is commonly known as a strike or lockout is seriously threatened or has actually occurred, in any city or town of the State, involving an employer and his or its present or past employes, if at the time such employer is employing, or up to the occurrence of the strike or lockout was employing, not less than ten persons in the same general line of business in any city or town in this State, and said board shall be satisfied that such information is correct, it shall be the duty of said board, within three days thereafter, to put themselves in communication with such employer and employes and endeavor by mediation to effect an amicable settlement between them, or to persuade them to submit the matter in dispute to a local board of arbitration and conciliation, as hereinafter provided, or to said State board, and the said State board may investigate the cause or causes of such controversy and ascertain which party thereto is mainly responsible for the continuance of the same, and may make and publish a report assigning such reponsibility. The said board shall have the same powers for the foregoing purposes as are given them by sections three and four of this act.

§ 9. The parties to any controversy or difference, as specified in this act, may submit the matter in dispute in writing to a local board of arbitration and conciliation; such board may either be mutually agreed upon, or the employer may designate one of the arbiters, the employes or their duly authorized agent another, and the two arbiters so designated may choose a third, who shall also be chairman of the board. Each arbiter so selected shall sign a consent to act as such, and shall take and subscribe an oath before an officer authorized to administer oaths to faithfully and impartially discharge his duty as such arbiter, which consent and oath shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the district court of the county where such dispute arises. Such board shall, in respect to the matters submitted to them, have and exercise all the powers which the State board might have and exercise, and their decisions shall have whatever binding effect may be agreed to by the parties to the controversy in the written. submission. Vacancies in such local boards may be filled in the same manner as the regular appointments are made. It shall be the duty of said State board to aid and assist in the formation of such local boards throughout the State in advance of any strike or lockout, whenever and wherever in their judgment the formation of such local boards will have a tendency to prevent or allay the occurrence thereof. The jurisdiction of such local

boards shall be exclusive in respect to the matters submitted to them; but they may ask and receive the advice and assistance of the State board. The decisions of such local boards shall be rendered within ten days after the close of any hearing held before them; such decision shall at once be filed with the clerk of the district court of the county in which such controversy arose, and a copy thereof shall be forwarded to the State board.

§ 10. Each member of said State board shall receive as compensation five dollars a day, including mileage, for each and every day actually employed in the performance of the duties provided for by this act; such compensation shall be paid by the State Treasurer on duly detailed vouchers approved by said board and by the Governor.

§ 11. The said board, in their biennial reports to the Legislature, shall include such statements, facts and explanations as will disclose the actual workings of the board and such suggestions with regard to legislation as may seem to them conducive to harmonizing the relations of and the disputes between employers and employes; and the improvement of the present relations between labor and capital. Such biennial reports of the board shall be printed in the same manner and under the same regulations as the reports of the executive officers of the State.

§ 12. There is hereby annually appropriated out of any money in the State treasury not otherwise appropriated the sum of two thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this act. § 13. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed.

§ 14. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. [Approved April 25, 1895.

CONNECTICUT.

[CHAPTER CCXXXIX.]

An Act creating a State Board of Mediation and Arbitration. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

SECTION 1. During each biennial session of the General Assembly, the Governor shall, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint a State Board of Mediation and Arbitration, to consist of three competent persons, each of whom shall

hold his office for the term of two years. One of said persons shall be selected from the party which at the last general election cast the greatest number of votes for Governor of this State, and one of said persons shall be selected from the party which at the last general election cast the next greatest number of votes for Governor of this State, and the other of said persons shall be selected from a bona fide labor organization of this State. Said board shall select one of its number to act as clerk or secretary, whose duty it shall be to keep a full and faithful record of the proceedings of the board, and also to keep and preserve all documents and testimony submitted to said board; he shall have power under the direction of the Board, to issue subpoenas, and to administer oaths in all cases before said board, and to call for and examine the books, papers and documents of the parties to such cases. Said arbitrators shall take and subscribe to the constitutional oath of office before entering upon the discharge of their duties. § 2.

