a

Michigan. There has never been enough native labor in the Northwest to supply the demand of the operators on the Minnesota ranges, and labor is very difficult to secure for the low class of work demanded in the open-pit mines of the Mesabi range. Summarily stated this reason, together with others explaining why immigrants have been employed on the Minnesota ranges, may be expressed as (1) scarcity of other labor, (2) indifference of certain races to employment in the lower classes of occupations, and (3) as strike breakers.

The region was thrown into disorder in the year 1907 by an unsuccessful strike, which is discussed in a subsequent section, and from which the mining interests have but recently recovered. To continue operations, one of the large companies imported large numbers of Montenegrins and other southeastern European races as strike breakers, while a few of the smaller mining companies brought into the region a number of German-Austrians with which to work their mines, but who refused to stay on the range after arriving and seeing the conditions. In addition to the men secured and brought in by the mining companies a large number of the Montenegrins and other southern and eastern European races came to the territory of their own accord when it was learned that men were needed to take the places of the strikers. To these considerations may be added the statement that the early English were employed because of their ability as miners, most of them having received their training in the mines of Cornwall, England. The expansion of the industry may also be mentioned as a reason for the employment of the more recent immigrants. As the wages paid by the companies in the region are as high and in some instances higher than those paid in other sections of the country cheapness can not be entered as a reason for the employment of immigrants.

CHAPTER III.

ECONOMIC STATUS.

Industrial condition abroad of members of immigrant households studied-Principal occupation of immigrant employees before coming to the United States-General occupation of males at the present time in the households studied-General occupation of women at the present time in the households studied-Occupations in the mines entered by immigrants-Weekly earnings Relation between period of residence and earning ability-Annual earnings of male heads of families studied— Annual earnings of males 18 years of age or over in the households studied-Annual earnings of females 18 years of age or over in the households studied-Annual family income-Wives at work-Relation between the earnings of husbands and the practice of wives of keeping boarders or lodgers-Sources of family income-Relative importance of different sources of family income.-[Text Tables 90 to 108 and General Tables 56 to 68].

INDUSTRIAL CONDITION ABROAD OF MEMBERS OF IMMIGRANT HOUSEHOLDS STUDIED.

Before an intelligent conception of the economic status in this country of the foreign-born employees can be formed, or a comparison made with their condition abroad, it is necessary to understand the general industrial condition of the immigrant mine workers and the members of their households before they came to the United States. In this connection the first table submitted, which immediately follows, shows, by race of individual, the industrial condition before coming to the United States of foreign-born males, in the households studied, who were 16 years of age or over at the time of arrival in this country.

TABLE 90.-Industrial condition before coming to the United States of foreign-born males who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

From the above table it will be seen that of the 202 foreign-born males for whom information was obtained, 2.5 per cent were without occupation abroad, 32.2 per cent worked for wages, 44.1 per cent without wages, and 21.3 per cent for profit.

With the exception of 7.1 per cent of the Finns, the representatives of none of the other races were without occupation abroad. The South Italians show a larger proportion who worked for wages and for profit, while the Slovenians show a larger proportion who worked without wages, than is shown by any other race. On the other hand, the lowest proportion, or 10 per cent, working without wages is shown by the South Italians, while the lowest proportion, or 10.3 per cent, working for wages is shown by the Slovenians. Among the Croatians and Finns the proportion of each working for wages is very much below, while the proportion of each working without wages is very much above the proportion shown by the South Italians. The proportion of South Italians, however, who worked for profit, is only slightly above that of the Croatians, but is considerably above that of the Finns, the last named reporting the smallest proportion who worked for profit, or 14.3 per cent.

The following table further analyzes the general industrial groups in the one immediately preceding and shows, by race of individual, the occupations while abroad of foreign-born males in the households studied who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming.

TABLE 91.-Occupation before coming to the United States of foreign-born males who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of the 202 foreign-born males for whom information was obtained, only 2.5 per cent were without occupation, while 32.2 per cent worked for wages, 44.1 per cent without wages, and 21.3 per cent for profit before coming to the United States. Of those working without wages and for profit, it will be noted that none were employed in occupations other than as farm laborers or farmers before coming to the United States, while 9.9 per cent of the 202 males reporting were employed as farm laborers for wages, 4 per cent were employed as general laborers for wages, 3.5 per cent in iron-ore mining, 6.4 per cent in hand trades, and 8.4 per cent in other wage-earning occupations.

It will be noted that, with the exception of 20 per cent of the South Italians who were employed in iron-ore mining abroad, the representatives of each of the other races have had no previous experience in the industry with which they are now connected. The largest proportion of South Italian wage-earners were employed abroad as

laborers-20 per cent being employed in general labor and 15 per cent as farm laborers-while the smallest proportion, or 5 per cent, were employed in hand trades. The Croatian wage-earners, it will be seen, were more largely employed as farm laborers than in all other occupations combined, while the largest proportion of Finnish wage-earners were employed in occupations other than specified. On the other hand, the Slovenians, with a proportion working for wages much smaller than that of any other race, show equal proportions, or 3.4 per cent employed as farm laborers, in hand trades, and in other wage-earning occupations. The Slovenians, with 72.4 per cent of their number reporting as having worked as farm laborers without wages before coming to this country, show a proportion largely in excess of that shown by the Croatians or Finns, who in turn show a very much larger proportion than do the South Italians. Of those working for profit, all were employed as farmers, the South Italians reporting a slightly larger per cent than the Croatians and a considerably larger proportion than the Slovenians or Finns, in the order

named.

In the table next presented the industrial condition while abroad of foreign-born females in the households studied, who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming to the United States, is set forth according to race of individual.

TABLE 92.-Industrial condition before coming to the United States of foreign-born females who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more females reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of the 176 females in this locality for whom information was obtained, 47.7 per cent were without occupation abroad, 28.4 per cent worked for wages, 23.3 per cent without wages, and 0.6 per cent for profit.

By far the largest proportion of both Finns and Slovenians, as compared with only 12.2 per cent of the Croatians, were without occupation abroad, and no females of either of these races worked for profit. Among the Croatians little difference exists between the proportions working for and without wages abroad-this race, in each instance, showing a much larger proportion than is shown by either the Slovenians or Finns. The last named report the smallest proportion, or 7.5 per cent, who worked without wages, while the Slovenians report the smallest proportion, or 7.4 per cent, who worked for wages, thus the proportion of Slovenians working without wages is but slightly in excess of the proportion of Finns working for wages abroad.