LOUISIANA.

An Act to provide for a State Board of Arbitration for the settlement of differences between employers and employes.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Louisiana, that within thirty days after the passage of this act, the Governor of the State, with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint five competent persons to serve as a Board of Arbitration and Conciliation in the manner hereinafter provided. Two of them shall be employers, selected or recommended by some association or board representing employers of labor; two of them shall be employes, selected or recommended by the various labor organizations, and not an employer of labor, and the fifth shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the other four; provided, however, that if the four appointed do not agree on a fifth man at the expiration of thirty days, he shall be appointed by the Governor; provided, also, that if the employers or employes fail to make their recommendation as herein provided within thirty days, then the Governor shall make said appointments in accordance with the spirit and intent of this act. Said appointments, if made when the Senate is not in session, may be confirmed at the next ensuing session.

§ 2. Two shall be appointed for two years, two for three years, and one, the fifth member, for four years, and all appointments thereafter shall be for four years, or until their successors are appointed in the manner above provided. If, for any reason, a vacancy occurs at any time, the Governor shall in the same manner appoint some person to serve out the unexpired term.

§ 3. Each member of said board shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, be sworn to the faithful discharge thereof. They shall organize at once by the choice of one of their number as chairman and one of their number as secretary. The board shall, as soon as possible after its organization, establish rules of procedure.

§ 4. Whenever any controversy or difference not involving questions which may be the subject of a suit or action in any court of the State, exists between an employer, whether an individual, copartnership or corporation, and his employes, if at the time he employs not less than twenty persons in the same gen

eral line of business in any city or parish of this State, the board shall, upon application as hereinafter provided, and as soon as practicable thereafter, visit the locality of the dispute and make careful inquiry into the cause thereof, hear all persons interested therein who may come before them, and advise the respective parties what, if anything, ought to be done or submitted to by either or both to adjust said dispute.

$ 5. Such mediation having failed to bring about an adjustment of the said differences, the board shall immediately make out a written report. This decision shall at once be made public, shall be recorded upon proper books of record, to be kept by the secretary of said board, and a short statement thereof published in the annual report hereinafter provided for, and the said board shall cause a copy thereof to be filed with the clerk of the court of the city or parish where said business is carried on.

§ 6. Said application for arbitration and conciliation to said board can be made by either or both parties to the controversy, and shall be signed in the respective instances by said employer or by a majority of the employes in the department of the business in which the controversy or difference exists, or the duly authorized agent of either or both parties. When an application is signed by an agent claiming to represent a majority of such employes, the board shall satisfy itself that such agent is duly authorized in writing to represent such employes, but the names of the employes giving authority shall be kept secret by said board.

§ 7. Said application shall contain a concise statement of the grievances complained of, and a promise to continue on in business or at work in the same manner as at the time of the application without any lockout or strike until the decision of said board, if it shall be made within ten days of the date of filing said application.

§ 8. As soon as may be after the receipt of said application, the secretary of said board shall cause public notice to be given of the time and place for the hearing therein, but public notice need not be given when both parties join in the application and present therewith a written request that no public notice be given. When such request is made, notice shall be given to the parties interested in such manner as the board may order, and the board may, at any stage of the proceedings, cause public notice to be given, notwithstanding such request. Should the

petitioner or petitioners fail to perform the promise made in said application, the board shall proceed no further therein until said petitioner or petitioners have complied with every order and requirement of the board.

§ 9. The board shall have power to summon as witnesses any operative in the department of the business affected, and any person who keeps the records of wages earned in those departments, and examine them under oath, and to require the production of books and papers containing the record of wages earned or paid. Summons may be signed and oaths administered by any member of the board. The board shall have the right to compel the attendance of witnesses or the production of papers. § 10. Whenever it is made to appear to the mayor of a city or the judge of any district court in any parish, other than the parish of Orleans, that a strike or lockout is seriously threatened or actually occurs, the mayor of such city or judge of the district court of such parish shall at once notify the State board of the fact. Whenever it shall come to the knowledge of the State board, either by the notice of the mayor of a city or the judge of the district court of the parish, as provided in the preceding part of this section, or otherwise, that a lockout or strike is seriously threatened, or has actually occurred, in any city or parish of this State, involving an employer and his present or past employes, if at the time he is employing, or up to the occurrence of a strike or lockout was employing not less than twenty persons in the same general line of business in any city or parish in the State, it shall be the duty of the State board to put itself in communication as soon as may be with such employer and employes.

