TABLE 252.- Visits abroad made by foreign-born employees, by sex, years in the United States, and race-Continued.

AGE CLASSIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES.

The range in the ages of employees is exhibited in the table next presented, which shows, by sex and general nativity and race of individual, the percentage of employees within each specified age group.

TABLE 253.-Per cent of employees within each age group, by sex and general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 80 or more persons reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

TABLE 253.-Per cent of employees within each age group, by sex and general nativity and race-Continued.

Out of 7,554 employees, male and female, engaged in the shoe industry in the Middle West, none are below the age of 14 years. Almost 50 per cent are from 14 to 19 years of age. This is the largest proportion in any age group. Less than 10 per cent are in each of the following age groups: From 30 to 34, from 35 to 44, 45 to 54, and 55 or over. The foreign-born, when compared with the native-born of foreign father, show a smaller proportion between the ages of 14 and 24 and a larger proportion in each age group above 24 years. A larger proportion of male employees are between the ages of 14 and 19 years than between any other specified age group. In that age group the proportion is 34.8 per cent. The next largest proportion is of those between the ages of 20 and 24. Less than 10 per cent are in each of the age groups over 30 years, only 1.7 per cent being 55 years of age or over. Among the foreign-born males, the Greeks show, when compared with the Germans, a larger proportion in each age group below 30 years and a smaller proportion in each age group above 30 years. Of a total of 2,951 female employees, over half, or 56.9 per cent, are between the ages of 14 and 19 years. Less than 10 per cent are in each age group above 25 years. The foreign-born females show a smaller proportion in each age group under 25 years and a larger proportion in each age group over 25 years than do the native-born of foreign father.

CHAPTER V.

GENERAL PROGRESS AND ASSIMILATION.

Citizenship-Ability to speak English-[Text Tables 254 to 255 and General Tables 171 to 173].

CITIZENSHIP.

The extent to which foreign-born employees have acquired or manifested an interest in attaining citizenship is set forth in the following table, which shows, by race, the present political condition of foreign-born male employees who have been in the United States five years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming to this country.

TABLE 254.-Present political condition of foreign-born male employees who have been in the United States 5 years or over and who were 21 years of age or over at time of coming, by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States.]

From the data presented in the above table it appears that of the 98 male employees for whom information was secured 45, or 45.9 per cent, are fully naturalized, and that 23 employees, or 23.5 per cent, have first papers only.

ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH.

The following table shows, by sex and race, the percentage of foreign-born employees of non-English-speaking races who were able to speak English:

TABLE 255.-Per cent of foreign-born employees who speak English, by sex and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only non-English-speaking races with 80 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all non-English-speaking races.]

It appears from the data presented in the above table that 89.7 per cent of the foreign-born females for whom information was secured can speak English, as compared with 75.6 per cent of the males. This low percentage of persons able to speak English for males, as compared with females, is apparently very largely due to the fact that no Greek females were included in the report. Only 55.2 per cent of the Greek males speak English. The proportion of English speaking Germans is noticeably higher in the case of the males than in the case of the females.