within thirty days after the date of filing such application. 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 thereof; but public notice need not be given when both parties to the controversy join in the application and request in writing that no public notice be given. When notice has been given as aforesaid the board may in its discretion appoint two expert assistants to the board, one to be nominated by each of the parties to the controversy; provided, that nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent the board from appointing such other additional expert assistants as they may deem necessary. Such expert assistants shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of their duty, such oath to be administered by any member of the board. Should the petitioner, or petitioners, fail to perform the promise and agreement made in said application, the board shall proceed no further thereupon without the written consent of the adverse party. The board shall have power to subpoena as witnesses any operative in the departments of business affected by the matter in controversy, and any person who keeps the records of wages earned in such departments and to examine them under oath, and to require the production of books containing the record of wages paid. Subpoenas may be signed and oaths administered by ary member of the board.

SECTION 5. The decision of the board herein provided for shall be open to public inspection, shall be published in a biennial report to be made to the governor of the state with such recommendations as the board may deem proper, and shall be printed and distributed according to the provisions governing the printing and distributing of other state reports.

SECTION 6. Said decision shall be binding upon the parties who join in said application for six months, or until either party has given the other notice in writing of his intention not to be bound by such decision from and after the expiration of sixty days from the date of said notice. Said notice may be given by serving the same upon the employer or his representative, and by serving the same upon the employes by posting the same in three conspicuous places in the shop, factory, yard or upon the premises where they work.

SECTION 7. The parties to any controversy or difference as described in section 3 of this act may submit the matters in

dispute in writing to a local board of arbitration and conciliation; said board may either be mutually agreed upon or the employer may designate one of such arbitrators, the employes or their duly authorized agent another, and the two arbitrators so designated may choose a third, who shall be chairman of such local board; such board shall in respect to the matters referred to it have and exercise all the powers which the state board might have and exercise, and its decision shall have such binding effect as may be agreed upon by the parties to the controversy in the written submission. The jurisdiction of such local board shall be exclusive in respect to the matters submitted to it, but it may ask and receive the advice and assistance of the state board. Such local board shall render its decision in writing within ten days after the close of any hearing held by it, and shall file a copy thereof with the secretary of the state board. Each of such local arbitrators shall be entitled to receive from the treasurer of the city, village or town in which the controversy or difference that is the subject of arbitration exists, if such payment is approved in writing by the mayor of such city, the board of trustees of such village, or the town board of such town, the sum of three dollars for each day of actual service not exceeding ten days for any one arbitration.

SECTION 8. Whenever it is made to appear to the mayor of a city, the village board of a village, or the town board of a town, that a strike or lockout such as is described in section 9, of this act, is seriously threatened or actually occurs, the mayor of such city, or the village board of such village, or the town board of such town, shall at once notify the state board of such facts, together with such information as may be available.

SECTION 9. Whenever it shall come to the knowledge of the state board by notice as herein provided, or otherwise, that a strike or lockout is seriously threatened, or has actually occurred, which threatens to or does involve the business interests of any city, village or town of this state, it shall be the duty of the state board to investigate the same as soon as may be and endeavor by mediation to effect an amicable settlement between employer and employes, 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 a local board of arbitration and conciliation as herein provided for, or to the state board. Said state board may if it deems advisable

investigate the cause or causes of such controversy, ascertain which party thereto is mainly responsible or blameworthy for the existence or continuance of the same, and may make and publish a report finding such cause or causes and assigning such responsibility or blame.

SECTION 10. Witnesses subpoenaed by the state board shall be allowed for their attendance and travel the same fees as are allowed to witnesses in the circuit courts of this state. Each witness shall certify in writing the amount of his travel and attendance, and the amount due him upon approval by the board shall be paid out of the state treasury.

SECTION 11. The members of the state board shall receive the actual and necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties under this act, and the further sum of five dollars a day each for the number of days actually and necessarily spent by them, the same to be paid out of the state treasury.

SECTION 12. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and publication. [Approved April 19, 1895. Published May 3, 1895.

MINNESOTA.

An Act to provide for the settlement of differences between employers and employes, and to authorize the creation of boards of arbitration and conciliation, and to appropriate money for the maintenance thereof.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota :

SECTION 1. That within thirty days after the passage of this act the Governor shall, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint a State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation, consisting of three competent persons, who shall hold office until their successors are appointed. On the first Monday in January, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, and thereafter, biennially, the Governor, by and with like advice and consent, shall appoint said board, which shall be constituted as follows: One of them shall be an employer of labor, one of them shall be a member selected from some bona fide trade union and not an employer of labor, and who may be chosen from a list submitted by one or more trade and labor assemblies in the State, and the

third shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the other two as hereinafter provided, and shall be neither an employe or an employer of skilled labor; provided, however, that if the two first appointed do not agree in nominating one or more persons to act as the third member before the expiration of ten days, the appointment shall then be made by the Governor without such recommendation. Should a vacancy occur at any time, the Governor shall in the same manner appoint some one having the same qualifications to serve out the unexpired term, and he may also remove any member of said board.

§ 2. The said board shall, as soon as possible after their appointment, organize by electing one of their members as president and another as secretary, and establish, subject to the approval of the Governor, such rules of procedure as may seem advisable.

§ 3. That whenever any controversy or difference arises relating to the conditions of employment or rates of wages between any employer, whether an individual, a copartnership or corporation, and whether resident or non-resident, and his or their employes, if at the time he or it employs not less than ten persons in the same general line of business in any city or town in this State, the board shall, upon application, as hereinafter provided, as soon as practicable thereafter, visit the locality of the dispute and make a careful inquiry into the causes thereof, hear all persons interested therein who may come before them, advise the repective parties what, if anything, ought to be submitted to by either or both to adjust said dispute, and within ten days. after said inquiry make a written decision thereon. This decision shall at once be made public and a short statement thereof published in a biennial report hereinafter provided for, and the said board shall also cause a copy of said decision to be filed with the clerk of the district court of the county where said business is carried on.

§ 4. That 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 grievance alleged, and shall be verified by at least one of the signers. When an application is signed by an agent claiming to represent a majority of such employes, the board shall, before proceeding further, satisfy itself that such

agent is duly authorized in writing to represent such employes, but the names of the employes giving such authority shall be kept secret by said board. Within three days after the receipt of said application the secretary of said board shall cause public notice to be given of the time and place where said hearing shall be held. But public notice need not be given when both parties to the controversy 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.

§ 5. The said board shall have power to summon as witnesses any clerk, agent or employe in the departments of the business who keeps the records of wages earned in those departments, and require the production of books containing the records of wages paid. Summons may be signed and oaths administered by any member of the board. Witnesses summoned before the board shall be paid by the board the same witness fees as witnesses before a district court.

§ 6. That upon the receipt of an application, after notice has been given as aforesaid, the board shall proceed as before provided, and render a written decision which shall be open to public inspection, and shall be recorded upon the records of the board and published at the discretion of the same in a biennial report which shall be made to the Legislature on or before the first Monday in January of each year in which the Legislature is in regular session.

In all cases where the application is mutual, the decision shall provide that the same shall be binding upon the parties concerned in said controversy or dispute for six months, or until sixty days after either party has given the other notice in writing of his or their intention not to be bound by the same. Such notice may be given to said employes by posting the same in three conspicuous places in the shop, factory or place of employment.

§ 8. Whenever it shall come to the knowledge of said board, either by notice from the mayor of a city, the county commissioners, the president of a chamber of commerce or other representative body, the president of the central labor council or assembly, or any five reputable citizens, or otherwise, that what