CHAPTER II.

RACIAL DISPLACEMENTS.

History of immigration-Period of residence in the United States of foreign-born employees and members of their households-Racial classification of employees at the present time [Text Tables 9 to 17 and General Tables 4 and 5].

HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION.

Data showing in detail the history of immigration to the boot and shoe manufacturing industry are unavailable. The returns of the United States Census Office show, however, the racial composition of the working force in the years 1880, 1890, and 1900, and from the figures given by the census, it is possible to determine the movement of immigration to the industry in a general way. The following table shows the racial composition of the boot and shoe workers in the States of Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, and New Jersey, and in the United States as a whole, in 1880;

TABLE 9.-Number of boot and shoe workers in the United States and in selected States, by country of birth, 1880.

In the above table employees are classified by country of birth. There were at the time of the census 194,079 boot and shoe workers in the United States-6,538 in Illinois, 58,900 in Massachusetts, 3,845 in Missouri, and 6,832 in New Jersey. It appears from the table that 124,691 workers, or almost two-thirds of all the workers in the country, were of native birth. The proportion of native-born employees was much larger in Massachusetts and New Jersey than in Illinois and Missouri. Öf the foreign-born employees those of Irish and Canadian birth had, in the order mentioned, the largest representation in Massachusetts, while the Germans were present in the largest numbers in the other three States for which the figures are given. In the country, as a whole, the Germans and the Irish, in the order mentioned, were present in larger numbers than persons of any other foreign nativity. None of the countries of southern or eastern

Europe are included in the census classification. It will be however, that the figures reported under "Other countries comparatively small.

The following table shows the number of boot and shoe worl the States referred to above, in 1890, by general nativity a country of birth:

TABLE 10.-Number of boot and shoe workers in the United States and in selected S general nativity and country of birth, 1890.

In the year 1890 there were 213,544 boot and shoe workers country as a whole-7,684 in Illinois, 68,873 in Massachusetts, in Missouri, and 8,089 in New Jersey. Slightly over one-third the employees in the United States were of foreign birth. 1880, the proportion of foreign-born workers was considerably in Illinois and in Missouri than in Massachusetts and New J Of the foreign-born employees of the races for which figures are g the Germans had the largest representation in the country whole. In Massachusetts the Irish and French and English dians were present in large numbers, while there were very Germans. Upon the other hand, in Illinois, Missouri, and Jersey, the Germans outnumbered the persons of any other fo nativity. Natives of Sweden and Norway were present in co erable numbers in Illinois, while the Irish ranked next afte German in Mssouri and New Jersey. As was the case in the ceding census, natives of southern and eastern Europe were classified separately, and the number of employees reported "Other countries" was small.

The table following shows the racial composition of the wo force in the selected States and in the country as a whole in 1900.

TABLE 11.-Number of boot and shoe workers in the United States and in selected States, by general nativity and country of birth of parents, 1900.

[Compiled from occupation tables of Twelfth Census, 1900.]

In the above table employees are classified by general nativity and country of birth of parents instead of by general nativity and country of birth as in the table for 1890. There were, in 1900, 209,047 boot and shoe workers in the country as a whole-8,574 in Illinois, 65,671 in Massachusetts, 8,407 in Missouri, and 8,318 in New Jersey. The proportion of foreign-born employees in the country as a whole was about the same as in 1890. In Massachusetts the proportion of foreign-born employees had increased slightly. Among the foreignborn employees reported for the country as a whole those of German and Irish parentage had the largest representations. Persons of Canadian, British, and Scandinavian parentage were reported in considerable numbers. What is particularly worthy of note is the presence of persons of Italian, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Polish parentage. There were, in 1900, 9,872 persons of Italian parentage employed in the industry. Persons whose parents were born in the countries of southern and eastern Europe were present in all of the States for which the figures are given.

It will be seen from the foregoing series of tables that the employment of recent immigrants in the boot and shoe industry began at some time in the period between 1890 and 1900. Since that time the labor forces for the industry have been principally recruited from the races of southern and eastern Europe.

PERIOD OF RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES OF FOREIGN-BORN EMPLOYEES AND MEMBERS OF THEIR HOUSEHOLDS.

The character of recent and past immigration to the boot and shoe manufacturing establishments of the country as a whole may be readily seen from the series of tables next presented, which set forth the period of residence in the United States of foreign-born employees and members of their households. Length of residence in this country and period of employment in the industry are not necessarily

identical, but they closely approximate each other. The two and chart next presented show, by sex and race, the percen foreign-born employees who had been in the United State specified number of years.

TABLE 12.-Per cent of foreign-born employees in the United States under 1 yea 2 years, etc., by sex and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No d made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 80 or more persons repor total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

MALE.