[12 MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES

tween the parties of a particular industry was the dominant motive.®
A law for conciliation in industry generally and for compulsory arbitration
 in State and communal undertakings and public utility services
 was passed on September 4, 1920.5 The arbitration commission
is composed of representatives of the parties to the dispute and a
chairman elected by them, or, if they disagree in their choice,
appointed by the Minister of Labor. (Arts. 18, 19.)
The award of the commission is binding (art. 25), violations entitling
 the injured party to claim damages (art. 82). Incitements
to strikes in public services are punished by imprisonment. (Art. 27.)
The law implies (art. 25) the possibility of fixation of wages by an
impartial authority, directed by considerations of equity and general
welfare. The machinery for conciliation has been used in practice.
In 1924 about 72 per cent of the disputes were settled by negotiations
through branches of the Ministry of Labor and nearly 17 per cent by
optional or compulsory arbitration, while only about 11 per cent were
settled by direct negotiation between the parties.” Twenty-three per
cent of the disputes resulted in strikes or lockouts, while 77 per
cent were settled peaceably. The proportion was the same in 1925.5
But while in New Zealand precedent after precedent has led to a
general fixation of wages, no such development is reported from
Rumania.
Unlike the Italian Government, the Rumanian Government does
not refer to its system of compulsory arbitration as a substitute for
other methods of minimum wage, but favors rather typical minimum
wage legislation for home workers ®

Minimum Wage for Commercial Employees in Norway

In Norway the legislation (enacted in August, 1918,10 providing
for minimum wages for commercial employees started as successfully
as the legislation in favor of home workers. The wages of the young
women particularly were raised to satisfactory standards, embodying
the principle of a living wage. The employers’ associations, however,
 claimed that they were frequently compelled to dismiss employees
 whose services were not important enough to them to justify
the yearly increases of salaries prescribed by the sliding wage ‘scales.
Occurrences of that kind have been confirmed ‘by observations of
the home-work council. Public opinion was irritated by these complaints
 and the associations of male employees also became lukewarm
in their defense of the law. Their members were dissatisfied on
account of the necessity of suing the employers in order to recover
 back wages. Generally, they did not dare to do so while
employed; if dismissed, they brought suit and frequently recovered
high amounts, but employers considered that practice unfair, and

8 Royaume de Roumanie. Lois et reglements. Loi sur la reglementation des conflity
tollectifs des Sravail et son exposé des motifs, par Gr. L. Tranco-Jassy, Ministre du Travail,
Bucarest, 1920.
° International Labor Office. Legislative series, 1920—Roumania 4: Act concerning the
regulation of collective labor disputes, dated Sept. 4, 1920. Geneva.
? International Labor Office. International Labor Review, Geneva, January, 1928, p. 97.
3 ade Ministre du Travail: La legislation sociale en Roumanie. Bucarest,
1926, pn. 30.
* International Labor Conference, eleventh session, Geneva, May, 1926. Report on
Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery. Geneva, International Labor Office, 1928.
© International Labor Office. International Labor Review, Geneva, December, 1925,
p. 809: “ Minimum wage legislation in Norway,” hy Fredrik Voss.