chapter on factory regulation and one upon mine regulations, and to protect persons working on buildings, railroads, steam boilers, etc., and a carefully drawn statute regulating the labor of children.  Then there are other provisions which are more unusual.  The Canadian statute substantially is enacted as to strikes:  “whenever there shall exist a strike or lockout where (in the judgment of the State Board of Conciliation) the general public shall appear likely to suffer injury or inconvenience, and neither party consents to an arbitration,” then the board, having failed to effect a conciliation, may proceed on its own motion to make investigation and propose a settlement, with recommendations to both parties, and presumably publish the same.  It has, of course, no power to enforce a settlement, but may compel testimony, etc. (Article II, section 4.)

Private employment offices are carefully regulated, the fees limited to two dollars, and the money must be returned if no place is found, with careful provisions against sending help to immoral resorts.

The compelling of an agreement, either written or “verbal,"[1] not to join, a labor union as a condition of obtaining or continuing in employment is made a misdemeanor, punishable with one thousand dollars fine and twelve months imprisonment.

[Footnote 1:  A common vulgarism; the law probably means “oral.”]

Section 2 of this act (June 6, 1908) copies the older English statute of 1875; that is to say, it does away with all criminal liability for conspiracies in labor matters, and it further provides that no “such agreement, combination, or contract be construed as in restraint of trade or commerce; nor shall any restraining order or injunction be issued with relation thereto, provided only that nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize force or violence.”  We have already commented on the possible unconstitutionality of this act.

Section 3 makes it unlawful for anybody to induce or persuade workmen to change from one place to another (except presumably the labor unions themselves), or to bring workmen into the State by means of any false or deceptive representations, false advertising or false pretences, or by reason of the existence of a strike or other “trouble.”  Failure to state in an advertisement, proposal or contracts for the employment of workmen that there is a strike or other “trouble” is made a criminal offence, punishable with a year’s imprisonment or two thousand dollars fine (this is the law which failed of passage in the Massachusetts Legislature of 1910).

The hiring of armed guards, as is usual in the West, is made heavily criminal.  Finally, to workmen who have been influenced or persuaded to do anything by anybody except another workman, is given a suit for damages against the person so persuading them.  The lot of the employer in Oklahoma is indeed a parlous one!