This force is about the same as that employed at the time of the opening of the plant, and there has been no increase in the number of immigrant workers employed during the two years that company No. 2 has operated in Clarksburg.

MORGANTOWN, W. VA.

There has never been any definite influx of foreign labor in the glass industry in Morgantown, W. Va. The immigrants now employed have drifted in singly and in small groups from time to time. This being true, it would seem that the clearest way to present the history of immigration is to discuss each plant separately, from which a general conclusion can be drawn.

Morgantown contains three distinct branches of glass manufacture. These are seen in the manufacture of wire glass, window glass, and glass tumblers. The two former of these are represented by two companies which will be designated as company No. 1 and company No. 2, and the latter by company No. 3 and company No. 4 jointly. One or two other factories are located at Morgantown, but are so small as to be of no importance in the racial composition of the glass industry.

The plant of company No. 1 was established in 1903, at which time and up to one year after the plant went into operation no foreign labor was employed. In 1904 a small group consisting of about 10 men, made up of Italians and Poles, were employed. They were not employed at one time nor with regard to race, but simply at random as they applied for work throughout the course of the year. All foreign labor which has entered this plant has done so in this manner at various times up to the present date (1909), when, out of a working force of 175 men 25 per cent are of foreign birth, equally divided between Italians and Slovaks.

In the early period of its operation company No. 1 manufactured its products only in the rough, but in 1904 a polishing department was installed in conjunction with the manufacturing. The character of the work in this department is very dirty and unhealthful, causing the company immediate trouble in obtaining native labor to undertake this work. Due to this fact the first foreign labor was brought into the plant. No concerted effort was made on the part of the company to secure immigrant labor, but they were employed only in sufficient number from time to time to replace the natives who were leaving the polishing department.

As has been noted, the original foreign labor employed in this plant consisted of Poles and Italians. During the intervening time, since this first group was employed, a complete displacement of the Poles by Slovaks has taken place. The first Slovaks, four or five in number, applied for work and were employed in 1906, and have since increased to their present number. No reason is shown for the departure of the Poles other than a dislike for the nature of the work and a desire to enter the coal-mining industry, where earnings are higher.

Company No. 2 established a plant in Morgantown in 1901, with 240 employees. A large per cent of this force was of foreign birth, of which approximately 20 per cent were Belgians, 10 per cent English, and a small proportion were Germans. The same racial

composition exists in this plant up to the present time (1909), with the exception of a few months previous to the strike which occurred in December, 1908. At this time five or six Swedes were employed, but left when the strike occurred and found work elsewhere. The present contingent of foreign labor employed by this company has come into the plant at various times for no other reason than to fill vacancies in the operating force. None were brought to the locality, but were employed from time to time as they applied for work.

Since their size, racial composition, and character of work are so similar, company No. 3 and company No. 4 can be considered jointly. Each plant employs about 250 people, approximately 10 per cent of whom are females.

Company No. 3 was established in Morgantown in 1896. It was not a new corncern, having previously operated in Ohio. Scarcity of fuel in the form of natural gas was the cause for the change of locality. The problem was solved at Morgantown, W. Va. At their former location in Ohio this company employed approximately 10 per cent of immigrant labor in their blowing department, This percentage was made up of Belgians and Germans, divided in proportions of 7 per cent Belgians and 2 per cent Germans, which proportion still exists, with the addition of a few Irish.

The prime reason for the employment of foreign labor by company No. 3 is that it is a partially cooperative company, established by foreign labor at its former location in Ohio. This of course leads the company to employ foreign labor where its efficiency is equal to that of the native element, and the foreign labor which is employed is confined to the Belgian and German races. This preference is shown because of the skilled labor which these two races contribute to the glass industry in the blowing departments and also because the cooperative members of the company are of these races.

Company No. 4 in its racial make-up closely resembles company No. 3 in the number of each race employed and the length of time the plant has been in operation in this locality. The plants are approximately of the same size and age, company No. 4 having been established a few months later than company No. 3. It was, however, a new concern, never having operated previous to this time at any other place. The reason immigrant labor was employed by this company is the same as that governing the other glass companies in this locality. This, as seen before, is inability, in a measure, on the part of the employers to secure a sufficient amount of native skilled labor, thereby necessitating them to complete their force with such immigrant skilled labor as applied for work.

