RELATION BETWEEN PERIOD OF RESIDENCE AND EARNING ABILITY.

The extent of progress in industrial efficiency or earning ability of foreign-born mine workers after designated periods of residence in this country is set forth in the table next presented. It shows by race and length of residence in the United States the per cent of foreign-born male employees who were 18 years of age or over earning each specified amount per week. By grouping the proportions in each specified period of residence under the several races makes possible a study of the progress of foreign-born male employees of each race.

TABLE 150.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees 18 years of age or over earning each specified amount per week, by race and length of residence in the United States.*

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes only races with 200 or more males reporting.]

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.

The proportion of Finnish male employees for whom information. was secured earning $15 or over and $17.50 or over per week, respectively, is largest for employees who have been in the United States ten years or over, second largest for employees who have been here from five to nine years, and smallest for those who have been here under five years. A larger proportion of North Italian employees who have been here from five to nine years than of those who have been here under five years and a much larger proportion of North Italian employees who have been here ten years or over than of those who have been here from five to nine years earn $17.50 or over per week, while the proportion of North Italian employees who earn $15 or over per week is largest for employees who have been in this country from five to nine years, second largest for those who have been here ten years or over, and smallest for those who have been here under five years. A larger proportion of Polish employees who have been here from five to nine years than of those who have been here under five years and a larger proportion of Polish employees who have been here ten years or over than of those who have been here from five to nine years earn $15 or over and $17.50 or over per week, respectively

The following table embodies the same data as the one immediately preceding, but in a somewhat different form:

TABLE 151.-Comparative earnings per week of foreign-born male employees 18 years of age or over, by race and length of residence in the United States.*

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes only races with 200 or more males reporting.]

IN UNITED STATES LESS THAN 5 YEARS.

*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 will be noted from the percentages in the above table that all of the Finnish, North Italian, and Polish male employees for whom information was secured who have been in the United States less than five years and from five to nine years and all of the North Italian and Polish male employees who have been here ten years or over earn at least $10 a week. The proportion of employees in the United States less than five years who earn $12.50 or over and $15 or over per week, respectively, is largest for the North Italians, second largest for the Finns, and smallest for the Poles, while the proportion of employees earning $17.50 or over per week is larger for the Finns than for the North Italians.

The Poles have the largest and the North Italians the smallest proportion of male employees in the United States from five to nine years who earn $12.50 or over per week and the North Italians have the largest and the Poles the smallest proportion of employees in the United States from five to nine years who earn $15 or over per week. The proportion of male employees in this country from five to nine years who earn $17.50 or over is largest for the Poles and smallest for the Finns.

The Finns have the largest and the North Italians the smallest proportion of employees in the United States ten years or over earning $12.50 or over and $15 or over per week, respectively, while the North Italians have the largest and the Finns the smallest proportion of employees in the United States ten years or over earning $17.50 or over per week.

CHAPTER IV.

SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS.

Literacy-Conjugal condition-Visits abroad-Age classification of employees[Text Tables 152 to 158 and General Tables 105 to 109].

LITERACY.

The degree of literacy which prevails among the workers in the Michigan iron-ore mines is set forth in the table next presented. It shows by general nativity and race the percentage of male employees who were able to read and the percentage who were able to read and write.

TABLE 152.-Per cent of male employees who read and per cent who read and write, by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

Of the male employees for whom information appears in the above table 94.9 per cent can read, and 94.1 per cent can both read and write. All of the native-born of native father can read, as compared with 99.5 per cent of the native-born of foreign father, and 94.4 per cent of the foreign-born. With 100 per cent the Swedes show the largest proportion among the foreign-born races able to read. Next come the English, Finns, Slovenians, and Croatians, while the smallest proportion is shown by the Poles and French Canadians. It will be noted that the proportion of employees who both read and write in no case differs widely from the proportion of employees who read only.

CONJUGAL CONDITION.

The following table shows by general nativity and race the percentage of male employees 20 years of age or over who were in each conjugal condition:

TABLE 153.-Per cent of male employees 20 years of age or over in each conjugal condition, by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

From the data presented in the above table it appears that 53.8 per cent of the male employees for whom information was secured are married, and that only 1 per cent are widowed. The proportion of married employees is largest for the native-born of native father and larger for the foreign-born than for the native-born of foreign father. Of the foreign-born the Slovaks, English, and French Canadians show the largest and the Croatians and North Italians the smallest proportion of married employees. A much larger proportion of French Canadians and English than of any other race are widowed.

The table following divides the totals of the table immediately preceding and shows by age groups and by general nativity and race the percentage of male employees who were in each conjugal condition.

TABLE 154.—Per cent of male employees in each conjugal condition, by age groups and by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 100 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

Of the male employees from 20 to 29 years of age, for whom information was secured, 32.1 per cent are married as compared with 80.4 per cent of the male employees from 30 to 44 years of age, 79.4 per cent of the male employees 45 years of age or over and 53.8 per cent for all male employees 20 years of age or over. The proportion of widowed employees is 0.2 per cent for employees from 20 to 29, 0.9 per cent for employees from 30 to 44, 6.6 per cent for employees 45 or over and 1 per cent for all male employees 20 years of age or over. In the case of employees from 20 to 29 years of age and from 30 to 44 years of age, and in the case of all employees 20 years of age or over, the proportion of married employees is larger for the foreignborn than for the native-born of foreign father, while the proportion of widowed employees is larger for the native-born of foreign father than for the foreign-born. Among the foreign-born, the proportion of employees from 20 to 29 years of age who are married is largest for the English and Slovaks, in the order mentioned, and smallest for the North Italians and Croatians, while the proportion of employees from 30 to 44 years of age who are married is largest for the Slovaks and smallest for the Swedes and North Italians. The Finns, Poles and English have the largest proportion of married employees 45 years of age or over and the Slovaks and English the largest proportion of all employees 20 years of age or over, who are married.

The most significant fact in connection with the conjugal condition of employees of foreign birth, especially those of recent immigration, is found in the location of the wives of married males. Although a large proportion of foreign-born mine workers are married, a considerable proportion, especially of recent immigrants, left their wives