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 tables and chart next presented show, by sex and race, the percentage of foreign-born employees who had been in the United States each specified number of years.

TABLE 12.-Per cent of foreign-born employees in the United States under 1 year, 1 year, 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 deduction is made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 80 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

TABLE 13.-Per cent of foreign-born employees in the United States each specified number of years, by sex and 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 80 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of a total of 5,324 foreign-born employees in the shoe-manufacturing industry it is seen that a larger proportion (or 37.8 per cent) have been in the United States under five years than any other specified period, and considerably more than 50 per cent have been in the United States under ten years. There is but little difference in the proportions of those who have been in the United States from ten to fourteen years and from fifteen to nineteen years, and 21 per cent have been in the United States twenty years or over. Comparing the different foreign-born races it is seen that the greater proportion of the races of recent immigration have been in the United States under ten years, while of the older immigrant races a greater proportion have been in the United States ten years or over. Of 4,380 males, 39.1 per cent have been in the United States under five years, and more than 60 per cent have been in the United States under ten years. The greater proportion of the males of the older immigrant races, except the Swedish, have been in the United States fifteen years or over, while a comparatively small proportion of the races of recent immigration have been in this country for so long a period. The larger proportion of the Bohemian and Moravian, Russian, Greek, Russian Hebrew, and Slovak races have been in the United States under five years. Of the 944 females reporting complete data, a somewhat smaller proportion than that of the males, or 50.8 per cent against 61.2, have been in the United States under ten years, while somewhat larger proportions have been in the United States in each of the three longer periods of residence. Very low proportions of the females of the more recent races have been in the United States the longer periods of residence or ten years or more, while with the older immigrant races the reverse is true. Of those who have entered the industry within the past five years it is seen from the total that a larger proportion have been in the United States two years than any other specified period; a gradual increase is shown in the periods preceding, and in those succeeding there has been a rather sharp decrease, due largely to industrial conditions. The Bohemians and Moravians show a very much higher proportion who have been in the United States under one year than any other race, while generally speaking the races of more recent immigration show higher proportions in each of these periods than the older immigrant races, showing that the races of the class last mentioned are not entering the industry at present to such a marked extent as formerly.

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