THE STATE BOARD OF ARBITRATION.

RGANIZED May 29, 1893, under an act of the previous session of the General Assembly of Ohio, Governor McKinley having appointed as members of such board, the Hon. John Little (R.), ex-member of Congress, from Greene County, the Hon. Selwyn N. Owen, ex-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, and Joseph Bishop, a representative of the Trades Unions, both of the latter from Franklin county. Mr. Owen was elected Chairman of the Board, and Mr. Bishop Secretary, and these officers have served uninterruptedly by reappointment and re-election. Mr. Little died October 18, 1900, and in his stead the Governor appointed the Hon. R. G. Richards, of Steubenville. a former Lieutenant-Governor of Ohio. There have been no other changes. in the board since its creation in 1893.

1. OBJECT AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD.

The State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation is charged with the duty, upon due application or notification, of endeavoring to effect amicable and just settlements of controversies or differences, actual or threatened, between employers and employees in the state. This is to be done by pointing out and advising, after due inquiry and investigation, what, in its judgment, if anything, ought to be done or submitted to by either or both parties to adjust their disputes; of investigating, where thought advisable, or required, the cause, os causes of the controversy, and ascertaining which party thereto is mainly responsible or blameworthy for the continuance of the same.

2. HOW ACTION OF THE BOARD MAY BE INVOKED.

Every such controversy or difference not involving questions which may be the subject of a suit or action in any court of the state, may be brought before the Board; provided, the employer involved employs not less than twenty-five persons in the same general line of business in the state.

The aid of the Board may be invoked in two ways:

First- The parties immediately concerned, that is, the employer or employees, or both conjointly, may file with the Board an application which must contain a concise statement of the grievances complained of, and a promise to continue on in business, or at work (as the case may be), in the same manner as at the time of the application, without any lockout or strike, until the decision of the Board, if it shall be made within ten days of the date of filing said application. A joint application may contain a stipulation making the decision of the Board to an extent agreed upon by the parties, binding and enforcible as a rule of court.

An application must be signed by the employer or by a majority of the employees in the department of business affected (and in no case by less than thirteen), or by both such employer and a majority of employes jointly, or by the duly authorized agent of either or both parties.

Second A mayor or probate judge when made to appear to him that a strike or lockout is seriously threatened, or has taken place in his vicinity, is required by

The State Board of Arbitration.

the law to notify the Board of the fact, giving the name and location of the employer, the nature of the trouble, and the number of employes involved, so far as he can. When such fact is thus or otherwise duly made known to the board it becomes its duty to open communication with the employer and employes involved, with a view of adjustment by mediation, conciliation or arbitration.

3. WHEN ACTION OF THE BOARD TO CEASE.

Should petitioners filing an application cease, at any stage of the proceedings, to keep the promise made in their application, the Board will proceed no further in the case without the written consent of the adverse party.

4. SECRETARY TO PUBLISH NOTICE OF HEARING.

On filing any such application the Secretary of the Board will give public notice of the time and place of the hearing thereof. But at the request of both parties joining in the application, this public notice may, at the discretion of the board, be omitted..

5. PRESENCE OF OPERATIVES AND OTHERS, ALSO BOOKS AND THEIR CUSTODIANS,

ENFORCED AT THE PUBLIC EXPENSE.

Operatives in the department of business affected, and persons who keep the record of wages in such department and others, may be subpoenaed and examined under oath by the Board, which may compel the production of books and papers containing such records. All parties to any such controversy or difference are entitled to be heard. Proceedings before the Board are conducted at the public expense.

6.

NO COMPULSION EXERCISED, WHEN INVESTIGATION AND PUBLICATION REQUIRED. The Board exercises no compulsory authority to induce adherence to its recommendation, but when mediation fails to bring about an adjustment it is required to render and make public its decision in the case. And when neither a settlement nor an arbitration is had, because of the opposition thereto of one party, the Board is required at the request of the other party to make an investigation and publish its conclusions.

