. The usual arrangement is to select an agreed
price of the product or material with reference to the value
of which wages are to be determined, and to fix the rates
of wages which are to prevail when the price differs from
this selected standard by less than an agreed variation.
Then all wage rates are advanced or reduced by percentages
corresponding to the difference between the standard price
of the product and its actual price for the period in reference
to which readjustments of wage rates are effected. A recent
example is the wage-scale laid down by the Arbitration
Commission for the anthracite coal miners in the United
States. Standard wages, namely those in vogue at a given
date, are to be paid when coal sells at $4°50 per ton, and are
to be increased by one per cent. for each addition to that
Price of five cents. For the purposes of applying such
scales, the selling price requires to be determined, and this
Is commonly done by a submission of books, in confidence,
to accountants appointed for the purpose. The agreement
As to a scale may provide for its application only within an
assigned range of prices and of wage variation,
The use of a sliding-scale assigns to labour a share in