living expenses, are able to make the business a success, even on this limited income.

The immigrant business men in Community D associate but little with business men of races other than their own, and especially do they not associate with native business men. The "clan spirit' seems to prevail in this particular, the "clan" being all of the members of any one race located in the community. In addition to this exclusiveness on the part of the immigrants the few native business men operating in the community live in a part of the town that is not in touch with the section occupied by the immigrants, and this fact causes a further widening of the commercial chasm. Relations between the two classes of business people, immigrant and native, are not strained, the one being entirely out of touch with the other.

IMMIGRANTS IN THE PROFESSIONS.

There are no immigrant professional men in Community D. One or two of the steamship agents, who are also engaged in the foreignexchange business, give advice of a "legal" nature to those of their countrymen who seek it, but these men can not be classed as practitioners. In the medical profession all service is performed by natives, and mostly by those residing and practicing in the adjoining city. The reason why there are no immigrants engaged in the professions is explained by the fact that the community is still very young and all immigrants have come there since 1901. In addition to this nearly all of the immigrants are of recent arrival in the United States, and their children have not yet reached the age where they could undertake any serious work along professional lines.

IMMIGRANT BANKS AND INVESTMENTS.

The investments and savings of the immigrants are best shown in connection with the study of the so-called "immigrant banks," which exist throughout the community. General ignorance of the English language and of American business methods has given rise to the immigrant bank among the following recently arrived races: Magyars, Slovaks, Croatians, Poles, Bulgarians, Roumanians, and Russians. The Irish and German immigrants who speak, or who are rapidly learning to speak, the English language employ largely the organized native institutions, and no representatives of these races operate banks in the community.

These so-called "banks" are, in fact, not banks at all, but they minister to the financial wants of the immigrant and have become a fixed institution in the immigrant life. If the newly arrived immigrant has neither relatives or friends in the community, he will be almost certain to find, in the person of the immigrant banker, a champion and helper.

The

There are seven of these institutions in Community D, and from five of that number detailed information was secured, and an investigation into their status, methods, and operation was made. following general information will show at a glance the principal facts in connection with these institutions:

Of these institutions accredited with conducting a "banking" business, only one receives deposits. On the day on which this banker was interviewed the general deposit book showed a balance on hand of $1,311.25, representing 17 depositors. The proprietor stated that in every case these sums were left with him for safe-keeping by the patrons of a boarding house operated by him. For such deposits he issues no receipt or pass book, and said that the money was left with him merely as a matter of trust. No interest is paid for such deposits, and the proprietor stated that they were no source of revenue to him, as he had deposited the amounts with a national bank in the community as a checking account and subject to no interest. On the day of the interview the proprietor's bank book with the said national bank showed a balance of $1,000, but in his safe he had between $600 and $700, and had approximately 2,000 kronor ($407) on deposit with the Croatian National Bank, the sum of these amounts being more than sufficient to cover the amount of money received for safe-keeping. These deposits, while not subject to check, may be withdrawn at any time, but the proprietor is given the privilege of making such use as he can of funds in his possession, and that he prefers to hold them intact and not invest them is due to no demand of his patrons. The banker makes no loans, except a few loans to personal friends. These transactions are of a personal nature and no interest is given or security required."

a See Immigrant Banks. Reports of the Immigration Commission, vol. 37. (S. Doc. No. 381, 61st Cong., 2d sess.)

CHAPTER VIII.

GENERAL PROGRESS AND ASSIMILATION.

Ownership of homes-Status of children in the households studied-CitizenshipAbility to speak English-General influences for and against Americanization[Text Tables 544 to 554 and General Tables 303 to 311].

OWNERSHIP OF HOMES.

Mention has already been made of the fact that, owing to the high valuation of ground in the community, it is practically impossible for the iron and steel workers to acquire homes. The following table shows, by general nativity and race of head of family, the number and percentage of families studied who own their homes:

TABLE 544.-Number and per cent of families owning home, by general nativity and race of head of family.

Upon information secured from 463 families as shown in the preceding table it is found that only 11.4 per cent own the homes in which they are living. The totals for all nativity groups show that a greater proportion of families the heads of which were foreign-born than of those with heads of native birth own homes, the proportion of the former being 11.9 per cent, as compared with 7.8 per cent of the latter. The proportion of the foreign-born is affected principally by the Polish families, who report 15.6 per cent owning homes. Of the Croatians and Magyars, 4.7 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively, own homes, the other foreign-born families reporting data being so few as not to justify a computation. Compared with the foreign-born races, the native American whites, reporting 10.8 per cent as owning homes, show a larger proportion than any other race, with the exception of the Poles.

STATUS OF CHILDREN IN THE HOUSEHOLDS STUDIED.

The tendency exhibited by the children of native and foreign birth in the community is set forth in the following table, which shows, by general nativity and race of father and by birthplace of child, the number and percentage of children 6 and under 16 years of age, in the households studied, at home, at school, and at work: TABLE 545.-Number and per cent of children 6 and under 16 years of age at home, at school, and at work, by general nativity and race of father and by birthplace of child. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more children born in the United States and also 20 or more born abroad. Native-born of native father are shown for comparative purposes.]

The above table discloses the fact that none of the native-born children 6 and under 16 years of age and only 1 per cent of the native-born of Polish father are at work. None of the foreign-born Polish children are at work. Of the Polish children who were born abroad, 22.2 per cent are at home, as are 32.7 per cent of those who were born in the United States; and 77.8 per cent of the former and 66.3 per cent of the latter are at school.

CITIZENSHIP.

The table next presented shows, by race, the present political condition of foreign-born male iron and steel workers who have been in the United States five years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at time of arrival in this country:

TABLE 546.-Present political condition of foreign-born male employees who have been in the United States 5 years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming, by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States.]

TABLE 546.-Present political condition of foreign-born male employees who have been in the United States 5 years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming, by race-Continued.

The preceding table shows the proportion of foreign-born males who are fully naturalized or have first papers only to be small, but 29.5 per cent being citizens and 18.1 per cent having declared such an intention. Of the races reporting in numbers large enough for computation the Germans have a high percentage fully naturalized and a fairly large proportion with first papers, while Poles show a very low percentage fully naturalized and a small proportion who have declared their intention of becoming citizens.

The relation between period of residence in the United States and the acquisition of citizenship is set forth in the table next presented. It shows, by years in the United States and race, the present political condition of foreign-born male employees within the households studied who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming to the United States.

TABLE 547.-Present political condition of foreign-born male employees who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming to the United States, by years in the United States and

race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.).

By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes only races with 100 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]