CHAPTER XX.

POPULATION AND RACIAL DISPLACEMENTS.

Population-Racial distribution of the population-History of immigration to the community-[Text Tables 287 to 289].

POPULATION.

The population of the town proper, as given by the Twelfth Census, was 2,635, of which number 2,048 persons were native-born and 587 foreign-born. During the eight years subsequent to the census year, 1900 to 1908, the population more than doubled, careful estimates placing the total at 7,200 persons. The foreign-born persons in 1908 were estimated at 1,900 and the native-born, including 340 children native-born of foreign fathers, at 5,300 persons. In the census year the foreign population was 22.3 per cent of the total; in the year 1908 the foreign element was 26.4 per cent of the entire population. Within the borough proper there is an estimated population of 4,200; outside the borough limits the population in the semidetached mining communities is estimated at 3,000 persons. A careful estimate of the total foreign population of the community, by race, follows:

TABLE 287.-Foreign population of Community B, by race, 1908.

The English-speaking elements in the population include, besides those of English-speaking races, Germans of the second generation and Germans of the first generation who have lived a long period of years in the United States, who are thoroughly Americanized, and almost all of whom are American citizens.

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RACIAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION.

The English-speaking element forms the main body of the population of the town proper. In the semidetached mining communities are found almost all of the Polish, Slovak, Ruthenian, Lithuanian, and Flemish inhabitants, together with about one-third of the Italian and a few English-speaking residents.

HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION TO THE COMMUNITY.

Mines were first opened in the locality about the year 1876, and the history of immigration has coincided with the development of the mining industry. The period of greatest expansion in mining has been since the year 1900, and during the past eight years there have been greater additions to the population than in any previous period. The arrival of recent immigrant races before the close of the past decade was very slow and gradual. Community B, as a matter of fact, was one of the last towns in western Pennsylvania to use laborers from southern and southeastern Europe, and only employed men from these sections when other miners could not be secured during the years immediately following 1900.

Thirty years ago, at the time the mines were opened and the town started, native Americans and Scotch, English, Germans, and Welsh who were then in the community, were employed. For a period of eight years the field belonged exclusively to these races. The Irish

at that time began to settle in the neighborhood and gradually secured work in the mines. The Irish were followed in the course of two or three years by the French. About sixteen years ago a few scattered Slovaks began to appear in the community, and the next four years were the most marked period of Slavic immigration. During this period the Slovak and Polish races formed the bulk of the immigration. The next wave of immigration followed four years later, and was marked by the advent of Lithuanians and Ruthenians. A small number of Italians began to appear in the community about the year 1898. Two or three years later they secured work in the mines in large numbers. They were at first engaged in railroad construction and maintenance-of-way work near the town and gradually drifted into the mines. Data as to race were received from 838 mining employees in the community.

Of the total of 838 persons, 142 are native-born whites, 175 are persons native-born of foreign father, and 520 are foreign-born. It will be noted in the following tabulation of these persons by race that there is a considerable representation of native-born persons whose fathers were born in England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and Wales, as well as a small number whose fathers' country of birth was Austria-Hungary. There are also quite a number of foreignborn English, German, Irish, and Scotch. The presence of these races is proportionately not so large in other mining localities in Pennsylvania, and the large numbers are probably to be accounted for by the tendency on the part of these races to move to a locality controlled by organized labor. Of the more recent immigrants, the South Italians, Lithuanians, Poles, and Slovaks appear in greatest numbers. A significant feature of Community B as compared with

Community A is the absence of Magyars and the general preponderance of English-speaking or older elements in the population. Of the 520 persons of foreign birth, English, Irish, Welsh, Scotch, and Germans constitute a total of 180; and 152 out of a total of 175 persons native-born of foreign father are males whose fathers were born in England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, or Germany. The detailed showing for a total of 838 persons of all races furnishing information, which is representative of the racial composition of the mine workers in the community, is given below:

TABLE 288.-Number of male employees for whom information was secured, by general nativity and race.

Of the foreign-born employees in the mines of the community, 520 furnished data as to period of residence in the United States. Of this number, 27.1 per cent have been in the country under five years, 28.1 per cent between five and nine years, and 44.8 per cent ten years or over. Of the total foreign-born, 28.3 per cent reported a residence of more than twenty years. This group of old residents, 70.1 per cent of whom are English, Irish, Scotch, and Welsh, includes also 22 Slovaks of early immigration to the United States. The races with the largest proportion of their members showing recent arrival in the United States are the South Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, and Slovak.

The exhibit for all races is shown in the following table:

TABLE 289.-Number 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.]

CHAPTER XXI.

ECONOMIC STATUS.

Occupations of immigrant employees in the mining industry-Earnings of mining employees Money sent abroad-[Text Tables 290 to 293].

OCCUPATIONS OF IMMIGRANT EMPLOYEES IN THE MINING INDUSTRY.

From an industrial standpoint, the recent immigrants have not, with the exception of the Slovak, begun to emerge from the occupation in which they began work in the mines. The Slovak is beginning to ascend in the scale of occupations and in some mines is earning as much as 30 cents an hour in positions formerly occu-. pied by Americans. With the exception of a few Poles and the Slovaks, all recent immigrants work as machine and pick miners. The Slovaks alone of recent immigrants are found in the occupations of trip rider, driver, fireman, car coupler, car shifter, dumper, oiler, tracklayer, timberman, brakeman, trapper, and car dropper. This wide range of occupations entered by the Slovak is probably due in large measure to his longer period of residence in the community. In like manner, the fact that the Italian is now on the lowest industrial level is partly to be ascribed to his comparatively short experience in coal mining, as this race was one of the last to seek employment in the mines of the community. All races of recent immigration will undoubtedly make slow progress, the Lithuanian having a chance for a comparatively more rapid advance because of his longer residence and his quickness and intelligence. The following tabulation, showing occupation by race in representative mines in the locality, illustrates the distribution of races in the industry. It also furnishes a striking illustration of the tendency of different races to segregate in certain mines, as compared with the situation in Community A, where such segregation is not permitted. Mine No. I in the following tables shows a preponderance of English, Americans, Slovak, Scotch, Irish, French, and Welsh among the pick miners; Mine No. II exhibits a large number of South Italians along with English-speaking immigrants in the same occupation; in Mine No. III the pick miners are largely South Italians; in Mine No. IV the pick miners are largely Slovaks, the next largest number being English.

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