steamer by hundreds, completely crowding her and terrorizing our men, who have quit work and left us, leaving the steamers perfectly idle." The Federal Parliament passed an Act, known as the Quebec Act, in 1887, to meet such cases. It provides penalties and imprisonment with hard labour for a term not exceeding three months for any person who interferes with labourers about vessels or uses threats, but it does not prevent labourers from congregating in large numbers on the wharves near to such vessels. This is done both in Quebec and in St. John, and complaints are made that men are intimidated by these means. During the Toronto Street Railway strike fears were entertained that rioting and loss of life might result from the assembling of crowds in the streets to watch the proceedings of the strikers; but these fears were proved to be unfounded.

The evidence taken before the Royal Commission in Ontario indicated that blacklisting was practised by some cotton manufacturers, shipowners, cigar manufacturers ; and a somewhat similar system was in use upon the railways. A cigar manufacturer testified that he knew many cigar makers who had been deservedly blacklisted, and that he kept such a list himself. Railway servants have little chance of obtaining employment unless they can show a certificate from their late employer, and they complain that these certificates are sometimes refused out of personal spite. The Quebec iron moulders testify to the existence of black-lists in their industry, and the Nova Scotia miners declare that

miners have been black-listed because they have been prominent in labour organizations.

AUSTRALIA.

The existence of the practice of picketing in Australia is sufficiently proved by the details of recent strikes. As an instance, the Barcaldine Strike Committee were arrested in March, 1891, and brought to trial at Rockhampton in May of that year, on the charge of conspiracy by threats, intimidation, and violence, to induce labourers to "depart from their hire, labourers to join their union, masters to reduce the number of their labourers, and masters to change the description of their labourers." These Acts were penal under the old statute, 6 George IV., repealed in England, but technically still in force in the Colonies. This Act, as we have already seen, really embodies the Common Law on the subject of threats and violence to workmen and others arising out of trade disturbances, and merely enables Justices of the Peace to deal summarily with such offences. The offences with which the members of the Committee were charged existed, therefore, independently of the Act, and were penal at Common Law. The members of the Committee were convicted and sentenced to three years' imprisonment, as well as ordered to enter into recognizances for good behaviour for another year. Other less important offenders were condemned to shorter periods of imprisonment or fined. Beyond certain charges brought against employers of discharging female employees in the clothing trades

because of their connection with labour organizations, there is little evidence of black-listing in Australia.

ITALY.

The following sections summarize the Italian Penal Code (1889) of offences against Freedom of Labour :

:

Article 165.-Whoever by force or threats restrains or hinders in anywise the freedom of industry or trade is punishable with imprisonment not exceeding twenty months, and with fine of 100 to 3,000 francs.

Article 166.-Whoever by force or threats brings about, or causes to be continued, a stoppage or interruption of work in order to impose on workmen or on employers or contractors a lowering or rise of wages, or terms different from those already agreed upon, is punishable with imprisonment not exceeding twenty months.

Article 167.-In the case of ringleaders or promoters of the offences specified in the foregoing sections the punishment is imprisonment for any term from three months to three years, and fine from 500 to 5,000 francs.

Exercising compulsion by violence or threats, and threatening with unlawful harm of any serious kind, are also made substantive offences in another chapter. (Ss. 154, 156.)

GERMANY.

As a rule, strikes in Germany are peaceably conducted. Where the strikers render themselves liable to legal penalties, it is rather by disregarding the notice

required before termination of the labour contract than by resorting to violence and intimidation. With regard to intimidation and violence, section 153 of the Code states that "whoever, by the use of bodily force, by threats, insults, or boycotting, induces, or attempts to induce, others to take part in such combinations, or endeavours to ensure their success, or by the same means hinders, or attempts to hinder, others from withdrawing from such combinations, is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, unless he has incurred a severer penalty under the General Criminal Code." Some few instances are recorded of violence in connection with strikes, the most notable being the case of the Silesian miners in 1889; but such instances are the exception rather than the rule. In connection with the miners' strike of 1889, it was decided by the Imperial Courts that Section 110 of the Criminal Code is applicable to open incitement to breach of contract. This section runs: "Anyone who publicly, before a crowd of people, or anyone who, by distributing or publicly posting or publicly exhibiting writings or other representations, invites disobedience to the laws or valid ordinances, or to the directions issued by the magistrates within their competence, shall be punished by a fine up to 600 shillings, or by imprisonment with hard labour up to two years."

FRANCE.

In the strike of the Carmaux mines in 1891 (August 15th) picketing was organized with unusual vigour, and

by September 8th the Prefect for Tarn came in person to notify to Calvignac and Baudin that if they continued their attacks on freedom of labour they should both be arrested. The activity continued, however, without these threats of arrest being carried into effect.

It is curious to note the attitude of the Government, who by that time had sent troops to the neighbourhood to preserve order, and who yet did not insist upon the maintenance of freedom of labour for non-syndicated workmen. The members of the syndicates still organized pickets to watch the pits' mouths day and night, and prevent any workmen from entering. At length, in response to a public demand on October 11th, the Prefect sent an order to stop this picketing, to disperse street gatherings, and groups of more than two or three persons. The order was annulled by the refusal of the Mayor to post it. Such defiance was fittingly followed by increased disorder, and by the dynamite outrage, which destroyed five people unconcerned in the conflict, and the author of which remained undiscovered. By this time, however, some arrests had been made by the gendarmerie, and in due course sentences were passed by the Courts at Albi, carrying from eight days to four months, in some cases with fines added.

To one of Mr. R. N. McDougall's letters to the Press we are indebted for the following facts concerning a valuable precedent established in France :

At the later strike at Carmaux, on August 1st, 1895, at the glass works of M. Resseguier, the socialist deputies,