CHAPTER III.

ECONOMIC STATUS.

Principal occupation of immigrant employees before coming to the United StatesWeekly earnings-Relation between period of residence and earning ability-[Text Tables 138 to 142 and General Tables 53 to 55].

PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION OF IMMIGRANT EMPLOYEES BEFORE COMING TO THE UNITED STATES.

A very small proportion of the iron and steel workers of foreign birth and of races of recent immigration from southern and eastern Europe had any experience or training before leaving their native country which would qualify them for the industrial work in which they are now engaged. This fact is shown by the following table, which exhibits, by race of individual, the per cent of foreign-born male employees who were in each specified occupation before coming to the United States:

TABLE 138.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in each specified occupation before coming to the United States, by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 80 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of the 32,188 foreign-born male employees, for whom information was secured only 8.4 per cent were employed abroad in the manufacture of iron and steel and its products; 2.7 per cent in other manufacturing; 65.5 per cent in farming or farm labor; 11.7 per cent in general labor; 5.5 per cent in hand trades; 1.2 per cent in trade; and 5 per cent in occupations not specified. The proportion of employees engaged abroad in farming or farm labor is largest for the Croatians, Lithuanians, Roumanians, and Servians, in the order mentioned, and

smallest for the Welsh, English, and Scotch. On the other hand, the races of old immigration from Great Britain and northern Europe, or the Welsh, English, Scotch, and Swedes, in the order mentioned, have the largest, while the races of recent arrival from southern and eastern Europe, or the Croatians, Servians, North Italians, Greeks, South Italians, Russians, and Slovaks, the smallest proportion of individuals who were employed in manufacturing iron and steel and its products before coming to the United States.

WEEKLY EARNINGS.

The range in weekly earnings of the iron and steel workers is set forth in the table next submitted, which shows, by general nativity and race, the percentage of male employees 18 years of age or over earning each specified amount each week:

TABLE 139.-Per cent of male employees 18 years of age or over earning each specified amount per week, by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

*

[This table includes only races with 80 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

*This table shows wages or earnings for the period indicated, but no account is taken of voluntary lost time or lost time from shutdowns or other causes. In the various tables in this report showing annual earnings allowance is made for time lost during the year.

Upon information obtained for 57,941 male employees, it will be seen that 52.4 per cent earn $12.50 or over each week, 76.8 per cent earn $10 or over, 33.7 per cent $15 or over, 21.4 per cent $17.50 or over, while only 13.1 per cent receive $20 or over, and 8.3 and 5.7 per cent earn $22.50 and $25 or over, respectively, and 2.8 per cent earn under $7.50 a week. The foreign-born, it will be noted, show a proportion earning each specified amount below that shown for the iron and steel workers who were native-born of foreign father and those who were whites native-born of native father. The proportions of white employees native-born of native father, and those who were native-born of foreign father, earning each specified amount, differ very little one from the other.

Among the foreign-born, it will be noted that, with the exception of the French and Swedes, all of whom earn $7.50 or over a week, each race shows a small proportion earning under $7.50. Of those earning $10 or over the Swedes, with 96.1 per cent, show a larger proportion than the Welsh, Canadians other than French, English, Lithuanians, Irish, French, Russians, Germans, or Slovaks, in the order namedeach showing a proportion in excess of that shown for all foreign-born employees. Of the employees of this group reporting a proportion of their number as earning a less sum than that shown by the total figures for the foreign-born, the Poles, with 67.8 per cent, report the largest proportion, and the Servians, with 45.4 per cent, the smallest. As contrasted with the proportions of the older immigrant races earning each of the specified amounts, the proportions of the more recent immigrant races are very low. By way of illustration, it will be noted that among those who earn $15 or over, the proportions of the older immigrant races range from 69.9 per cent of the Welsh to 35.3 per cent of the Germans, while of the more recent immigrants the proportions range from 35.2 per cent of the Bohemians and Moravians to 6.4 per

cent of the Servians.

Among those who earned $17.50 or over, $20 or over, $22.50 or over, and $25 or over the differences between the older and more recent immigrant races are all the more marked, the Welsh, in each instance, among the older immigrant races, showing the largest and the Germans the smallest percentages. Of the more recent immigrants earning $17.50 or over the Bohemians and Moravians, with 24.2 per cent, show a much larger percentage than any of the other races, the Roumanians, with 1.7 per cent, having the smallest proportion. As regards those who earned $20 or over, in no instance does a more recent immigrant race show a proportion in excess of 3 per cent. Of the employees native-born of foreign father it will be noted that the differences in the proportions of those whose fathers were born in the various countries, earning each specified amount, are very much less marked than among the foreign-born races, the most noticeable difference being shown by those whose fathers were born. in Austria-Hungary as compared with those whose fathers were born in the other countries.

The next table submitted shows, by general nativity and race, the percentage of males 14 and under 18 years of age earning each specified amount per week:

TABLE 140.-Per cent of male employees 14 and under 18 years of age earning each specified amount per week, by general nativity and race.*

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

*This table shows wages or earnings for the period indicated, but no account is taken of voluntary lost time or lost time from shutdowns or other causes. In the various tables in this report showing annual earnings allowance is made for time lost during the year.

Of the male employees between the ages of 14 and 18 years for whom information was secured almost all earn $2.50 or over, 90.2 per cent $5 or over, 43.3 per cent $7.50 or over, 19.1 per cent $10 or over, 7.2 per cent $12.50 or over, and 2.7 per cent $15 or over each week. The proportion of employees earning $5 or over or $10 or over weekly is largest for the native-born employees of native father, second for the foreign-born, and smallest for those of native birth and of foreign father. The proportion of employees earning $7.50 or over, $12.50 or over, and $15 or over per week is largest for the foreign-born, second for those who were native-born of native father, and smallest for those who were native-born of foreign father.