st upon a fluctuating basis are apt to give rise to
misunderstanding, and to be provocative of unrest. At best, only the
relatively permanent and great differences in the cost of living between
different points could be taken into consideration. Even then a great
deal of arbitrary calculation might be involved.

In view of the variety of considerations that bear upon the problem,
only a tentative conclusion will be ventured. Namely, that when in any
industry the wage scales prior to standardization do reflect the
differences in the cost of living at the different centers in which the
industry is carried on, such differences should be maintained. As has
been remarked, only the relatively large and permanent differences could
be taken into account. When, however, no such differences in wage scales
is found prior to standardization, it will probably be inadvisable to
introduce them, in order to encourage a wider geographical diffusion of
industry.[95]

5.--There is yet another ground for limitation or variation of the
principle of standardization. It is of a somewhat different character
than those already considered. It is that in order to carry out the
underlying idea of standardization--equal remuneration for the same type
of work despite minor differences in conditions under which it is
performed--it is necessary to introduce variations into the hourly or
daily time rates (or equivalent piece-work schedules) paid in various
sections of the industry. Such variations have been designated as
"nominal variations" in the Australian courts.

Distinctions may be drawn between different types of these so-called
"nominal variations" according to the cause by which they are
occasioned. The first type is that which rests on the fact that in
certain trades or industries, it is extremely difficult or impossible to
make the conditions of work even approximately uniform throughout the
trade or industry. Agricultural work and coal mining may be cited as
examples. In such trades or industries it is usually found that the
principle of standardization can only be carried out satisfactorily
under a system of time payment. For under a piece-work system a uniform
scale of rates yields widely different earnings for labor of
approximately the same type and quality. It may be, however, that a
time-work system is ill suited to the trades or industries in question.
In which case, the only alternative is to draw up different piece-work
scales