LABOR AND CAPITAL

By Harwood Laurence Ohilds '19. Ohio State University Press, 1930. Pp. 260.

The purpose of this book is to present the results of a detailed study of the American Federation of Labor and the Chamber of Commerce of the United States as two of the most important economic group organiza- tions whose activities have political and gov- ernmental significance. In conformity with his purpose Professor Childs gives an his- torical sketch of each organization showing how their principal characteristics were de- veloped and the nature of the constitutional structure of the organizations in their present stage of evolution. The author then turns his attention to the question of the representa- tive character of the unofficial agencies, the geographic distribution of their membership, and the extent to which the organizations nationally and sectionally comprise their full potential memberships. These matters are preliminary to a consideration and evaluation of the procedure used by the two organiza- tions in the formulation and execution of poli- cies. Prof. Childs therefore sets up four prob- lems: (1) what are these organizations and how did they grow; (2) to what extent are they representative; (3) how do they create their platforms; and (4) how, and how well, do they carry out their platforms.

To complete his purpose the author adds two further studies to his previous work, namely, first, how effective are the organiza- tions in influencing public policy, elections, legislation and governmental administration; and second, what are the social and political implications of group activities of the char- acters represented by these two organizations.

It is evident that the subject matter and conclusions of this book are of interest to three groups of social scientists, that is, to political scientists, to economists and to sociologists. Those of the Dartmouth faculty who were in Hanover shortly after the World War will remember that Prof. Childs served on the staffs both of the Department of Political Science and the Department of Economics. To us it is not surprising that the subject matter of his book falls within the domain of economics while the emphasis and interpretation belong to political science, because we know that Prof. Childs early developed this duality. If the weakness of social science is its segregated, insulated segmentation it is a matter of congratulation that an author like Prof. Childs can raze the barriers between the specialists. The reviewer is classed as an economist and is more or less familiar with the facts contained in Prof. Childs' book, but the reviewer was given a new vista by Prof. Childs' interpretation of those facts in the field of political science. Presumably a political scientist likewise might take a new interest in economics by realizing the implications of economics in political science. This feature, that of explaining one social science in terms of another, found in Prof. Childs' book alone would make it a worth while effort. But in addition the book is written in clear, concise English and contains much data hitherto not easily available.

The flaws in the book are to be attributed to the publisher rather than the author. For technical reasons doubtless, the front title of the book is Labor and Capital whereas the author's full title for the work was Labor andCapital in National Politics. While neither title adequately describes the book, the publisher's brief three-word title is so ambiguous as to alienate the interest of those who would benefit most by the book if they were really informed as to its nature. Furthermore, the book is printed in type scarcely as large as that generally used for newspapers. The eight charts with which the book is illustrated are almost worthless because they have been so reduced in size that they cannot be read without a magnifying glass. In this day of reading as you run we simply cannot spare the time to solve puzzles caused by obscure printing. The reviewer fears that Prof. Childs' work will fail to attract the attention its intrinsic worth warrants because his publisher economized on costs of publication.