History of Labour in the United States. By J. R.
Commons and others. 2 vols. (Macmillan. 60s. net.)—This substantial and scholarly book, in which Professor Commons has been assisted by six competent fellow-workers, traces the history of industrial organizations in the United States from the colonial days up to the eve of the late War. Trade unions were much slower in establishing themselves firmly in America than they were in England, and little real progress had been made before the Civil War. Since then the union movement has developed rapidly, though it has not even yet developed on the political side. The authors record events and tendencies temperately and as a rule dispassionately, and explain why American trade unionism has on the whole kept aloof from Socialism and from national politics. Its, conflicts with the courts and with the great trusts and corporations are clearly summarized. The book will be invaluable for reference.
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