president and another as secretary, and establish, subject to the approval of the governor, such rules of procedure as may seem advisable.

SEC. 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 (10) 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 respective 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 5. The said board shall have power to summon as wit. nesses 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 7. 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.

SEC. 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 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 concilia

tion, 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 responsibility. The said board shall have the same powers for the foregoing purposes as are given them by sections three and four of this act.

SEC. 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 ageed 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.

SEC. 10. Each member of said State board shall receive as compensation five ($5) 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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. SEC. 13. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 2. Whenever any grievance or dispute of any nature shall arise between any employer and his employés, 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.

SEC. 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.

SEC. 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