the same district struck and the dispute was not terminated until July 3, when the Dominion Government appointed a Director of Coal Operations to take control of the mines. This dispute involved a loss of 512,075 days or 45 per cent. of the total time loss in the year. Another serious strike was that of 1,600 employees at the smelter at Trail, B.C. This dispute, which began Nov. 15, caused a time loss of 48,000 days. The great majority of the troubles were minor ones-small in numbers and loss of time; 65% were chiefly caused by the desire for higher wages; official statements showed 56% settled in favour of the employers, 22% in favour of the men and 20% compromises. In the first of the Alberta mine strikes the men demanded higher wages after signing agreements for a given term, during a time when closed mines would have meant great suffering in the West, and it was only settled by the Government guaranteeing the operators an increased price from large customers such as the C.P.R. During the second one in May the operators offered another 15% increase to the miners who would not accept less than 25%, and 6,000 men who had been taking a 4-weeks' holiday, formally went out-work not being resumed till July 3, when W. H. Armstrong, appointed by the Government as Director of Coal Operating, arranged a satisfactory increase based upon the additional cost of living which, later on, was accepted by all concerned as involving 19 cents per day; at the close of the year Lethbridge miners were out because the C.P.R. was employing men not members of the U.M.W. The comment of the Calgary Herald (Dec. 20) was explicit: "There seems to be some trouble-making element in the Alberta miners' organization that is a power for evil all the time. No sooner is one bit of discord straightened out than another takes its place." Meanwhile the U.M.W. was figuring in sedition trials in the States as hampering munition production, etc.

In Northern Ontario the troubles were chiefly those of unrest and constant pressure for increased wages with no desire to give longer hours or facilitate war-production; with also the employment of alien enemies and men of doubtful stability. At Vancouver a Longshoreman's strike in August suspended six shipments to Australia and supplies for the Army in Mesopotamia; the men declined to meet the Board of Trade and F. W. Peters of the C.P.R. charged I.W.W. action and German money; the Vancouver Sun (Aug. 3) declared that disturbances and conditions indicated I.W.W. anarchy and violence; the C.P.R. offered to accept their demands but the offer was refused because a stated period was included. Two days later the issue was settled after the docks had been tied up for a week. At Fort William and Port Arthur an Elevator strike occurred early in October and resulted in the stoppage of the movement of grain throughout Western Canada with a chance of grain destruction by strikers of whom 75% were said to be of alien origin-the strikers alleging 22%. Recognition of union and higher wages were the issues, the Government was appealed to for protection by the operating interests and L. H. Boyd, K.C., Chairman of the Grain Commission, was appointed Director of Elevator Operations and was sent up to effect a settlement. After conferences he disposed of the matter on Oct. 8 with most of the demands granted.

Canadian
Women and
the War:
Suffrage and
Societies.

Social conditions in far-flung Canada did not permit of the same volume of war-work amongst its women as characterized Great Britain. There were too few of them, they were too scattered in great agricultural regions, they were too busy with the essential duties of a new country. The total female workers (1911) in a population of 7,200,000 were 364,821; the total, according to population, was 3,384,000 females to 3,821,000 males; there was no surplus of women-many with leisure time and ample means—as in the Old Land. Between July, 1914, and July, 1917, the number of women workers in the United Kingdom increased from 3,231,000 to 4,766,000 and of the latter total 670,000 were in munition work and 632,000 in other Government or war-work.* No such statistics are available for Canada but there was considerable female labour and, in 1917, the increase was marked though with only a limited tendency to volunteer for such work as that of the Auxiliary British Army Corps of 30,000 women who went to France to act as mechanics, automobile drivers, cooks, milkers, shepherdesses, haymakers, market-gardeners and harvesters.

