Article 17. The prices for draw slate shall be:

24 cents per lineal yard where draw slate is 6 inches thick. 38 cents per lineal yard where draw slate is 9 inches thick. 52 cents per lineal yard where draw slate is 12 inches thick. 9 cents increase for each additional three inches in thickness. These prices are for draw slate when it is necessary for the miner to handle same across full width of room when room is standard width. A proportionate price per yard based on actual width of room where room is less than standard width. When draw slate is less than 6 inches thick the price to be determined by miner and mine foreman. (Except Osage and Pleasanton.)

Article 18. That the price for bottom brushing shall be $1.12 per yard in Cherokee and Crawford counties, Kansas, and Barton County, Missouri.

Article 19. That all road and sump coal be placed on a check number and when wrecked cars are allowed they are to be deducted from the coal on such check number. At the end of each month the coal to be divided between the local union and the company, two-thirds to the local union and one-third to the company, the company to pay all labor in cleaning and loading such coal.

Article 20. When there is not enough cars at the mine to run with in the morning, that no local rule concerning this question be effective until 30 minutes after starting time, giving the company 30 minutes after starting time to get empties in at the mine to run with before the mines shall be thrown idle, but in no event shall the thirty minutes be taken advantage of when the company knows that no empties shall be received that day, and when the company knows that no cars will be received the men shall be notified either at the office, company store, or at the mine.

Article 21. It is agreed that on the first Monday in March, 1906, that representatives of the Southwestern Interstate Coal Operators' Association and the representatives of District 14, U. M. W. of A., parties to this agreement, respectively, shall meet on that day in Pittsburg and go into session and continue in session to agree upon and formulate a new contract, and all clauses that can not be amicably settled between the operators and miners' representatives shall be settled by a board of arbitration, consisting of two operators chosen by the operators and two miners chosen by the miners, these four to choose the fifth member of this board, and the decision of this board shall be final and binding upon all parties to said arbitration.

We, the undersigned, respective parties to said contract, have read the same and fully approve of the conditions contained therein and bind ourselves to the faithful performance of the same.

In behalf of the Southwestern Interstate Coal Operators' Association:
B. F. BUSH, President.
S. W. KNIFFIN, Secretary.

In behalf of the miners:

J. G. RICHARDSON,
JOHN BILLINGS,
JOHN LENON.

APPENDIX.

SHOT-FIRERS.

In regard to shot-firers, the men who fire shots will be paid daily for men actually at work in the mine, or it may be agreed upon between the employer and the shot-firer that the enumeration of the men employed in the mine may be taken on the 1st, 7th, 15th, 20th, and 25th, and an average taken from the numbers so ascertained, the enumeration on the 15th to apply to both the first and last days of the month.

STOWING DIRT, AND ONE-SIDED ENTRIES, OSAGE COUNTY.

Miners are required to stow dirt in any gob-road in the entry in which they work. Where necessary to move dirt from the entry in which the dirt is made, the miner will go to any gob-road within 700 feet, and stow the dirt. If there is no gob-room within 700 feet, the miner will wheel the dirt to the shaft bottom, provided the distance does not exceed 700 feet, under ordinary conditions.

That one-sided entries mentioned in the contract scale for Osage County, means where rib is cut; and such entries are entitled to $1.33 per yard, and when all the coal is taken out by room and entry, men working through upon each other is short entry, and shall be paid for at the rate of $1.15 per yard, the miners to have the coal. Whenever the rib is cut $1.33 must be paid, as per contract.

RECENT REPORTS OF STATE BUREAUS OF LABOR STATISTICS.

MASSACHUSETTS.

Thirty-third Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor. March, 1903. Chas. F. Pidgin, chief. v, 260 pp.

The present report consists of four parts, as follows: Part I, annual report of the chief to the legislature, 12 pages; Part II, labor chronology (for year ending September 30, 1902), embracing strikes and lockouts, wages, hours of labor, trades unions, and social and industrial benefits, 67 pages; Part III, mercantile wages and salaries, 49 pages; Part IV, sex in industry, 127 pages.

STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS.-Under this title is presented a chronological record, by cities and towns, of the 276 labor disagreements occurring in the State during the year ending September 30, 1902. Of the total number of strikes, 105 were for increase or against decrease of wages, 25 were for reduction of working hours, 36 were for both wages and hours, 31 were for wages, hours, and some other grievance, and 79 were for causes into which the question of wages or hours did not enter. Considering the results of strikes, 76 succeeded, 23 succeeded partly, 42 were compromised, 106 failed, 5 were still pending at the close of the period, and for 24 the results were not stated. For all strikes, the approximate number of strikers involved was 42,400, and the number of working days lost 569,400. In the case of 2 strikes, the duration was 5 months and 1,770 work people were involved.

WAGES.-Chronologically arranged by cities and towns, there is here shown the principal instances reported of increases in wages throughout the State during the year covered by the report. Wherever possible to do so the number of operatives affected by the changes in rates and the extent of change are given.

HOURS OF LABOR.-The information relative to hours of labor presents chronologically for the different cities and towns of the State the action of organized labor upon the question of reducing the number of hours per day of working time. The changes in working time secured are given, showing the establishment or class of employment affected, together with the number of hours established under the new arrangement, or the special change in working time which was instituted.

TRADE UNIONS.-The new organizations of labor formed during the year, as far as reported to the bureau, together with the number of original members when known, are presented chronologically by cities and towns under this head. Also, there is presented a statement of the action of associations of organized labor with respect to the principal subjects to which they gave their indorsement or condemnation by resolution during the year. The subject of the union label was one which received unusual attention by numerous unions.

SOCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL BENEFITS.-This section of the report includes brief abstracts of the action of employers for the benefit of their employees, or to improve the conditions of employment. Employees' benefit associations have been considered, as have also bequests or gifts from whatever source if intended primarily to improve industrial conditions. The information is presented chronologically by cities and towns.

MERCANTILE WAGES AND SALARIES.-Statistics of wages and salaries paid to persons employed in what is generally designated “trade” is presented in this part of the report. The investigation was limited to the city of Boston, and to that part of it usually called the "congested business section," and embraced 36 kinds of business represented by 455 establishments. Individuals owned 241 of the establishments, firms 155, and corporations 59. The number of persons employed in the establishments considered was 9,454, of whom 5,124 were males and 4,330 females. Of the total persons, 21.03 per cent were employed in establishments owned by individuals, 39.26 per cent in those owned by firms, and 39.71 per cent in those owned by corporations. Of the 36 kinds of business enumerated, department stores employed the largest number of persons, viz, 2,373, or 25.10 per cent of the total. Graded and average weekly wages and salaries are presented by sex, kind of business, and branches of occupations; also, average weekly wages and salaries, by sex and occupations, without regard to kind of

business.

SEX IN INDUSTRY.-This presentation is intended to show the numerical representation of women in the different branches of gainful occupations in the State, and to compare their number with the number of males employed in the same branches, as well as to consider those branches in which men only are employed, and those in which women only are employed. A brief history of the entrance of women into the industrial field, with a table showing at national and State census periods the number of females and males employed in gainful occupations from 1831 to 1900, introduces the chapter.

A summary of the number of males and females engaged in the different branches of gainful employment covered by the investigation is shown in the table which follows:

NUMBER AND PER CENT OF MALES AND FEMALES IN GAINFUL EMPLOYMENTS, BY KIND OF EMPLOYMENT, 1900.

From the above it is seen that of the total females in gainful employment the greatest number was found in manufactures, namely, 142,951, or 48.85 per cent, while 79,265, or 27.09 per cent were in domestic service. Female apprentices numbered 567, or 0.19 per cent, and children at work 2,312, or 0.79 per cent.

A consideration of the descent of the total (1,079,090) males and females in gainful employment, shows that 403,231, or 37.37 per cent, were native born, native descent; 233,643, or 21.65 per cent, were native born, foreign descent; 159,616, or 14.79 per cent, were foreign born; 129,102, or 11.96 per cent, were foreign born, naturalized; and 153,498, or 14.23 per cent, were foreign born, alien. Of the 292,636 females, only 85,733, or 29.30 per cent, were native born, native descent; 80,304, or 27.44 per cent, were native born, foreign descent; and 126,599, or 43.26 per cent, were foreign born. As to the conjugal condition of females in gainful employment, it was found that less than one-eighth of the total were married.