A very peculiar fact is noticeable throughout the four companies which have been discussed in regard to the employment of foreign labor. In each case there has seemed to be a certain lack of native labor, chiefly in the blowing departments. Notwithstanding this, however, none of the employers will admit of ever having made any direct efforts to induce labor of this class, either foreign of native, to come to this community. Foreign labor in all cases has been employed upon the personal application of the individual except in the instance of the cooperative members of Company No. 3, who came to Morgantown from Ohio when the plant was moved.

PERIOD OF RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES OF FOREIGN-BORN EMPLOYEES AND MEMBERS OF THEIR HOUSEHOLDS.

The character of recent and past immigration to the industry may be seen from the series of tables next presented, which set forth the period of residence in the United States of foreign-born glass workers. Period of residence in this country and period of employment in the industry are not, of course, necessarily identical, but they closely approximate each other. The first table submitted, which follows below, shows, by race, the per cent of foreign-born male employees in plate-glass factories who had been in the United States each specified number of years:

TABLE 15.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in the United States each specified number of years, by race.-Plate glass.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No deduction is made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of the total number of male employees, 49.5 per cent have been in the United States less than five years; 21.7 per cent have been here five to nine years. A considerably smaller proportion reports the remaining specified periods of residence. The Macedonians, Roumanians, and Bulgarians are the most recent arrivals, from 100 per cent to 97.3 per cent of each having been in the United States less than five years. The English, on the other hand, in large part, have been here twenty years or over. Also relatively large proportions of the French and Germans, as compared with the other races, report a residence of at least twenty years.

The following table shows, by race, the percentage of foreign-born male employees in window-glass plants who had been in the United States each specified number of years:

TABLE 16.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in the United States each specified number of years, by race-Window glass.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No deduction is made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of the 654 foreign-born male employees in this industry, for whom information was obtained, 34.9 per cent have been in the United States under five years, 20.8 per cent from five to nine years, 8.3 per cent from ten to fourteen years, 11.8 per cent from fifteen to nineteen years, and 24.3 per cent twenty years or over. The largest proportions of North Italians, South Italians, and Poles have been in the United States under five years. In striking contrast to these proportions are those of the English and Swedes, 2.2 and 6.6 per cent of whom, respectively, have been in the United States for the above specified period. The English and Swedes again show the smallest proportions who have been in the United States from five to nine years the two combined reporting a proportion slightly below that of the North Italians, who report a smaller proportion than do the South Italians or Poles. Of those who have been in the United States from ten to fourteen and from fifteen to nineteen years, the Swedes in each instance show a much larger proportion than is shown by any other race. Among those who have been in the United States twenty years or over, the Poles, with 2.4 per cent, show the smallest proportion, while the English, with 82.6 per cent, show a proportion largely in excess of the proportions of all other races combined, the Swedes showing the next highest proportion, with this period of residence, or 32.8 per cent.

The table next submitted shows, by race, the percentage of foreignborn male employees engaged in manufacturing glass bottles who had been in the United States each specified number of years.

TABLE 17.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in the United States each specified number of years, by race-Glass bottles.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No deduction is made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

The foregoing table shows that of 987 males 55.8 per cent have been in the United States under five years, 17.3 per cent from five to nine years, 4.1 per cent from ten to fourteen years, 5 per cent from fifteen to nineteen years, and 17.8 per cent have been here twenty years or over. Over 67 per cent of the Germans have been here twenty years or over, while less than 5 per cent of the North Italians, South Italians, Poles, and Slovaks have been here so long. The newest immigrant race is the Roumanian, 96 per cent of whom have been here under five years and none over nine years. The greatest proportions of North Italians, South Italians, Poles, and Slovaks have been here less than five years.

The following table shows by sex and race the percentage of foreignborn employees engaged in the manufacture of tableware who had been in the United States each specified number of years:

TABLE 18.-Per cent of foreign-born employees in the United States each specified number of years, by sex and race-Tableware.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No deduction is made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 80 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]