United States, and when ore was found they were the first to be attracted to the mines. The English were induced to come over very largely from the fact that they were experienced miners. The first men of these two races formed a nucleus for the future miners needed in the development of the field. As the field began to develop the immigration from England and Ireland was sufficient to supply the demand for all forms of labor until 1874. At this time the Scandinavians began to come, and by using them as a supplement to what was drawn from England and Ireland the labor supply was equal to the demand until the time of the coming of the Finns in the year 1883.

About 1874 mining was begun on the Menominee Range, but very little actual mining was done until 1876, when the railroad was built, connecting the mines with lake shipping points. This being a new territory naturally attracted some of the miners from the Marquette Range, which in turn caused the employers on that range to fill the old employees' places with new ones. The Gogebic Range was opened about 1885-86, and drew some miners from the other two ranges. These latter ranges were developed faster and at a time when immigration from the countries of northern and western Europe were not coming in such numbers as in former years, and consequently it was necessary to employ such labor as was available, which accounts for the larger proportion of the more recent immigrant races found on these ranges.

The principal reasons for the employment of the Finns, Italians, and other more recent immigrants of southern and eastern Europe may be briefly summarized as follows: In the first place, the Irish have been going out of the field for many years; the English have also been leaving the region, but hardly to such an extent as the Irish; and within the past few years a considerable number of the Scandinavians have abandoned the mines. The races above mentioned have gone farther west, or, in other words, those who have continued in the mining industry have migrated to the other ranges of the northern peninsula, the Minnesota fields, and into the mining regions of Montana and Nevada. Many of them, especially the Scandinavians and Irish, have gone into the farming districts of Minnesota, Wiscon sin, and other western States. In the second place, the immigration from England, Ireland, and Sweden has been very small for some years, and within the past five years has practically ceased. During this period unprecedented development or extension has taken place in the mining operations of the three ranges under discussion. This extension, coupled with the fact that the country from which the older employees came have not furnished their proportion of recent immigration, has made necessary the employment of the southern and eastern Europeans. In the third place, the second generation of the older immigrants, as well as the present generation of Americans, do not engage in mining. This is due almost entirely to social conditions. Some idea of the change in the racial make-up of the operat ing forces may be gained from the figures given in the table next submitted, which show the proportion of the various races employed in 1909 and in 1898 by a mining company of the Marquette Range, which is representative of general conditions. In 1909 this company employed about 1,900 and in 1898 about 1,100 men,

The general strike of 1895 also had some effect upon the racial make-up of the employees of the range. Although immigrants were not imported as strike breakers, still a considerable number of the old employees left the region before the strike was ended and never returned. The employers, after the strike, did not employ, when they could avoid it, any of the leaders in this movement and gave preference to the most inactive employees. This policy was not carried out to any great extent, but it tended to the greater employment of the more recent immigrants, in that some of the older miners went to other fields.

In the summer of 1894 there was a strike of some six weeks' duration on the Gogebic Iron Range, which had practically the same effect and results as the one above outlined.

48296°-VOL 16-11-27

CHAPTER III.

ECONOMIC STATUS.

Principal occupation of immigrant employees before coming to the United StatesWeekly earnings Relation between period of residence and earning ability— [Text Tables 148 to 151 and General Tables 102 to 104].

PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION OF IMMIGRANT EMPLOYEES BEFORE COMING TO THE UNITED STATES.

In order that an intelligent conception may be had of the economic status of immigrant employees on the Michigan ranges, it is necessary to set forth their industrial condition before emigrating from their native countries. Such an exhibit is also valuable in showing what training and experience foreign-born mine workers had abroad in the same industry in which they are now employed; consequently, before entering into a discussion of their present economic status, the following table is submitted, which shows, by race, the proportion of foreign-born employees who were in each specified occupation before coming to the United States.

TABLE 148.—Per cent of foreign-born male employees in each specified occupation before coming to the United States, by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 80 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

From the above table it appears that only 9.8 per cent of the foreign-born male employees for whom information was secured were employed abroad in mining, and that 56 per cent were employed in farming or farm labor, 19.7 per cent in general labor, 6.6 per cent in hand trades, 3.6 per cent in manufacturing, 0.4 per cent in trade, and 3.9 per cent in occupations not specified. The proportion of employees who were engaged in mining before coming to the United States is largest for the North Italians, Croatians, Swedes, and Poles, in the order mentioned, and smallest for the Finns. Only 0.4 per

cent of the Finns were employed abroad in mining. The Finns and Slovaks, in the order mentioned, have the largest, and the Swedes and North Italians the smallest proportion of males who were employed abroad in farming or farm labor; and the Croatians, Finns, and North Italians, in the order mentioned, have the largest, and the Swedes and Slovaks the smallest proportion of males who were employed abroad in general labor.

WEEKLY EARNINGS.

The following table shows, by general nativity and race, the percentage of male employees 18 years of age or over who were earning each specified amount each week.

TABLE 149.-Per cent of male employees 18 years of age or over earning each specified amount per week, by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

*

[This table includes only races with 80 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

*This table shows wages or earnings for the period indicated, but no account is taken of voluntary lost time or lost time from shutdowns or other causes. In the various tables in this report showing annual earnings allowance is made for time lost during the year.

It appears from the data presented in the above table that of the male employees for whom information was secured all earn $7.50 or over per week; almost all earn $10 or over; 89.8 per cent earn $12.50 or over; 33.2 per cent earn $15 or over; 3.5 per cent earn $17.50 or over; and only 1 per cent earn $20 or over. The proportion of employees earning $12.50 or over and $15 or over per week, respectively, is larger for the foreign-born than for the native-born of foreign father. While the proportion of the employees earning $17.50 or over and $20 or over per week, respectively, is larger for the native-born of foreign father than for the foreign-born.

Of the foreign-born, the Croatians, North Italians, and English, in the order mentioned, have the largest and the Slovaks the smallest proportion earning $12.50 per week or over; and the English and Swedes, in the order mentioned, have the largest and the Poles and Slovaks the smallest proportion earning $15 or over. The proportion of employees earning $17.50 or over and $20 or over per week, respectively, is largest for the English and Swedes, in the order mentioned.