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There are many men, however, who can obtain employment in the regular channels of industry but who, even when fully paid for the work they perform, cannot earn the standard wage. In order to assure that such men are not overpaid on the one hand, nor exploited on the other, there have been set up in several countries, advisory wages boards, which assess the earning capacity in individual cases. These boards are usually composed of an equal number of representatives of labor and capital with one disinterested party to act as chairman and are appointed by authority.

This question is regarded as of the greatest importance, of course, in the countries with minimum wage laws, and the unions have been solicitous to safeguard any invasion of the minimum wage protection which they won at so great pains. In New Zealand reduced rate permits are issued by the Returned Soldiers' Information Department, allowing a man to accept employment at less than the standard wage. In Australia the unions have stipulated that no more than one disabled man at a reduced wage to every six full-paid journeymen shall be employed in any given establishment.

The trade unionists have quite properly watched the rehabilitation activities to see that disabled soldiers were not used to break down wage standards or, half-trained in some of the skilled trades, utilized as strike-breakers. Both apprehensions had some foundation in fact in the inexperienced and blundering days when the work first began. In one city, for example, a large class of motion picture operators was trained in a short course which did not adequately prepare them for the occupation they were to follow. When the members of this class sought employment, they offered to work for less wages than the regular operatives, and succeeded in displacing some of the latter from their jobs. This caused a strike, and all the class found work in the moving picture theatres. But their incumbency was short-lived, for short-circuits, fires, and other accidents, natural to inexperience, decided the strike and returned the old operators to the jobs. The incident showed up some possibilities which boded ill to the labor men.

Fortunately the rehabilitation workers have seen the danger of slipshod training and exploitation in employment and have done everything possible to guard against them. In most instances the definite assistance and co-operation of organized labor have been secured, and labor has been given representation in the training and employment activities.

Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, has made the following statement on the attitude of the trade unionists:

Organized labor is wholeheartedly with the purpose of helping disabled soldiers and sailors to carry on as self-reliant, productive members of society. To men who have risked their lives for this Republic, we owe it s (sic) a duty to protect against dependency and the deteriorating consequences of lack of vocational training.

Labor is concerned as to the rehabilitation of disabled soldiers and sailors not only for humanitarian social reasons but because of the detrimental economic consequences that would result from failure to return these men as resourceful, able members of society, restored in purpose and in skill.

Labor desires to help in providing proper facilities under civilian control for the training of these men as well as to cooperate in returning them to industry, agriculture, and commerce where they can perform real service under such conditions as will safeguard their best interests as well as those of fellow workers.

Labor fully appreciates the value of the principles of freedom involved in this war and desires to do everything within its power to assure justice to those who render service to the cause.

One of the leading labor authorities in Great Britain, G. J. Wardle, a member of Parliament, states that the Labor Party strongly favors the opening up of every possible avenue of instruction, not only to disabled men who had no particular trade before they joined the colors, but also to those already trained whose wage- earning capacity can be increased by further instruction. "Subject to there being no diminution in the standard of living, or possibility of the disabled man being used to defeat the legitimate objects which the trade unions have in view" there is not only sympathy with the cause, but a very definite desire to "assist the disabled man in every possible way to secure employment on remunerative work."

The unions acknowledge a very definite responsibility to their own members who return disabled from the front, and have promised to do everything in their power to replace them in the industry or arrange for their re-education. The typographical union in Toronto has paid for the training of some of its own disabled members, formerly hand compositors, as typesetting machine operators. In France some syndicats or unions have organized schools of re-education.