ten The preceding table shows that 55.3 per cent of foreign-born male employees who have been in the United States under five years speak English; 84.2 per cent of those with a residence of from five to nine years and 94.4 per cent of those who have been in this country years or over are able to speak English. Of the total number of foreign-born male employees reporting, irrespective of length of residence, 70.5 per cent can speak English. The Slovenian employees show the highest percentage who are able to speak English in the group showing males with a residence of under five years and from five to nine years. In these groups the North Italians show the smallest proportion who speak English. All foreign-born employees with a residence of ten years or over, except the North Italians, show considerably over 90 per cent who are able to speak English. In the totals, irrespective of length of residence, all foreign-born employees, except the North Italians, show over 70 per cent who can speak English. PART III-THE IRON ORE MINING INDUSTRY IN MICHIGAN. CHAPTER I. The Michigan iron-ore ranges-Employees for whom information was secured[Text Table 145 and General Table 100]. THE MICHIGAN IRON-ORE RANGES. The location of the iron-ore mining territory of Michigan may be seen in the map already submitted. There are three districts or ore producing districts in the State known as the Marquette, Menominee, and Gogebic ranges. Iron-ore mining on the Marquette Range of Michigan is confined to sections in the central and western part of Marquette County, which county is located in the northern part of the northern peninsula of Michigan. A greater part of the ore produced on this range is mined at the towns of Ishpeming and Negaunee, two small cities located in the central part of the county and about 3 miles from each other. The mines operating at these two towns furnish employment to considerably more than 75 per cent of the labor employed on the range, and approximately 90 per cent of the ore produced comes from the mines located in these towns and their immediate environs. The operations in the western part of the county are small, as a rule, the largest operation being at Republic, where approximately 400 men are employed. The Menominee Iron Range is confined to localities in Iron and Dickinson counties, which are located in the southern part of the northern peninsula of Michigan. There are three distinct districts on this range-the Iron Mountain, Iron River, and Crystal Falls districts. The Iron Mountain district was the first to be developed and is the largest producing district of the three. Iron Mountain, Norway, and Vulcan are the principal mining centers of this district. The Crystal Falls district was next to be developed and is the next in importance. The development in this district is in the vicinity of the town of Crystal Falls. The Iron River district is of comparatively recent development, very little mining having been carried on in this district prior to 1902. All the operations are within a radius of 3 miles of the town of Iron River. The Gogebic Range is of more recent development than either of the other two, but employs about the same number of men and produces equally as much ore if not more. It is confined to Gogebic County in Michigan, which is located in the southwestern corner of the northern peninsula, and a small section of Iron County, Wis. The largest single producing center in this range is Ironwood, Mich., there being approximately 3,000 men employed at the mines in the town and its vicinity. There are three other mining centers of less importance in this county, Bessimer, Wakefield, and Ramsay, while in Wisconsin all the mining is in and around the town of Hurley. |