is largest for the Slovenians, Russians, Armenians, Finns, Croatians, Lithuanians and Slovaks in the order mentioned, and the proportion of individuals who have been here from ten to fourteen years is largest for the Welsh, English, and Finns in the order mentioned. The Swedes, Canadians other than French, Scotch, Welsh, and English, in the order mentioned, have the largest proportions of individuals who have been here from fifteen to nineteen years; and the Scotch, Irish, Germans, English, and Canadians other than French, have the largest proportions of individuals who have been here twenty

years or over.

RACIAL CLASSIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES AT THE PRESENT TIME.

The racial make-up of the operating forces of the Middle West is exhibited in the following table, which shows the number and per cent of male employees of each race for whom information was secured. The relative proportions are considered representative of the entire body of iron and steel workers:

TABLE 564.-Male employees for whom information was secured, by general nativity and race.

Upon comparing the totals in the preceding table it is seen that the native negroes form an unimportant proportion of the employees in the Middle West. The white employees, native-born of native father, also constitute only 15.1 per cent of the total. On the other hand, the employees of the second generation, or of native birth of foreign father, form 13 per cent of the total and the foreign-born 71.5 per cent. Germans, Irish, and English constitute almost all of the second generation, and the principal races of foreign birth employed are the Poles, Germans, Slovenians, Croatians, English, Irish, Magyars, Russians, and Slovaks. The proportion of Polish employees is far in excess of that of any other race.

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 565 to 569 and General Tables 314 to 316].

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

The principal occupations while abroad of the iron and steel workers of foreign birth employed in the establishments of the Middle West are exhibited in the following table, which shows, by race, the per cent of foreign-born male employees in each specified occupation before coming to the United States:

TABLE 565.—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.]

The table shows that only 9.8 per cent of the 6,970 employees reporting were employed in the manufacturing of iron and steel and its products before coming to the United States, and only 2.8 per cent were engaged in other manufacturing. On the other hand, 62.5 per cent were farming or were farm laborers and 10.5 per cent were general laborers. A small proportion, 6.5 per cent, were in hand trades, 1.3 per cent were in trade, and 6.6 per cent were in other occupations.

A large proportion of the Welsh, or 87.5 per cent, were engaged in the manufacture of iron and steel before coming to this country, and

58.7 per cent of the English were also employed in this industry before leaving Europe. The Swedes and Germans show the next largest proportion, but the percentage in each instance is small when compared with the first-mentioned races. The Slovaks and Croatians show slightly over 2 per cent and North Italians only 1.1 per cent who had had any previous experience in their present occupations. The Germans, Swedes, English, Irish, and Finns show the highest percents having been engaged in other manufacturing; no Servians were formerly thus employed. The Croatians show 86.3 per cent who were farming or were farm laborers before coming to the United States. They are closely followed by the Servians. Then come the Slovaks, Lithuanians, Finns, Magyars, Slovenians, Poles, Russians, and Irish, in the order named. The English show only 5.8 per cent and Welsh 1 per cent who were engaged in this occupation before coming to this country. The North Italians report the highest percentage who were general laborers, and the Croatians and Welsh show but very small proportions thus employed. The North Italians show the highest percentage in hand trades and the Welsh the lowest. The English and Germans report over 3 per cent, and the Lithuanians, Croatians, Irish, Slovaks, Magyars, and Poles less than 1 per cent, who were in trade before coming to the United States. The Swedes show 22.6 per cent and the English 14.2 per cent who were formerly engaged in other occupations, as contrasted with less than 10 per cent of any of the other races who were thus employed. No Servians were employed in other occupations.

WEEKLY EARNINGS.

The table next presented shows, by general nativity and race, the per cent of male employees in the Middle West who were 18 years of age or over and who were earning each specified amount weekly:

TABLE 566.—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 and 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.

TABLE 566.—Per cent of male employees 18 years of age or over earning each specified amount per week, by general nativity and race- -Continued.

Of the male employees 18 years of age or over for whom information was secured almost all earn $7.50 or over per week; 87.8 per cent earn $10 or over; 63.9 per cent $12.50 or over, and 40.3 per cent earn $15 or over. On the other hand, only 14.4 per cent earn $20 or more, 9.7 per cent $22.50 or over, and 7.1 per cent $25 or over each week. The proportion of employees earning $10 or over per week is largest for those native-born of foreign father, second largest for the foreignborn employees, and smallest for those native-born of native father. The proportion of employees earning $17.50 or over each week is largest for the native-born of foreign father, second largest for the native-born of native father, and smallest for the foreign-born, while the proportion earning $15 or over, $20 or over, $22.50 or over, and $25 or over per week, respectively, is largest for the native-born of native father, is second in rank for the native-born of foreign father, and smallest for the foreign-born. In the case of the foreign-born the employees of the races of old immigration from Great Britain and northern Europe have, in general, a larger proportion of individuals earning each of the sums specified than have the employees of the races of recent immigration from southern and eastern Europe. The distinction between these two groups of employees is particularly noticeable in the columns representing the higher earnings.

The table next presented shows, by general nativity and race of individual, the percentage of male employees 14 and under 18 years of age who were earning each specified amount per week.