with bills introduced to constitute eight hours a maximum day's work for public employés; these were consolidated into one bill. Vetoed by Governor in June. Relating to hours of labor of railroad employés was given leave to withdraw but Senate substituted bill and then rejected same. Regulating hours of labor of nurses and attendants in hospitals and asylums. Leave to withdraw. Reducing the hours of labor of motormen. Leave to withdraw. Constituting eight hours maximum day's work for watchmen and turnkeys in the State prison and Concord Reformatory. Ought not to pass.

Injunctions. Regulating the manner of granting injunctions in labor matters; limiting the meaning of the word "conspiracy" and the use of restraining orders; and relating to injunctions and suits of equity. Referred to committee on relations between employers and employés.

Labor Unions. Relative to registration of insignia, ribbons, rosettes, or buttons. Became a law April 29.

Licensing Barbers. Three petitions with bills introduced. One to provide for licensing barbers and two to establish a board of examiners for barbers and to regulate the management of barber shops. Rejected in House.

Licensing Engineers. Repealing Acts providing for licensing of engineers and firemen of stationary engines and boilers. Leave to withdraw.

Pensioning of Employés. Authorizing city of Boston to pension certain employés (two bills). Leave to withdraw. Relative to pensioning members of Boston Police department (committee reported second bill). Next General Court. Relative to the further extension of the pension system in the Boston Police department. Became a law May 5. — Relative to pensioning firemen in cities; authorizing the retirement of the employés of the Commonwealth; authorizing cities to establish death benefits and retirement funds for their employés; and relating to the pensioning of war veterans who are officials or employés of the county of Suffolk or the city of Boston were severally given leave to withdraw. - Relative to pensioning employés of the city of Boston and relative to the pensioning of war veterans who are members of the police force of the city of Boston, each reported ought not to pass.

Restriction of Aliens. To preclude from certain occupations persons who do not declare an intention of becoming citizens. Leave to withdraw.

Shoe Manufacture. Order introduced as to feasibility of establishing industrial schools to instruct persons in the manufacture of shoes. No legislation necessary.

Strikes and Lockouts. Allowing peaceful communications with applicants for positions during labor disputes (committee reported second bill). Rejected in Senate. Regulating advertisements and solicitations for employés during strikes and lockouts. Rejected in House. Defining rights of employer and employé in labor dis

putes. Next General Court.

Textile Schools. Resolves in favor of the Lowell Textile School, New Bedford Textile School, and Bradford Durfee Textile School of Fall River. These resolves became laws March 16. Resolve providing for completion of a building for the use of the Bradford Durfee Textile School. Became a law April 30. - Resolve in favor of the Lowell Textile School. Became a law in April.

Unsafe Labor Appliances.

appliances. Leave to withdraw.

Relative to use by painters of ropes, ladders, and other

Use of Fans or Blowers. Requiring use of fans or blowers where wheels composed partly of emery or buffing wheels or emery belts are used (committee reported second bill). Amended in Senate and became a law in June.

Wages. Relative to pay of laborers employed by Metropolitan Park Commission. Next General Court. Relative to payment of textile factory operatives. Rejected in Senate. Relative to payment for overtime work by the employés of the city of Boston. Leave to withdraw.

QUARTERLY RECORD OF STRIKES.

Considering the number of strikes and lockouts which took place in Massachusetts during the second quarter of 1903, we find there were a total of 82, by months as follows: April, 28; May, 38; and June, 16. The number of strikes, although larger than that for the preceding quarter, is considerably smaller than for the corresponding quarter in 1902. There were several general strikes during the quarter under review which affected many establishments and more than one city or town. These we have considered in each instance as one strike.

The causes of the strikes were many and varied, but we give in the following table a condensed statement of the causes, together with the results:

It will be seen that a large percentage of the strikes was caused by enforcement of demand for increase in wages or against reduction in wages. Wages alone, hours alone, and wages and hours combined constituted the cause of 53 strikes, or 64.63 per cent of the total number occurring during the three months.

In the following statement are given the cities and towns wherein the strikes took place, together with the number of disputes occurring in each Boston, 16; Springfield, eight; Lynn, six; Fall River, four; Haverhill, Lowell, Salem, and Worcester, three each; Brockton, Greenfield, Holyoke, New Bedford, North Attleborough, Spencer, Waltham, and Westfield, two each; and Beverly, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Chicopee, Everett, Gardner, Gloucester, Lawrence, Malden, Mansfield, Middleborough, North Adams, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Somerville, Swampscott, Warren, Watertown, and Woburn, one each.

