paratively long period, show a much greater proportion of married men. As time goes by, they bring their wives and children from Europe; especially is this to be noted among the Italians and Slovaks, Slovenians and Finns. These families usually get into the more settled kinds of unskilled labor, such as is found in the coal and ore mines and the smelters.

In the larger cities, where the races have remained for a considerable length of time, they have often become much more strongly Americanized. Much larger numbers speak English, and those who are better-todo show a tendency to leave the colonies of their own people, and to go into the better resident districts. Their children differ much less from those of the American-born, unless they are brought up throughout their childhood in the race colonies, than do their parents. Various races have organized benevolent societies for the care of those of their own people who are unfortunate. These societies, beyond any question, tend somewhat to prevent the race from being Americanized, or perhaps they are rather an evidence that they are not fully Americanized. At the same time, such plans can hardly be regretted since, altho they may somewhat retard the process of assimilation, these societies encourage thrift, and show an independence of State aid, which is extremely commendable.

ITALIAN COLONIES, PORTUGUESE, ETC.

With the exception of a few California communities, the Italian farmers are generally closely colonized. In most cases they are engaged in market gardening, in other cases in grape culture and wine making. The Italians are good farmers; they have

converted large tracts of land, formerly used for stock raising and general farming, into vineyards and orchards, and have added greatly to the wealth of the State. The Italians frequently cooperate in leasing land.

The Portuguese, on the other hand, seldom cooperate, each individual wishing to rent alone his separate land. The Portuguese, while endeavoring to establish themselves independently, have, perhaps, not progressed quite so rapidly in the way of securing land and of becoming prosperous as have either the Italians, Japanese, or the German-Russians. In some special instances, the German-Russians seem to have succeeded unusually well. A considerable number of them have come to Fresno County, California, within the last twenty years. Altho they began earning their livelihood as unskilled laborers, many have since established themselves as farmers. They now control about 5,000 acres. These same people have also made settlements in Colorado, and in some cases the sugar companies have brought large numbers of families of this race from Nebraska to do the hand work employed in growing sugar beets. They are industrious and thrifty, and have made an excellent record in becoming tenant and even independent farmers. These, with the Italians and Portuguese, have perhaps succeeded better than the other races in becoming farm owners, and in really settling down to develop into prosperous American citizens.

Mexicans

Altho the Mexicans are not to be looked upon as Europeans or Asiatic laborers, nevertheless, being chiefly found on the Pacific Coast, as they present a

separate and difficult problem, and in many respects are assimilated with very great difficulty, it is thought best to touch briefly upon their situation here.

NUMBER

In 1900, as reported by the census, the number of Mexicans in the United States was 103,410. Since that time their immigration has been very rapid. During the ten years between July 1, 1899, and June 30, 1909, 23,991 were entered by the Bureau of Immigration. Presumably the number immigrating has been very much larger, perhaps approaching 60,000 a year, altho the majority of those who come over for the first time go back to Mexico, coming largely for seasonal work.

The Mexicans are practically all of them engaged in unskilled labor. Their chief employments are general construction work, as section hands, members of extra gangs on the railroads, as common laborers in railway shops, in coal and ore mining, as general laborers at the smelters, and at times as seasonal farm hands in Texas, Colorado and California. Usually the Mexicans seem to be without ambition or thrift, are content with the wage relations, and their progress in consequence has been slow, much more so than that of the Japanese or Chinese.

From the records of the Immigration Commission, it appears that in 1909 about one-sixth of the section hands and the members of the extra gangs on the railroads in the Western Division were Mexicans.

Their wage was the lowest of that paid to any of the laborers who were simply on the maintenance-ofway work, being say 25 per cent. less than that of the Japanese. In some cases they have been able to

take the places of the higher paid Japanese or Hindus.

Some of them have been taken as far north as Colorado and elsewhere, to work, but mostly when they are taken far away from the Mexican border, arrangements are made by which they can be returned home at the expense of the railway company that engages them. Probably 50 per cent. of those entering the country at El Paso claim their transportation back to that place.

As workers, the Mexicans are stronger physically than the Japanese, more tractable and more easily managed. They are inferior in that they are more likely to drink to excess, and are more irregular in their work, especially after pay-day. Very few of them rise to the rank of foremen; they are, nevertheless, tho unprogressive, intelligent enough to work fairly well under careful supervision.

In certain cases earlier, especially in 1903 and 1904, they were employed as strike-breakers, but not of late years.

Where they have been employed in agriculture, even in growing sugar beets, or otherwise where they come into competition with the Japanese, they are found less efficient. For example, where the pay is by the acre, from $18 to $20 for the hand work, the Japanese will care for from 11 to 12 acres each, and the Mexicans about 8. The Mexicans will earn, say, $2 or over per day, while the season lasts. In a few cases the Mexicans are preferred by the employers as hand workers to the Japanese, but in most lines of work they are considered inferior.

Where they have settled in colonies as, for example, in Los Angeles and other such places, the Mexican quarters are usually by far the poorest in the

city. Generally, they are located in the least desirable districts, are overcrowded, and are kept in a filthy condition. In Los Angeles the investigations of the Immigration Commission show that their family incomes are the smallest, their standard of living lowest, their lack of thrift the greatest, of all of the immigrant races investigated. Approximately $8 per month was the cost of subsistence among the railway laborers. Their food is largely vegetable, beans taking the place rice takes among the Asiatics.

They are not readily assimilated. They have poor educational facilities at home, and apparently in our country, where opportunities are furnished, they do not like to attend school. The large percentage of illiterates is noteworthy. Of those investigated by the Commission, for whom the information was obtained, 50.58 per cent. only reported that they could read and write. Moreover, they learn English very slowly, less than 14 per cent. of those investigated speaking English. Of those who had resided in the United States less than five years, only 7.1 per cent. could speak English.

Even when their children go to school their attendance, and apparently their intelligence, are decidedly less than the average. Generally, as workers, the Mexicans are looked upon as inferior; marriages between Mexicans and Europeans or Americans are very rare, and tho when they go back home, apparently they have taken some American ideas and American institutions with them, they have shown very little progress toward assimilation.

Unlike the Chinese and Japanese, they frequently become public charges. They are also likely to be quarrelsome, and inclined toward crime, the principal