Whenever any grievance or dispute of any nature shall arise between any employer and his employes, it shall be lawful for the parties to submit the same directly to the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration, in case such parties elect to do so, and shall notify said board, or its clerk, in writing, of such election. Whenever such notification to said board or its clerk is given, it shall be the duty of said board to proceed, with as little delay as possible, to the locality of such grievance or dispute, and inquire into the cause or causes of the grievance or dispute. The parties to the grievance or dispute shall thereupon submit to said board, in writing, succinctly, clearly, and in detail, their grievances and complaints, and the cause or causes thereof, and severally promise and agree to continue in business, or at work, without a strike or lockout, until the decision of said board is rendered; provided, it shall be rendered within ten days after the completion of the investigation. The board shall thereupon proceed fully to investigate and inquire into the matters in controversy, and to take testimony under oath in relation thereto, and shall have power, by its chairman or clerk, to administer oaths, to issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses, and the production of books and papers. $ 3. After a matter has been fully heard, the said board, or a majority of its members, shall, within ten days, render a decision thereon in writing, signed by the members of the board,

or a majority of them, stating such details as will clearly show the nature of the decision and the points disposed of by said board. The decision shall be in triplicate, one copy of which shall be filed by the clerk of the board in the office of the town or city clerk in the town where the controversy arose, and one copy shall be served on each of the parties to the controversy.

§ 4. Whenever a strike or lockout shall occur, or is seriously threatened in any part of the State, and shall come to the knowledge of the board, it shall be its duty, and it is hereby directed to proceed, as soon as practicable, to the locality of such strike or lockout and put itself in communication with the parties to the controversy, and endeavor by mediation to effect an amicable settlement of such strike or lockout; and, if in the judgment of said board it is best, it shall inquire into the cause or causes of the controversy, and to that end the board is hereby authorized to subpoena witnesses, and send for persons and

papers.

§ 5. Said board shall, on or before the first day of December in each year, make a report to the Governor, and shall include therein such statements, facts, and explanations as will disclose the actual working of the board, and such suggestions as to legislation as may seem to it conducive to harmony in the relations between employers and employed, and to the improvement of the present system of production.

§ 6. Whenever the term "employer" or "employers" is used in this act it shall be held to include "firm," "joint-stock association," "company" or "corporation," as fully as if each of the last-named terms was expressed in each place.

§ 7. The members of the board shall receive as compensation for actual services rendered under this act, the sum of five dollars per day and expenses, upon presentation of their voucher to the Comptroller, approved by the Governor.

§ 8. This act shall take effect from its passage. [Approved June 28, 1895.

ILLINOIS.

An Act to create a State Board of Arbitration for the investigation or settlement of differences between employers and their employés, and to define the powers and duties of said board.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: As soon as this act shall take effect the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint three persons, not more than two of whom shall belong to the same political party, who shall be styled a State "Board of Arbitration," to serve as a State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation; one and only one of whom shall be an employer of labor, and one and only one of whom shall be an employé and shall be selected from some labor organization. They shall hold office until March 1, 1897, or until their successors are appointed, but said board shall have no power to act as such until they, and each of them are confirmed by the Senate. On the first day of March, 1897, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint three persons as members of said board in the manner above provided, one to serve for one year, one for two years and one for three years, or until their respective successors are appointed, and on the first day of March in each year thereafter the Governor shall in the same manner appoint one member of said board to succeed the member whose term expires, and to serve for the term of three years or until his successor is appointed. If a vacancy occurs at any time, the Governor shall in the same manner appoint some one to serve out the unexpired term. Each member of said board shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, be sworn to a faithful discharge thereof. The board shall at once organize by the choice of one of their number as chairman, and they shall, as soon as possible after such organization, establish suitable rules of procedure. The board shall have power to select and remove a secretary, who shall be a stenographer, and who shall receive a salary to be fixed by the board, not to exceed $1,200 per annum and his necessary traveling expenses, on bills of items to be approved by the board, to be paid out of the State treasury.

§ 2. When any controversy or difference not involving questions which may be the subject of an action at law or bill in