7. ACTION OF LOCAL BOARD ADVICE OF STATE BOARD MAY BE INVOKED. The parties to any such controversy or difference may submit the matter in dispute to a local board of arbitration and conciliation consisting of three persons mutually agreed upon, or chosen by each party selecting one, and the two thus chosen selecting the third. The jurisdiction of such local board as to the matter submitted to it is exclusive, but it is entitled to ask and receive the advice and assistance of the State Board.

8. CREATION OF BOARD PRESUPPOSES THAT MEN WILL BE FAIR AND JUST. It may be permissible to add that the act of the General Assembly is based upon the reasonable hypothesis that men will be fair and just in their dealings and relations with each other when they fully understand what is fair and just in any given case. As occasion arises for the interposition of the Board, its principal duty will be to bring to the attention and appreciation of both employer and employes, as best it may, such facts and considerations as will aid them to comprehend what is reasonable, fair and just in respect of their differences.

T

THE BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES.

HE Ohio Board of State Charities is composed of six members appointed by the Governor. The law requires that the member

ship shall be equally divided between the two leading political parties, and fixes the term of office at three years. The members receive no compensation for their services, but their actual expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties are paid by the State. The Board appoints its own secretary, who is not a member of the Board. It is required to hold quarterly meetings, but special meetings may be held at any time.

It was first established by an act of the legislature passed in 1867, Massachusetts being the only state to precede Ohio in the enactment of such a law. Its organization at that time was due to the efforts of a member of the House of Representatives from Cuyahoga County, Hon. D. A. Dangler, who had the support of the then Governor, Jacob D. Cox. The motive that actuated Mr. Dangler in the introduction of his measure is defined by him as follows: "I availed myself of the opportunity, as a member of the Ohio Legislature, of visiting the state institutions for the purpose of familiarizing myself, as far as possible, with their arrangement. It was after such a visit that I became impressed that the citizens of the great state of Ohio should have a more perfect knowledge of the management of these institutions than was gained by the annual visits of their representatives in the Legislature." In a speech advocating the passage of the bill introduced by him, Mr. Dangler said:

"My objects are, by the agency of a common center and common head, to crystallize those various suggestions tending towards reformation and economy in the present system of management and extend their application to all alike by the same agency; to extract from the systems in use in the European states and countries, such ideas as may be applicable to our peculiar wants and requirements; through the introduction of statistics and analytical records, to assist in the diminution of crime, suffering and sickness, by pointing out the causes, occasion and the source; by the adoption of similar rules and regulations for institutions of a like character, to render their management uniform, harmonious and effective, and by a common standard of qualification for the various offices, prevent the appointment of any but those fully qualified to discharge the various duties with honesty and efficiency.".

In 1872 the Board was abolished, but it was again organized in 1876 under the old law with the additional provision for a salaried secretary. On April 15, 1880, the law was so amended as to provide for a Board of six members, instead of five, the original number.

23. H. Y. B.

The Board of State Charities.

The Board is required to submit an annual report to the Legislature, setting forth the conditions of the institutions coming under its supervision, together with any suggestions or recommendations it may have. to offer relative to their management. Its work is not executive, but is entirely supervisory over the whole system of public charitable and correctional institutions of the state, including those maintained by municipalities and counties. It has authority to require such reports from all institutions supported in whole, or in part, by public funds, as it may deem necessary. All of these institutions now make annual, and some of them quarterly reports to the office of the Board. One of the most important duties devolving upon it is that requiring the submission of all plans for state institutions, jails, children's homes, workhouses and infirmaries to the Board for criticism and approval. The Governor of the State is ex officio president of the Board, and may, at any time, order an investigation by the Board, or a committee of its members, of any institution over which it has supervisory power.

PRESENT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES. (Term of office, three years.)

NAMES OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES SINCE ITS ORGANIZATION IN 1867.