CHAPTER 5.—THE BRITISH TRADE BOARDS

Beginnings, Development, and Machinery

"tYHE Australian methods became known in England in the
I first years of the nineteenth century. The evils to be remedied
were the same, as sweating, particularly in the hcme-work
rades, prevailed even more in London and the great industrial centers
 of England than in Australia. The British were much inclined
lo apply the method for abolishing sweating which in Ausiralia had
stood the test of practical life, and therefore a trade boards act was
dromulgated on October 20, 1909, establishing wages boards for industries
 where home work predominated—tailoring, paper-bhox mak-Ing,
 lace work, and chain making.* The Minister of Labor was
given the right to extend the law, and by 1918 the results in the abovenamed
 industries appeared so successful that he extended the law to
tour other industries—cutlery, pottery, candy, and metal boxes—
Mploying a total of 419,000 persons, among them 310,000 women.
n August 8, 1918, the sphere of minimum wage legislation was
further extended. The first law authorized the constitution of wages
Doards for only those industries with very low wages. The new law?
(art. 1) extended them to all industries where (in the opinicn of the
Minister of Labor) there is no adequate machinery for the effective
regulation of wages and the rate of wages makes it expedient to
apply the act. Boards have the right to fix minimum wages for
ordinary shopwork and for overtime, and so they can also fix the number
 of hours after which the right to overtime begins. These boards
have the right to appoint district commissions and to secure informaion
 on local conditions.> Each board is composed of deiegates of
employers and of employees and persons appointed by the Government,
 The Government appointees decide in case of nonagreement
of the other representatives, thus guaranteeing that wages will be
fixed. Home workers have the right to special representation.
The boards fix, first, minimum wages for timework, and afterwards
minimum rates for plecework but are under no obligation to do so.
If no piecework rates are fixed, the employers must prove that their
Plecework rates allow workers of average force and ability to earn
the time rates fixed by the committee.
Trades where conditions have become satisfactory can be excluded
by the Minister of Labor from further application of the acts.
If a worker believes he has been wronged, he may present a complaint
 to the board, which may go to the court, or he may go directly
to the court himself. The inspectors of factories also supervise the
application of the law. Sometimes they have to prevent pressure
on workers to act in collusion with their emplovers. Miss Dorothy

2 See for first proposals, The International Records of Progress, London, December,
1907, p. 5: « Sweating and minimum wage,” by Sir Charles Dilke.
‘Pub, Gen. Acts 9 Bdw, VII, p. 91.
Pub. Gen. Acts 8 and 9 Geo. V. p. 101. .
® Willis, W. Addington : Trade Boards—A practical guide to the operation of the trade
boards act. London. 1920. bp. 14. 31. 51.

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