o
have been called in view of the problems raised by international
competition, a wide range of subjects was discussed by the delegates of
the different States, including employment in mines, Sunday work, child
labour, the employment of women and young persons, and administrative
measures. While on many points agreement was found to be possible, and
the general principles which should underlie industrial legislation were
accorded ready acceptance, there was enough of objection, reservation,
and allegation of constitutional difficulty to prevent the conclusion of
anything in the nature of an international treaty. At the time the
conference appeared to have failed of its object. Subsequent events
have, however, shown that this was not the case. The failure to frame an
official agreement probably showed that the ground had not yet been
sufficiently laboured, and that further action in the direction of
inquiry and discussion was necessary before the taking of so novel a
step could be justified to the official mind; but it is certain that the
recognition by the representatives of all the Western States that
international action in labour questions was desirable in itself, and a
goal at which governments should aim, not only laid the foundation for
future State action, but gave to the voluntary work of obtaining the
materials for building on that foundation an impetus and a sanction
which it could have obtained in no other way.

That work was speedily set on foot and continued during the next ten
years. It was greatly aided by the action of the International Labour
Congress held at Zurich in 1897, when the trade unionists who composed
the gathering passed resolutions in favour of the establishment of an
International Labour Office, and by the Congress of Brussels which
assembled at the invitation of Freiherr von Berlepsch, soon afterwards.
At the latter gathering, which included a number of distinguished
members of parliament, men of science, lawyers, and economists from
France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, and Belgium, the view
that for the present progress must be made by the way of private
initiative prevailed, and the creation of three national committees,
having for their object the foundation of an international association
for labour legislation, quickly followed. These committees, which had
their head-quarters in Brussels, Berlin, and Vienna respectively, were
by the good offices of Professors Cauwes and Ja