§ 11. It shall be the duty of the State board in the abovedescribed cases to endeavor, by mediation or conciliation, to effect an amicable settlement between them, and to endeavor to persuade them, provided a strike or lockout has not actually occurred or is not then continuing, to submit the matters in dispute to the State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation; and the State board shall, whether the same be mutually submitted to them or not, investigate the cause or causes of such controversy, and ascertain which party thereto is mainly responsible or blameworthy for the existence or continuance of the same, and shall make and publish a report finding such cause or causes

and assigning such responsibility or blame. The board shall have the same powers for the foregoing purposes as are given it by section nine of this act.

§ 12. The said State board shall make a biennial report to the Governor and Legislature, and shall include therein such statements, facts and explanations as will disclose the actual workings of the board, and such suggestions as to legislation as may seem to the members of the board conducive to harmonizing the relations of and disputes between employers and employes.

§ 13. The members of said State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation, hereby created, shall each be paid five dollars a day for each day of actual service, and their necessary traveling and other expenses. The chairman of the board shall quarterly certify the amount due each member, and, on presentation of his certificate, the Auditor of the State shall draw his warrant on the treasury of the State for the amount.

§ 14. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. [Approved July 12, 1894.

WISCONSIN.

[CHAPTER 361.]

An Act to provide for a state board of arbitration and conciliation for the settlement of differences between employers and their employes.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. The governor of the state shall within sixty days after the passage and publication of this act appoint three competent persons in the manner hereinafter provided, to serve as a state board of arbitration and conciliation. One of such board shall be an employer, or selected from some association representing employers of labor; one shall be selected from some labor organization and not an employer of labor; and the third shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the other two; provided, however, that if the two appointed by the governor as herein provided do not agree upon the third member of such board at the expiration of thirty days, the governor shall appoint such third member. The members of said board

shall hold office for the term of two years and until their successors are appointed. If a vacancy occurs at any time the governor shall appoint a member of such board to serve out the unexpired term, and he may remove any member of said board. Each member of such board shall before entering upon the duties of his office be sworn to support the constitution of the United States, the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, and to faithfully discharge the duties of his office. Said board shall at once organize by the choice of one of their number as chairman and another as secretary.

SECTION 2. Said board shall as soon as possible after its organization establish such rules of procedure as shall be approved by the governor and attorney-general.

SECTION 3. Whenever any controversy or difference not the subject of litigation in the courts of this state exists between an employer, whether an individual, co-partnership or corporation, and his employes, if at the time he employs not less than twenty-five persons in the same general line of business in any city, village or town in this state, said board shall upon application as hereinafter provided, and as soon as practicable thereafter, visit the locality of the dispute and make careful inquiry into the cause thereof, hear all persons interested therein who may come before them, advise the respective parties what, (if anything,) should be done or submitted to by either or both to adjust said dispute, and make a written decision thereof. This decision shall at once he made public, shall be published in two or more newspapers published in the locality of such dispute, shall be recorded upon proper books of record to be kept by the secretary of said board, and a succinct statement thereof published in the annual report hereinafter provided for, and said board shall cause a copy of such decision to be filed with the clerk of the city, village or town where said business is carried on.

SECTION 4. Said application shall be signed by said employer, or by a majority of his employes in the department of the business in which the controversy or difference exists, or their duly authorized agent, or by both parties, and shall contain a concise statement of the grievances complained of and a promise and agreement to continue in business or at work without any lockout or strike until the decision of said board; provided, however, that said board shall render its decision