The Journal of the Society of Comparative Legislation for October
(1 Elm Court, Temple 68.) has an important article by Mr. Jethro Brown on "Industrial Courts in Australia." Mr. Brown, who is the President of the Arbitration Court in South Australia, admits that the Industrial Courts have not prevented strikes, and contends that they should not be regarded as a panacea for industrial unrest. He thinks that better results might be attained if the Commonwealth and State Courts aimed at greater uniformity in their decisions, if the judges were more carefully selected, if the settlement of disputes were more often based on principles and not on a mere desire to attain peace at any price, and if the judges would consider the effect of higher wages on production, which, as we see in the coal industry, has tended to diminish while wages rose. Mr. Brown, however, is a firm believer in the efficacy of Industrial Courts, provided that they arc regarded as one means among many of maintaining good relations between employers and employed.
Previous page
