York, secretary of the National Civic Federation, and the Hon. Charles J. Bonaparte of Baltimore.

Owing to the suddenness with which the strike was ended, and to the large number of new men that had been installed in strikers' places, it was difficult at first to find vacancies under the large employers. The sequel was long drawn out. Various difficulties were experienced on all sides, which required infinite tact and delicacy to compose.

On April 5 a parade of unemployed was organized. It was expected to be a large demonstration, but only 120 men appeared in line to represent those who had been disappointed in securing their former places. From careful estimates in the possession of the Board it appears that of the whole number about 350 failed to secure re-employment, a large number indeed, but relatively small, being less than 1 per cent. of those who went on strike. If from this number-350-could be subtracted the number of men who changed their occupation or through pride refused to apply for their former positions, the percentage would be materially diminished. The workmen estimated a smaller ratio. On April 16 the strike committee published a statement declaring that there were fewer than 300 men not yet reinstated.

On the 17th of April the last lingering phase of the sympathetic strike disappeared from the Board's notice.

In closing the report of this important case, the Board desires to express its appreciation of the untiring and unselfish assistance given by officials and public-spirited citizens who co-operated with it to promote the general welfare.

MASSACHUSETTS

COTTON MILLS, MERRIMACK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, BOOTT COTTON MILLS, HAMILTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, TREMONT AND SUFFOLK MILLS, LAWRENCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, APPLETON COMPANY-LOWELL.

On March 26, Francis W. Qua, city solicitor of Lowell, and William E. Badger, acting mayor, gave notice of a threat of textile workers, employed in the mills at Lowell, to strike for higher wages, and requested the Board to interpose with a view to averting the difficulty. The loss that a general strike involving 20,000 textile workers would inflict on poor families would be incalculable, and no effort should be spared that gave but the slightest promise of success. The late mayor, Hon. Charles A. R. Dimon, communicated to the Board likewise, and earnestly bespoke its immediate attention to the difficulty.

The Board went to Lowell and met Messrs. Badger and Qua, and had an interview with William Rafferty, president, and Joseph Ashton, treasurer, of the Textile Council, a delegate body representing all the unions, for the purpose of learning the grievances, preparatory to acting as mediator. Learning that a meeting of the Textile Council was to be held that evening, the Board recommended use of every peaceable measure before resorting to a strike, and requested that a committee be appointed to confer on the question of a settlement with the mill agents. This advice was favorably received. The Board called upon the agent of the Massachusetts Mills, Mr. Southworth, who said in reply to inquiries that he believed the agents of the seven cotton mills involved would respond to an invitation to a conference in the presence of the Board, and would then present

a full statement of the reasons for refusing the employees' demand for the 10 per cent. increase in wages.

On the 27th of March the Board sent the following letter:

To the Textile Manufacturers and their Employees of Lowell, Mass.

GENTLEMEN: - This board purposes to resume its inquiry into the difficulty in your industry, with a view to assisting at a settlement, if possible. To this end you are hereby invited to meet one another by committee in the presence of the Board at 2 o'clock in the afternoon of next Saturday, March 29, at the City Hall in Lowell, for the purpose of a conference on the question of how best to bring about an adjustment.

Respectfully,

BERNARD F. SUPPLE, Secretary.

On the 28th the acting mayor of the city of Lowell called a meeting of citizens, at which all the unions involved and the management of the seven mills in question appeared. At a late hour of the night the Hon. Charles S. Lilley, who presided at the meeting, notified the Board that a mode of settlement had been agreed upon, and that during the deliberations of a committee appointed for the purpose of devising a settlement the unions were to return to work, which rendered a further conference of parties unnecessary, and the Board's contemplated visit was postponed indefinitely.

On June 5 the committee made the following report, which recites the manner in which the strike was averted:

Hon. WILLIAM E. BADGER, Acting Mayor of the City of Lowell.

DEAR SIR: — On the twenty-sixth day of March last, at a meeting of the Lowell Textile Council, attended by delegates from nine labor unions, which comprised a considerable number of the employees in the mills of this city, a strike by all the members of such unions was ordered by vote of the meeting for the following Monday, March 31, unless in the mean time an advance of 10 per

cent. in their wages should be granted by the officials of the mills in which they were employed.

The officers of the mills having declined to increase wages, it was the general expectation on March 27 that the vote referred to would be carried into effect. A strike would have been disastrous to the entire community. Every local interest would have suffered severely; seven of the largest mills in the city would have been closed for an indefinite period of time; nearly 17,000 operatives would have been without employment; $125,000 paid in wages weekly and not less than $15,000 per week paid by the seven mills referred to for supplies purchased from local dealers would have been withdrawn from the channels of trade. Such a situation was to be deplored by all men having the best interests of the community at heart.

In this crisis, at your invitation we assembled at City Hall on Friday, March 28, to consider what if anything might be done to avert the impending strike. None of us courted the task; in fact, all of us entered upon it reluctantly, and much distrusting our ability to effect the object in view. None of us had any interest to promote other than that which was common to all of our citizens. Pressing engagements were waived, and personal business of importance was neglected, in obedience to what seemed to us to be an imperative summons to civic duty.

After organizing as a committee, we invited Messrs. William Rafferty, Joseph Ashton, Robert Conroy, Patrick Sheridan, D. J. Morrow, Michael Dugan and J. P. McDonald, gentlemen constituting a committee appointed at the meeting of the Textile Council above mentioned, to meet us at City Hall. They kindly responded to our invitation at once.

We said to them in substance that we did not intend to meddle with their affairs, or to thrust our advice upon them, or to officiously interpose between them and the officials of the mills; that our attitude was simply that of men who were interested in the general public welfare; that we should much regret to see a strike; and that our services were at their command, if it occurred to them that we could be useful to them in any way in the pending controversy.

Later in the day we used substantially the same language in stating our position to such of the agents and superintendents of

the mills affected by the vote referred to as could be reached, they courteously meeting us at City Hall, in response to our invitation. In our interview with these gentlemen we asked if the desired advance in wages could not be made, urging upon them such considerations as occurred to us in favor of a substantial increase. They informed us that, while it would be personally gratifying to them to see wages advanced, yet the state of the business of the mills was such that any increase whatever would then be impossible; but that when, and as soon as, the conditions of trade were such as to admit of higher wages, they would gladly favor an increase.

We at once reported the result of this interview to the committee of the Textile Council, regretting as much as they that our report was not more satisfactory. We could only say to them that the issue rested with them; that we hoped that, in deciding upon their course of action, they would carefully consider the effect of a strike not only upon the operatives, but upon the entire community, the probability or improbability of its success, and the possible consequences of defeat in case of failure; and we asked of them due consideration of the many suggestions which they had permitted us to make.

This is but the briefest summary of conferences and interviews which occupied us continuously from noon of Friday, March 28, until 4 o'clock the following Saturday morning, at which time the committee of the Textile Council informed us that they had decided to take the responsibility of declaring the strike off.

In making this announcement, they asked us if we would make a further effort to secure an increase in wages, and use our influence to that end. We immediately replied that we would do so, at the same time stating explicitly that we did not know that we could influence the officials of the mills in the slightest degree; and repeating what had been said by us before in the course of the preceding day and night, — that it would be idle for us to give any assurances; that they should not proceed upon the assumption, from anything we had said, that wages would be increased; that we personally were powerless in the matter, and could only use in their behalf such influence, if any, as we possessed.

In our interview with the agents and superintendents above mentioned they informed us that the mills affected by the vote