one strike of agricultural laborers the exact number of establishments affected could not be ascertained.

In 837 strikes all or a part of the striking employees were organized. The employers were organized in 557 strikes. Five workingmen's unions and 5 employers' associations were organized during the progress of or immediately following strikes. As a result of strikes 5 workingmen's unions and 1 employers' association dissolved. In 46 strikes regular aid was given by labor organizations to their striking members and in some cases to strikers not members. In 2 strikes, employees who remained at work gave a part of their earnings to an association furnishing aid to strikers.

Of the 1,073 strikes, 185, or 17.24 per cent of all strikes, involving 20,133 strikers, or 20.33 per cent of all strikers, succeeded; 324 strikes, or 30.20 per cent of all strikes, involving 46,599 strikers, or 47.05 per cent of all strikers, succeeded partly; and 564 strikes, or 52.56 per cent of all strikes, involving 32,310 strikers, or 32.62 per cent of all strikers, failed. In 688 strikes the striking employees were time workers, while in 183 others, they worked by the piece, and in the remaining 202 by both time and piece.

The following table shows, by groups of industries, the number of strikes, strikers, and establishments affected, according to the results of strikes; also the days of work lost by all employees and the number of strikers per 1,000 working people in each group of industries for the year 1908:

STRIKES, ESTABLISHMENTS AFFECTED, AND STRIKERS, BY RESULTS, AND WORK. ING-DAYS LOST, FOR EACH GROUP OF INDUSTRIES, 1908.

STRIKES, ESTABLISHMENTS AFFECTED, AND STRIKERS, BY RESULTS, AND WORKING-DAYS LOST, FOR EACH GROUP OF INDUSTRIES, 1908-Concluded.

* Including building trades (wood work).

1 Based on the census of 1901.

2 Included in building trades (stone and earth work).

Based on the total number of industrial working people in France in 1901.

Of the 17 groups of industries above shown, building trades (stone and earth work) and textiles together furnished 52 per cent of the total number of strikes during the year; with regard to the number of strikers, these 2 groups furnished 45.9 per cent.

The principal data as to strikes are shown, by causes, in the table following:

STRIKES, ESTABLISHMENTS AFFECTED, AND STRIKERS, BY RESULTS, AND WORKING-DAYS LOST, FOR EACH CAUSE, 1908.

[Strikes due to two or more causes have been tabulated under each cause; hence the totals for this table, if computed, would not agree with those for preceding tables.]

STRIKES, ESTABLISHMENTS AFFECTED, AND STRIKERS, BY RESULTS, AND WORKING-DAYS LOST, FOR EACH CAUSE, 1908-Concluded.

The most frequent cause of strikes during the year was wage disputes, the demands for increased wages, alone or in conjunction with other demands, having figured in 628 strikes, or 58.5 per cent of the total number of strikes for the year, involving 62,557 strikers, or 63.2 per cent of the total number of strikers, and causing a loss of 266,748 working-days, including days lost by persons other than strikers who were thrown out of employment on account of strikes. Of these demands 119 were successful for 13,594 strikers, 211 partly successful for 32,116 strikers, and 298, involving 16,847 strikers, failed. The next two tables show, for both strikes and strikers, the results of strikes by duration and the results and duration of strikes by number of strikers involved.

STRIKES AND STRIKERS, BY DURATION AND RESULTS, 1908.

STRIKES, BY NUMBER OF STRIKERS INVOLVED, RESULTS, AND DURATION, 1908.

In strikes

Considered by their duration, the largest per cent of successful strikes was found in strikes which lasted 7 days and under. of this class 19.8 per cent were successful, while of those which continued for more than 7 days only 12.4 per cent terminated favorably to the strikers. In the classes 8 to 15 days and 16 to 30 days the percent of successful strikes were 12.8 and 15, respectively. Of strikes lasting 31 to 100 days 11.6 per cent were successful, while of the 15 strikes lasting 101 and more days none were successful.

The following table gives a summary of the most important strike statistics for each of the years 1894 to 1908. The figures for the years 1894 to 1907 have been compiled from previous reports and those for 1908 from the present report.

STRIKES AND STRIKERS, BY RESULTS, ESTABLISHMENTS AFFECTED, AND WORKING-DAYS LOST, FOR EACH YEAR, 1894 TO 1908.

The number of strikes, establishments affected, strikers, and aggregate working-days lost during 1908 show a considerable decrease as compared with the figures for 1907.

CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION.-During the year recourse to the law of December 27, 1892, relating to the conciliation and arbitration 1 of labor disputes, was had in 182 disputes. In 20 cases recourse was had to the law before entire cessation of work had occurred. In 4 of these 20 cases the demands of the employees were granted, in 1 case a compromise was effected, and in 5 cases the employees receded from their demands, although in 1 of these cases the employer refused to agree to the proposition of conciliation. In 4 cases upon the refusal of the employers to participate in conciliation proceedings, strikes were declared; in 2 of these strikes a compromise was reached, and 2 failed. In 1 case the employees refused to agree to the proposition of conciliation and the establishment was closed for some days, though later a compromise was reached. In 1 case neither the employers nor employees presented themselves, and the strike failed. In 4 other cases a committee of conciliation was formed, but, following a disagreement among the members of the committee, strikes followed; 2 of these disputes were settled by compromise after other meetings of the committee, and 2 by agreement.

The number of disputes in which application of the law was requested in 1908 is equal to 16.96 per cent of the number of strikes that actually occurred during the year. During the preceding 15-year period such recourse was had in 2,450 disputes, or 23.87 per cent of the total strikes for the period. Of the 182 cases in which recourse was had during 1908, requests for the application of the law were made by employees in 75 disputes, by employers in 4 disputes, and by both employees and employers in 8 disputes, 87 cases in all; in the other 95 disputes in which recourse was had to the law, the initiative was taken by the justice of the peace.

As to results, it was found that 12 of the disputes had terminated by direct agreement between employers and employees before committees of conciliation were formed. The offer of conciliation was rejected in 69 of the 170 remaining disputes, the rejection coming from employers in 53 cases, from employees in 5 cases, and from both employees and employers in 11 cases. In 15 of the 69 cases in which conciliation was rejected the disputes were terminated by agreement between employees and employers in 7 cases, and in 8 cases the employees withdrew their demands. In the other 54 cases strikes were declared or continued.

Committees of conciliation were constituted for the settlement of the remaining 101 disputes; 49 of these disputes were settled directly

1 For the provisions of this law see Bulletin of the Department of Labor, No. 25, pp. 854-856.