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offenses being petty larceny and drunkenness, with fights and other crimes usually brought about by drink. It would seem from the records that the Mexican is even less desirable as a citizen than he is as a laborer, but it should be borne in mind that a very considerable proportion of them are seasonal laborers, and never intend to become permanent residents of the United States.

XIII

ORIENTAL IMMIGRATION TO THE PACIFIC
COAST STATES

The Chinese

NUMBER

According to the Census Reports, the number of Chinese in the continental United States in 1900 was 89,863, in 1910, 71,531, 66,956 males and 4,675 females, a decided falling off. Owing to the conditions under which the Chinese live, it is probable that the number of males was somewhat larger than these returns.*

As is to be expected from the effects of the Chinese exclusion laws the number steadily decreases, but at intervals between censuses it is difficult to estimate the numbers actually in the country. Many of those enumerated have died; some have returned to China; others who were on a visit to China have returned here; and men, women and children of the eligible classes have been admitted into the United States from time to time, nearly 20,000 having been admitted according to records between July 1, 1899, and June 30, 1909, many representing themselves either as native-born Americans or as belonging to one of the eligible classes (for example, students or travelers), when, as a matter of fact, they are coolies, and intend to settle in this country permanently as laborers. Further than this, a considerable number of the

* Reports of Immigration Commission, Vols. 23-25.

Chinese are smuggled across the border. On the whole, however, since the reasonably careful enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the number of Chinese is steadily diminishing. Furthermore, a considerable number of Chinese formerly living in the West have migrated to the East, so that in the districts under consideration the decrease has been material.

OCCUPATIONS IN EARLY YEARS

The first great migration of Chinese laborers to this country dated from the time of the great rush to California in search of gold in the early fifties. Before the end of the sixties, on account of the absence of cheap labor, they had gone into a variety of occupations. They were industrious, thrifty, and the form of organization of the Chinese laborers, by which it was possible for employers to secure the services of almost any number desired through one contractor, placed a premium upon their employment. Probably the larger number of them were engaged in gold mining, some 20,000 in 1861. Some

what later many thousands were employed in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad; others were engaged in gardening, laundrying, domestic service, and other occupations. In 1870, in San Francisco alone, domestic servants of the Chinese race numbered 1,256 out of a total of 6,800 servants. A decided majority of the somewhat more than 2,000 laundrymen in San Francisco were Chinese; as laborers in domestic and personal service, they numbered somewhat more than 2,000, about 25 per cent. of all. There were a considerable number of them among the skilled laborers; in the manufacture of boots and shoes, in cigar-making (in the latter industry 1,657

out of the entire 1,811 employed being Chinese), and a few were employed in the manufacture of woolen clothing. Later, when the salmon-canning industry developed in Oregon and Washington and later still in Alaska, they were employed almost exclusively in canning the fish caught by white fishermen. Even now they constitute a large percentage of those engaged in that industry and of the general laborers employed in powder factories.

Perhaps of greatest importance, in the earlier days, was the employment of Chinese as hand laborers in the orchards, fields, hop-yards and vineyards of California north of the Tehachepi, and in the fruit-canning industry. In the latter part of the eighties they did most of the hand work on the farms-hoeing, weeding, pruning, harvesting-in all localities in the central and northern part of the States, where intensive farming was carried on. At that time it was extremely difficult to obtain cheap and reliable white laborers, and the presence of the Chinese made possible the high degree of specialized farming which came to prevail. They had much less to do in general farming. They were not good teamsters, and their work was limited almost entirely to hand work.

WAGES: EFFICIENCY

The reason why the Chinese easily secured positions in those days was: first, because they were the cheapest laborers available for unskilled work; second, next to the native-born they outnumbered any other race, something like 14 per cent. of the total persons engaged in gainful operations being Chinese, while the Irish, the next most numerous, numbered only 13 per cent.

Inasmuch as the Chinese worked for lower wages, it was natural that a division of labor should grow up, the Chinese being generally employed in certain occupations, while white persons were employed in other occupations which required skill, knowledge of English, and other qualities which the Chinese did. not possess. Moreover, the most disagreeable work was ordinarily performed by the Chinese.

In some lines of industry they were not considered very efficient; for example, in the manufacture of cigars, or in that of boots and shoes; but in fruit, fish and vegetable canning, and in hand work in orchards and gardens, they, on account of the long hours and their faithfulness and care, became very skilful workers and were highly prized.

STANDARD OF LIVING

In the case of other employees, it was necessary to furnish board and lodging; the Chinese, however, provided their own subsistence. Furthermore, lodging was far more easily provided for them than for white men, as they were less dissatisfied than were the whites when put into small bunk-houses and closely crowded together.

ANTI-CHINESE FEELING

Shortly after their coming into California in large numbers, which was in the early days of the mining camps in California, agitation against them began. Soon, in order to check their coming, a miner's license was required of them, tho not exacted of other people. Somewhat later a similar license was exacted from them in the cigar trade and in other industries. The most important objection to them was race antipathy,

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