The chief Women's organization in war-work matters was the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire with its 40,000 members and a collection of $800,000 during the year for war and patriotic purposes. Mrs. A. E. Gooderham of Toronto, in her Presidential address at the 17th annual Convention, May 28-June 1, at Victoria, B.C., emphasized the increasing need for exclusion of politics from the meetings of the Order; the desirability of its members making a separate study in this respect and doing their full duty as citizens under new suffrage conditions; the place of the War in their hearts and minds: "We all have known anxiety; we all have suffered and we all have denied ourselves. Yes, but what has been the measure of our anxiety, and our suffering and our self-denial? Have we been willing to go further than the force of circumstances made it necessary for us to go? Have we felt as never before the oneness of the Empire? Have we realized that the individual has a great responsibility in society?" Mrs. J. Murray Clark reported the formation of 84 new Chapters in the year ending April, 1917, and Mrs. John Bruce reported ordinary receipts of $11,069 for the year and special contributions of $2,314 for Canadian Red Cross, $3,005 for Secours Nationale, $5,830 for Y.M.C.A. Overseas, $3,607 for British Sailors' Relief Fund, $2,623 for St. Dunstan's Home for Blind Soldiers, $2,196 for Prisoners of War Relief, etc., with $753,601 raised by the various Chapters for war-work of which $345,611 was contributed by Ontario and $82,000 by Quebec.

Resolutions were passed of (1) loyalty to King and Queen and Empire, and (2) of prayer that "money, labour and service be conscripted of every man and woman so that all may equally do their duty to their King, country and Empire." A patriotic address was given by Mrs. Elliott Langstaff, President of the Order in the United States; Mrs. Melville Martin of Regina urged the establishment of

* According to the German authoress, Frau Gertrude Baeumer, there were 9,500,000 women in Germany working for a living at the beginning of 1917.

Provincial Chapters in the unorganized Provinces; Mrs. H. D. Spence of Calgary dealt eloquently with the ideals of Loyalty; Mrs. Colin H. Campbell of Winnipeg reviewed the problem of the Returned Soldiers with perception and sympathy; Mrs. A. W. McDougald of Montreal spoke of organization and disciplined service amongst women; the affiliated Victoria League of London, England. reported a year of Empire educational work and war-efforts, as did the National Chapters in Bermuda and the Bahamas. the Committee for Work in India and that responsible for South African Graves' decoration. Of the 4 Provincial Chapters New Brunswick reported 21 local Chapters and 806 members with $28,345 raised during the year; Manitoba, 69 Chapters and 2,856 members with $87,000 raised; British Columbia, 92 Chapters and 3,198 members with $55,000 raised; Saskatchewan, 57 Chapters and 2,800 members with $65,000 raised in cash. A curious incident of the Convention -not recorded in its journal Echoes-was the unanimous passage of a Resolution requesting the Prime Minister "that drastic measures to the utmost limit of the law be taken to punish the treasonable conduct of M. Armand Lavergne and that he be deprived of all rank and insignia pertaining to the profession which he disgraces.” Other motions favoured (1) the establishment by the Federal Government of Homes for the orphaned children of soldiers killed in the War; (2) the abolition of any celebration of Paardeburg Day in view of Boer support in the World-war; (3) asking for a law enforcing the playing of the National Anthem at the beginning instead of the close of performances or functions. The officers elected, or in most cases re-elected, were Mrs. A. E. Gooderham, Toronto, President; Lady Mackenzie, Mrs. E. F. B. Johnston and Mrs. W. R. Riddell, Toronto, Mrs. McLimont, Quebec, and Mrs. Grant, Halifax, VicePresidents; Secretary, Mrs. H. W. Auden, Treasurer, Mrs. John Bruce, Organizing-Secretary, Mrs. Murray Clark-all of Toronto; Educational Secretary, Mrs. Geo. H. Smith, St. Catharines.

During the year the I.O.D.E. and its Junior Branch-the Children of the Empire-were incorporated by Parliament; the former expressed official regret at the calling of an Election in war-time and supported the Win-the-War campaign and Toronto Convention of Aug. 2; circulated a Petition to the Government to grant furloughs to all men of the First C.E.F. who were still Overseas; appealed to members, through the National Executive, to observe 2 meatless days and 2 potatoless days a week and to abstain from the use of veal and lamb; protested by Executive Resolution against a proposed economy in the flying of the national flag over schools and public buildings in Toronto: "If there was no British flag, and no sentiment connected with it, there would be no general enlistment nor would the millions of soldiers of Great Britain be available. Nothing appeals to the British soldier or sailor as his national flag does." At a meeting in London on Oct. 24 Mrs. C. T. Campbell stated that since 1914 that district of the I.O.D.E. had collected $70,000 for war purposes. Every chapter in Canada did something along this line and they kept up, as well, their regular Empire and local work-collecting for a dozen war funds, making supplies for