The greater proportion of wives are employed or keep boarders or lodgers in families where the husbands' earnings are under $400. The proportion decreases as the husbands' earnings increase until among families in which the husband earns $600 or more only 26.3 per cent of the wives are employed or keep boarders or lodgers. However, among the Irish families, where the husband earns $400 and under $600, 66.7 per cent of the wives are employed or keep boarders or lodgers, while this is true of only 33.3 per cent of wives in the families where the husband earns under $400.

SOURCES OF FAMILY INCOME.

The two tables next presented exhibit the sources of family income in detail. The first of these which follows shows, by general nativity and race of head of family, the per cent of families who had an income within the year from husband, wife, children, boarders or lodgers, and other sources. The past year referred to in the table means the twelve months preceding the collection of the data.

TABLE 42.-Per cent of families having an income within the year from husband, wife, children, boarders or lodgers, and other sources, by general nativity and race of head of family.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more families reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

The above table shows that the percentages of foreign-born families having income from each specified source correspond closely to the general averages, but vary considerably from those for native-born, the most notable variation being in the proportion receiving payments from boarders or lodgers. Among the races, the Irish have a proportion receiving contributions from children, which is much in excess of the other races, and both the Irish and South Italians have large percentages having earnings from the wife. The earnings of husband and the income from boarders or lodgers are the most usual sources of income.

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The table next presented also shows the sources of family income according to general nativity and race of head of family, but differs from the preceding table in that each specified source is exclusive of all others.

TABLE 43.-Source of family income in detail, by general nativity and race of head of family.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more families reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

A total of 502 families were selected for the study of family income. Of that number, 42.2 per cent have entire income from husband and 28.5 per cent from husband and borders or lodgers. The remaining 30 per cent have entire income from the numerous other sources specified. The Slovaks show the largest proportion, 44.7 per cent, of families having entire income from husband. The Poles and Ruthenians each show a proportion almost as large. Slightly less than 40 per cent of the South Italian familes have entire income from husband, while the Irish, of whom 32.2 per cent have income from that source, show the smallest proportion.

The South Italians and Ruthenians each show a greater proportion of families whose entire income comes from husband and boarders or lodgers than from any other one source. The South Italians, with 42.9 per cent, show the largest proportion of families having income from husband and boarders or lodgers, and the Irish, with 5.6 per cent, the smallest. The Irish, South Italians, and Poles each show a proportion less than 5 per cent of families having entire income from husband and wife. Of the Irish, 22.2 per cent have entire income from husband and children. The Slovaks and Ruthenians also show comparatively large proportions having income from husband and children. None of the familes studied have entire income from wife and boarders or lodgers or from boarders and lodgers and less than 1 per cent have entire income from each of the

following sources: Husband, wife, and children; wife; wife and children; children; and children and boarders and lodgers. Slightly more than 30 per cent of the Irish families have entire income from sources or combination of sources not before specified, while the South Italians, Poles, and Ruthenians each show less than 10 per cent having income from those sources.

RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE DIFFERENT SOURCES OF FAMILY

INCOME.

The extent to which the families studied depend upon the designated sources of income is set forth in the table next submitted, which shows, by general nativity and race of head of family, the per cent of total yearly income from husband, wife, children, boarders or lodgers, and other sources.

TABLE 44.-Per cent of total family income within the year from husband, wife, children, boarders or lodgers, and other sources, by general nativity and race of head of family.

Of the total yearly income of the total number of families, 78.6 per cent is from the earnings of husband and 12.1 per cent is from the contributions of children. Relatively small proportions of the total income come from other sources. In the families of every race the greater proportion of the total income is from the earnings of the husband. The Lithuanians show the largest proportion, 90.5 per cent, from the latter source; the Irish the smallest, 67.7 per cent. The Irish, however, have a greater proportion of income from the contributions of children than any other race.

CHAPTER IV.

WORKING CONDITIONS.

Reasons for employing immigrants-General conditions of employment at WhitingHours of employment-Regularity of employment The immigrant and organized labor-[Text Tables 45 and 46 and General Table 23.]

REASONS FOR EMPLOYING IMMIGRANTS.

Immigrants have been employed at the Whiting refinery for two reasons: (1) Because of the scarcity of other labor and (2) because of desirability of immigrant labor. When the refinery was established in 1889, it was found necessary to bring in labor to construct the plant and later to place it in commission. Among the first laborers brought into the community were a number of Irish secured in Cleveland, Ohio, who, together with a group of native Americans, operated the plant until the entrance of the Slovaks, Poles, and other southern and eastern European races, who had been attracted to the community by the prospect of securing employment. As the industry developed the plant was enlarged from time to time and a greater demand for labor created. There were very few natives in the locality, and the officials of the refinery were forced to turn to the immigrant labor applying at the gates for employment in increasing their force. This labor, in addition to being at hand, could be secured without the often heavy cost of transportation.

The number of occupations were increased as the plant was enlarged, and the European immigrants were found to be very desirable workmen as well as easily secured. They were physically strong and often possessed highly developed mechanical ability. In addition to this, they would work in the lowest occupations without objection, and would willingly perform the very disagreeable work of the refinery. At the present time the natives who are employed are found in the highest grades of work, while the races of recent immigration are found, with but few exceptions, in the lowest occupations.

The reasons for the employment of immigrant labor have, with some exceptions, been the same as those in Whiting. With the expansion of the refineries and other industrial interests of Bayonne, inability to secure native labor led, as in Whiting, to the introduction. of immigrant employees.

Reference has already been made to the boiler makers' strike at Bayonne in 1904, when a large number of Poles and a few Slovaks were brought in to take the place of the striking Irish. It is asserted that the Polish priests assisted the officials of the boiler plant in securing these laborers. From this fact and other information secured it appears that in a quiet way the priests exert considerable influence in securing employment for their parishioners. One Italian