PART I.-GENERAL SURVEY OF THE ANTHRACITE COAL MINING INDUSTRY. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Growth of the industry-Increase in the number of employees Territory studiedHouseholds studied-Members of households for whom detailed information was secured Preparation of the report-[Text Tables 1 to 6 and General Tables 1 and 2]. GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY. The expansion of anthracite coal-mining operations in Pennsylvania and in the country as a whole during the period 1870 to 1908 appears in the table below. From this table it is seen that the annual production in 1908 was more than five times as great as it was thirtyeight years before that year. TABLE 1.-Growth of the production of anthracite coal in Pennsylvania and the United States, 1870 to 1908. . [Compiled from Production of Coal in 1908. Edward W. Parker. U. S. Geological Survey. Mineral Resources of the United States.] The increase in the number of anthracite mine workers during the eighteen years, 1890 to 1908, is exhibited in the table which immediately follows. From a glance at the tabulation it is seen that almost 50,000 more men were employed in 1908 than in 1890. The significant feature of this expansion in the operating forces is found in the fact that the larger part of this new body of workers was recruited from races of recent immigration from southern and eastern Europe. 48296°-VOL 16-11-38 587 TABLE 2.-Increase in the number of employees in the Pennsylvania anthracite coal mines, 1890 to 1908. [Compiled from Production of Coal in 1908. Edward W. Parker. U. S. Geological Survey. Mineral Resources of the United States.] The study of the anthracite coal mining industry was confined to the Pennsylvania anthracite coal mining region, including both the upper and lower fields. HOUSEHOLDS STUDIED. A total of 455 households the heads of which were anthracite mine workers were studied in detail. The present report is based upon the data received from these households. TABLE 3.-Households studied, by general nativity and race of head of household. The preceding table shows that of the total number of households studied 96.5 per cent were foreign and 3.5 per cent native. Lithuanians, Poles, Ruthenians, and Slovaks all show over 20 per cent, while South Italians show only 4.2 per cent of the total number of households studied. MEMBERS OF HOUSEHOLDS FOR WHOM DETAILED INFORMATION WAS SECURED. The table next submitted shows, by general nativity and race of head of household, the persons in the households studied and the persons for whom detailed information was secured. TABLE 4.-Persons in households studied and persons for whom detailed information was secured, by general nativity and race of head of household. The above table, compiled from data secured from 455 households composed of 2,898 persons, shows that 97.8 per cent were members of households the heads of which were of foreign birth and 2.2 per cent were in households whose heads were native-born of native father. Lithuanians, Poles, Ruthenians, and Slovaks, in the order named, show over 20 per cent each of the total number of persons, while South Italians show only 4.2 per cent. In the following table the sex of persons in the households studied for whom detailed information was secured is shown, by general nativity and race of head of household: TABLE 5.-Sex of persons for whom detailed information was secured, by general nativity and race of head of household. The above table shows that of 2,887 persons from whom detailed information was secured, 59.3 per cent were males and 40.7 per cent were females. The proportion of males and females is the same for those who are in households the heads of which are native-born of native father. |