The industries and classes of workmen involved in the disputes, together with the number of disagreements in each case, follow: Building

trades employés, 29; laborers and teamsters, seven each; bakers, bridge and structural iron workers, cotton goods operatives, and metal workers, four each; boot and shoe operatives, three; coal handlers, two; wood, wire, and metal lathers, artificial stone and asphalt workers, hoisting engineers, marine engineers, clothing employés, mattress makers, quarry workers, hosiery workers, cutlery workers, woollen goods operatives, jewelry workers, leather employés, butcher workmen, carpet weavers, wooden goods employés, employés on firearms, machinists, and starch workers, one each.

Reviewing the duration of strikes and lockouts, we find that in four instances, involving 56 employés, strikers' places were immediately filled. In 20 instances, involving nearly 3,000 employés, the strikes were pending or the duration was not stated. Three strikes lasted less than one day, and involved 113 workmen; 11 strikes lasted one day, and involved four workmen; three strikes lasted two days and involved 140 workmen ; in five instances the dispute lasted three days, involving 85 employés; in two instances, five days, involving 150 employés; in four instances one week, 724 employés; in one instance, 11 days, 12 employés; in two instances, two weeks, 700 employés; in one instance, 13 days, 150 employés; in one instance, 17 days, 150 employés; in two instances, three weeks, 230 employés; in one instance, 27 days, 15 employés; one strike lasted four weeks and three days and involved 50 workmen; one lasted five weeks, involving 78 workmen; one lasted six weeks and five days, involving 60 employés; one, eight weeks and five days, involving 300 employés.

In the aggregate, the number of persons involved in 38 of the strikes was about 3,250, the working-days lost on account of these strikes being about 45,700.

Among the important strikes occurring during the quarter were those of the artificial stone and asphalt workmen in Boston, involving about 600; the strike of 300 shoe operatives employed by Field Bros. & Gross Co., of Brockton (which lasted over two months); the general strike of carpenters in Brockton; the strike of 600 quarry workers employed in the Chelmsford and Westford quarries; the general strike of the North Shore carpenters, involving over 800 journeymen; the general strike of carpenters in Waltham, Watertown, and Newton, and the paper makers' strike in Holyoke which was pending at the close of the quarter.

The strike of textile workers of Lowell was officially declared off during this quarter, after 12 weeks' duration. In February, the Textile Council demanded 10 per cent increase in wages which the mill agents refused to grant, claiming that they could not afford to do so. Conferences were held, but no progress was made toward an amicable settlement of the difficulty. The State Board of Conciliation and Arbitration, having been notified of an impending strike, held interviews with the Mayor and Board of Trade, and joint conferences were held with the agents of

the seven corporations and representatives from the Textile Council. Attempts at conciliation failed, and on March 28 the Textile Council notified the Lowell Cotton Manufacturers Association of the unanimous vote of the Council to strike, it being their intention to cease work at noon on Saturday, March 28, unless the mill agents decided to grant the increase, the same to go into effect on the following Monday, March 30. Notices were posted by the mill agents before noon on Saturday that the mills would close for an indefinite period, about 13,000 operatives thus being thrown into idleness. In the case of one corporation, employing 3,500 persons, only a small number were involved in strike; they soon returned to work or their places were filled.

On April 6, the Legislature adopted an order directing the Statę Board of Conciliation and Arbitration to make an investigation of the textile strike. Public hearings were given at the City Hall in Lowell for one week beginning April 9. Representatives of both parties to the controversy appeared, as well as the public interested. For purpose of investigation, the treasurers of the seven corporations involved offered to submit their books to the Board and to experts. As previously stated, the manufacturers claimed that they could not afford to grant increase demanded, while the counsel for the operatives introduced no evidence, as they claimed that it had been conceded in previous joint conferences that general prosperity was being enjoyed throughout the country and that higher wages were being paid in like manufacturing in Fall River and New Bedford. An inspection of the mills in question was made by the State Board and by an expert who reported his findings to the Board. After the investigation by the Board a report was submitted to the Governor on April 22, who, on the same day, transmitted it to the Legislature. The finding of the Board was that the mills involved, with the exception of one, could not afford to grant the increase in wages.

The mills remained closed until June 1, when they reopened to operatives who wished to return at the old rates of wages, it being understood that no change was to be made in wage schedule. It was estimated that within two weeks about 70 per cent of the mill hands had returned. On June 21, the Textile Council, by unanimous vote of the 14 unions. affiliated, declared the strike off. The mill agents agreed to take back as many operatives as were needed and that no discrimination should be made against the strikers except in the case of a few persons regarded by mill managers as in opposition to their interests, but under no circumstances would any of the employés who had filled the places of strikers acceptably be discharged to make room for returning operatives.

STATISTICAL ABSTRACTS.