CHAPTER III.

ECONOMIC STATUS.

Industrial condition abroad of members of immigrant households studied-Principal occupation of immigrant employees before coming to the United States-General occupation of women at the present time in the households studied-General occupation of males at the present time in the households studied-Weekly earnings Relation between period of residence and earning ability-Annual earnings of male heads of families studied-Annual earnings of males 18 years of age or over in the households studied-Annual family income-Wives at work-Annual earnings of females 18 years of age or over in the households studied-Relation between the earnings of husbands and the practice of wives of keeping boarders and lodgers-Sources of family income-Relative importance of different sources of family income-[Text Tables 665 to 684 and General Tables 380 tó 392].

INDUSTRIAL CONDITION ABROAD OF MEMBERS OF IMMIGRANT HOUSEHOLDS STUDIED.

Before examining the present industrial condition of immigrant iron and steel workers in the Birmingham district the economic status while abroad of members of immigrant households studied may be briefly considered. In this connection the following tables show the industrial condition and occupation before coming to the United States of foreign-born females in the households studied who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming. The presentation is by race of individual.

TABLE 665.-Industrial condition before coming to the United States of foreign-born females who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more females reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign

born.]

TABLE 666.-Occupation before coming to the United States of foreign-born females who were 16 years or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more females reporting. The total, however, is for all foreignborn.]

Upon information secured from 344 females, it is found that 95.9 per cent were without occupation abroad, leaving less than 5 per cent who had employment. Of those who had employment, 2.9 per cent of the total number worked for wages, and 1.2 per cent of the total number worked without wages. None of those reporting worked for profit. Of the four races specified, French, South Italian, Scotch, and Slovak, none were employed as farm laborers. Of the total number of French females reporting, 5.4 per cent were employed in domestic service, as compared with 0.5 per cent of the South Italians and 2.1 per cent of the Slovaks. None of the Scotch females reporting were employed in domestic service for wages. The South Italian is the only race reporting any females who were employed for wages in hand trades, and of this race the proportion so employed was only 0.5 per cent. None of the French or South Italians were employed for wages in occupations other than those above enumerated, but of the Scotch reporting the proportion so employed was 7.4 per cent, as compared with 4.2 per cent of the Slovaks. The only race reporting any females who were employed abroad without wages is the Slovak, which shows 6.3 per cent of the total number who were thus employed as farm laborers.

The tables next presented show, by race of individual, the industrial condition and occupation before coming to the United States of foreign-born males in the households studied who were 16 years of age or over at time of arrival in the United States.

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TABLE 667.—Industrial condition before coming to the United States of foreign-born males who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

TABLE 668.-Occupation before coming to the United States of foreign-born males who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

The above table shows that, of a total of 1,080 foreign-born males, the largest proportion, or 50.7 per cent, were working for wages before coming to the United States, while 41.2 per cent were working for profit, 5.4 per cent were working without wages, and 2.7 per cent were without occupation.

Among the various races, the Poles show the largest proportion, or 8.3 per cent, who were without occupation, while, with the exception of the Scotch, who show none, the Bulgarians have the smallest, or 0.6 per cent. As regards those who were working for wages, the Scotch show the largest, and the Greeks the smallest, proportion, and of those who were working without wages, the North Italians show

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a larger, and, with the exception of the French and Macedonians, which show none, the Scotch a smaller, proportion than any other race. Each race except the Scotch exhibits a certain proportion who were working for profit, the Greeks showing the largest and the French the smallest.

Each of the various races, except the Scotch, shows a proportion of those who were working for wages to have been employed as farm laborers. The South Italians have the largest and the French the smallest percentage thus employed, and each race, except the Bulgarians, North Italians, Macedonians, and Slovaks, has a comparatively small proportion who were general laborers. Small proportions of the Poles, French, North Italians, Scotch, and South Italians, ranging from 8.3 per cent to 0.5 per cent, were employed abroad in the iron and steel industry.

The French and Macedonians are the only races not showing a proportion who were working in their native countries without wages, while each race, with the exception of the Bulgarians, Scotch, South Italians, and Slovaks, show the entire number who were working without wages to have been farm laborers. Of the races showing a proportion who were working for profit, all show a certain number, ranging from 49.4 per cent of the Bulgarians to 3.9 per cent of the French, to have been independent farmers.

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

The table next presented shows, by race, the per cent of foreignborn male iron and steel workers studied who were in each specified occupation before coming to the United States.

TABLE 669.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in each specified occupation before coming to the United States, by race.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

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

Information was obtained in this locality for 958 foreign-born male employees. Of this number, 45 per cent were engaged in farming or employed as farm laborers, 25.3 per cent were employed as general laborers, 9.4 per cent were in hand trades, 2.2 per cent were in trade, and 10.1 per cent were in occupations other than specified, while only 6.6 and 1.5 per cent were employed in manufacturing iron and steel and in other manufacturing, respectively. Thus it will be seen that an extremely small proportion have had previous experience in, or

knowledge of, the industry in which they are now employed. As between the Greeks and South Italians, it will be noted that, with the exception of a considerably smaller proportion of the former than of the latter who were engaged in farming or employed as farm laborers, and a considerably larger proportion of the former than of the latter who were employed as general laborers, the proportions of each race employed abroad in the other occupations are very nearly the same, not any Greeks, and only 0.5 per cent of the South Italians, however, being employed in manufacturing iron and steel.

GENERAL OCCUPATION OF WOMEN AT THE PRESENT TIME, IN THE HOUSEHOLDS STUDIED.

The table next submitted shows, by general nativity and race of individual, the general occupation of females who were 16 years of age or over in the households studied in the Birmingham district.

TABLE 670.-General occupation of females 16 years of age or over, by general nativity and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more females reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

From the data presented in the above table it appears that of the females 16 years of age or over for whom information was secured, 95.4 per cent are at home, 2.1 per cent at school, only a fraction of í per cent in domestic service or trade, and 1 per cent otherwise employed. The proportion of individuals at home is largest for the foreign-born, second largest for the native-born negro of native father, and considerably larger for the native-born white of native father than for the native-born of foreign father. Among the foreign-born, the South Italians have the largest and the French the smallest proportion of individuals at home.