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PART IV. DETAILED STUDY OF RAILROAD AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION WORK IN THE WEST.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

Territory studied-Description of localities-Employees for whom information was secured [Text Table 52 and General Table 27].

TERRITORY STUDIED.

The investigation of immigrant labor in railroad and other construction work in the West was made in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and parts of Kansas and Missouri. This territory for the purposes of the present report is arbitrarily designated as the West. The nationalities and the method of employing them, together with a brief description of their treatment and the manner in which they live, is given. The character of the work, its advantages and disadvantages, compared with other employment in the same section, is also touched upon. Likewise a general description of the localities where construction camps were visited is given and the effect of the climate on the length and amount of employment is discussed.

DESCRIPTION OF LOCALITIES.

The sections in which construction work was ttudied were for the most part rolling prairies where the work was comparatively light and of short duration. During the winter the construction work, generally throughout the Northwest, is discontinued. The country surrounding the work is sparsely settled. There are, however, many foreign laborers that work through this section each harvesting season. It was stated by one of the leading labor agents in the territory that annually 7,000 men seek employment in the wheat fields, working northward as the crops ripen, arriving in the Dakotas in time to reap the late crops there in August and September. Having finished the harvesting season, they stay near the larger cities in that region until winter brings work in the logging camps and at the ice harvests. In the spring they again return to the cities and await the harvest season. This demand for labor greatly affects the construction work, as the harvest fields pay higher wages, and, owing to the shortness of the time of employment in construction work in this section, is fully as attractive to the laborer in other respects.

EMPLOYEES FOR WHOM INFORMATION WAS SECURED.

The extent of the statistical data received in the West is exhibited by the following table, which shows the number and percentage of male employees of each race for whom information was secured:

TABLE 52.--Male employees of each race for whom information was secured.

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CHAPTER II.

RACIAL DISPLACEMENTS.

Period of residence in the United States of foreign-born employees-Racial classification of employees at the present time [Text Tables 53 and 54 and General Table 28].

PERIOD OF RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES OF FOREIGN-BORN

EMPLOYEES.

The character of recent and past immigrant labor employed in construction work in the West may be seen from the following table, which shows, by race, the percentage of foreign-born male employees who had been in the United States each specified number of years:

TABLE 53.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in the United States each specified number of years, by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No deduction is made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

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More of the persons included in the above table have been in the United States under five years than in all of the other age periods combined. None have been in this country for twenty years or more, and less than 2 per cent have been here over ten years. All of the Roumanians have been in the United States under five years, and none of the Bulgarians or Greeks have been here over nine years. The South Italians show the largest proportion in the period of from ten to fourteen years, while the Croatians show the only proportion over fourteen years. Over 90 per cent each of the Bulgarians and Greeks are of less than five years' residence here.

RACIAL CLASSIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES AT THE PRESENT TIME.

The racial composition of the operating forces at the present time is exhibited by the following table, which sets forth the number and percentage of male employees of each race for whom information was secured:

TABLE 54.— Male employees of each race for whom information was secured.

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Less than 1 per cent of the total number of persons for whom information was secured are North Italians. Over 5 per cent are Roumanians. The largest proportion is shown for the South Italian race, the percentage being 39.6. The Bulgarians also were studied in comparatively large numbers, the proportion for that race being slightly less than 25 per cent. The Croatians and Greeks studied each represent between 12 and 20 per cent of the total number.

CHAPTER III.

ECONOMIC STATUS.

Principal occupation of immigrant employees before coming to the United StatesDaily earnings-Relation between period of residence and earning ability-[Text Tables 55 to 57 and General Tables 29 to 31].

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

Before entering into a discussion of the economic status of employees of railroad and other construction work in the West, the following table is submitted, showing, by race, the percentage of foreign-born male employees in each specified occupation before coming to the United States:

TABLE 55.—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.]

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The preceding table shows that by far the greatest proportion of males reporting were engaged in farming or were farm laborers before coming to the United States. The next greatest proportion were engaged in hand trades, a considerably smaller percentage were general laborers, while about the same proportion were in trades or engaged in other occupations, and a very small percentage were in manufacturing. Greeks show the highest percentage who were farm laborers before coming to the United States, Croatians the highest percentage who were general laborers, Bulgarians the greatest proportion in hand trades, South Italians the highest percentage in trade and other occupations, and Greeks the highest percentage who were in manufacturing.

DAILY EARNINGS.

The average amount and range in amount of daily earnings of the employees is exhibited in the table next submitted, which shows, by general nativity and race, the percentage of male employees 18 years age or over earning each specified amount per day.

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