vestigation in recent years. This investigation like the first of the two earlier ones resulted in a settlement of the dispute. The Little Falls In the Little Falls case (a strike of textile workers) there was an investigation of the dispute by the Board of Mediation and Arbitration and coincidently a special investigation of wages and cost of living of the strikers by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The reports of both, which have previously been given to the press, are published in full in the Bulletin. As noted above the investigation of the dispute had the effect of terminating the strike by a resumption of work at wages for most of the workers, and those the lower paid, restored only to what they were before the strike the purpose of which was to resist a reduction of wages inaugurated to offset the reduction in hours due to the new fifty-hour law for women. But the investigation of wages and cost of living had brought to light the existence before the reduction, of wages and standards of living both so low as to be a matter of public concern, with the probability of the existence of similar conditions elsewhere in the industry which is one of the leading ones in the state. This problem was manifestly unaffected by the settlement of the strike and must be regarded as one still standing in need of investigation unless low wages and low standards of living are to be regarded as calling for investigation only when they lead to open revolt of workers by strike. Industrial During the three months of December, January and February 32 cases of industrial diseases were registered under the reporting law. One of these was a case of anthrax and all of the others were cases of lead poisoning. Of the latter, 15 occurred in connection with lead, other than in paint, used in manufacturing processes, 4 occurred in connection with the use of paint in factories or shops, and 10 occurred in connection with the use of paint in outside work. As has been true in previous quarters, the returns indicate that the use of lead paint is by far the most frequent source of lead poisoning. In addition to the above cases required to be reported by law, the Bulletin summarizes 47 cases of other industrial diseases reported during the nine months ended with February, including cases of poisoning by cement, cyanide of potassium, creosote, naphtha, lime, muriatic acid, chrome, chlorate of potash, carbon monoxid, and carbon dioxid, cases of glanders, occupational neuritis, and tuberculosis, and others. Three examples of progressive measures for the prevention of industrial poisonings are given in the Bulletin. One is the extensive posting of notices by direction of factory inspectors, as required by law, to prevent eating of meals in rooms where poisonous or harmful substances are used; another is wide circulation by the Bureau of Statistics among painters and other workers exposed to lead poisoning of a card containing information and advice for prevention by personal care; while the third is a description with an illustrative drawing of the method by which a progressive manufacturing firm has completely eliminated danger of lead poisoning in the painting and sand papering of castings, as well as danger from dust as such, first by drawing off the dust through gratings in a work bench, and later by substituting a non-lead for lead paint. Court The usual abstracts of recent decisions of New York Courts will be found in this Bulletin. Of most significance among these is a unanimous Appellate Division decision holding that a second or third offense under the Labor Law, with consequent liability to heavier penalties, need not be a second or third offense against the same individual provision of law, but that an offense against one provision of an Article of the law constitutes a second offense if there has been previously an offense against any other provision of that Article. As usual a considerable number of employers' liability cases appear in the record and constitute continued evidence of the great uncertainty inherent in laws based on negligence, which uncertainty has been the source of many of the evils of liability laws. Along with the court decisions is reproduced an opinion of the Attorney-General holding illegal an agreement between an employer and an employee for forfeiture of wages by the latter in case of failure to give notice of intention to leave employment. The occasion for this opinion was the existence of such a practice in the case of at least one firm brought to light by the anonymous filing with the Commissioner of Labor of a printed blank used for such agreement. UNEMPLOYMENT. Monthly returns as to idleness among members of representative trade unions in New York State on the last day of each month in the year 1912, together with similar returns for previous years, are summarized in the following table. Returns were received from 183 unions, selected because of their representative character both for organized labor generally and for different localities. These unions included about 21 per cent of the total union membership in the state. NUMBER AND PROPORTION OF IDLE WAGE EARNERS IN REPRESENTATIVE TRADE UNIONS. January. February. March. April.. May. June. 185 112,642 22,675 Unions Members Number Per cent 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 November... December. . . . 183 112,918 17,247 Mean.... 30.1 34.2 27.3 20.6 28.0 32.7 15.4 23.4 17.3 21.1 19.1 18.5 29.7 16.2 9.3 17.4 The above figures for the first half of the year were discussed in the September, 1912, Bulletin. As was there pointed out, the figures for each of the first five months of the year indicated a steadily improved condition as compared with the corresponding months of 1911. In June, however, there was an interruption of the favorable figures, the idleness percentage being only slightly lowered as compared with June of the previous year. In the second half of the year, there was also a decided improvement in each month as compared with 1911, one month only excepted. This exception was the month of July in which the percentage of idleness was nearly six points higher than in July, 1911. Considering the year as a whole, it appears, therefore, that, with the exception of the two months, June and July, 1912, compared favorably with 1911. Further analysis of the JuneJuly figures will be taken up in connection with the following tables. The causes of the idleness reported above are summarized under three headings in the following table: PERCENTAGE OF IDLENESS IN REPRESENTATIVE UNIONS FOR SPECIFIED CAUSES. When idleness because of labor disputes and personal disability have been eliminated, the remaining idleness is a gauge of the demand for labor, since seasonal conditions tend to remain fairly constant in the same months from year to year. The fluctuations from year to year in idleness due to disability are negligible. Idleness caused by labor disputes was generally less than for the corresponding months of 1911, with the exception of December, in which month the percentage was more than five times as great as in the previous December. The increased percentage for all idleness in July is here seen to have been due to the condition of trade, while the increased dispute idleness in December was overbalanced by a marked betterment in the condition of trade. The decreased percentage of all idleness in each |