CHAPTER XVII.

INDUSTRIAL AND OTHER EFFECTS OF IMMIGRATION.

Reasons for employing immigrants-Changes in industrial methods and organizationHousing conditions Employment of children-Segregation-Diseases peculiar to immigrants-Criminality-[Text Tables 267 and 268.]

REASONS FOR EMPLOYING IMMIGRANTS.

Operations in the mines of Community A were begun with immigrant labor, and the general expansion of the mining industry and the development of the locality have been due principally to immigration from Europe. Immigrants have furnished the labor for the unskilled occupations and for a large proportion of the skilled positions. The first immigrants were English, who were secured because they were trained and experienced miners; later, when a demand for less skilled laborers was made, Magyars, Slovaks, Poles, and other European immigrants, such as the Swedes, Roumanians, and Syrians, entered the locality in large numbers. These later races have advanced in the scale of occupations in the mines and have also entered the miscellaneous businesses. In brief, the effect of immigration upon local industries has been to develop and continue them. The mining company has been successful principally through the fact that it could secure immigrant labor, there being no supply of native labor available. A construction company has been promoted by a South Italian as a result of the opportunity to employ immigrants, mostly South Italians. This company furnishes the only example of an immigrant employer in the locality. Another concern that has been promoted and is dependent on immigrant labor is a brewing company employing about 30 men, nearly all of whom are Germans.

CHANGES IN INDUSTRIAL METHODS AND ORGANIZATION.

The only industrial effect upon the industrial organization of the mining company that has been observed since the introduction of the southern European races, has been an increase in the number of subforemen, resulting from a need for greater supervision and a reduction in the size of the working groups. The English-speaking races, also the Germans and Swedes, require little or no supervision, and in the first few years during which the English greatly outnumbered all other laborers in the mines, few foremen were needed; but with the decrease in the number of English and the rapid increase in the numbers of non-English-speaking races employed, the number of subofficials was increased more rapidly in proportion than the total number of employees.

HOUSING CONDITIONS.

A comparison of the general housing conditions prevailing among the immigrant residents of the whole community with those found among the native Americans in the same grades of employment, indicates that the conditions are about the same when the better classes of immigrants are selected. Very few native Americans are found working in the unskilled occupations, and there are no data for a comparison of conditions prevailing among the southern European races with natives in the same occupations. The condition of the houses found among the most capable Welsh, English, Irish, Germans, Scotch, Swedes, and Norwegians is, in many instances, superior to that found among the Americans in the same grades of employment. In the order named members of the Roumanian, Slovak, Magyar, and Italian races show a greater degree of cleanliness, in the care of the house and of the person, than do members of the Croatian, Polish, Lithuanian, or Russian races. The general conditions existing among all other races represented in the community, and not mentioned above, are fairly good and about the same for all. This is true for the urban center and outlying mine locations. Length of residence has played a very unimportant rôle in domestic affairs of the community. The English-speaking and northern European immigrants, such as the Welsh, English, Irish, German, Scotch, Swedes, and Norwegians, are, as a general rule, very neat in their housekeeping. This characteristic is brought over from Europe and continues to be a differentiating trait in all localities. Among the other races, which include nearly all those from southeastern Europe, little change resulting from length of residence is to be noted. Among such races, families in the country ten years are found living in about the same condition as families of much shorter residence. One exception may be made in the case of the Italians. Italians, chiefly from the northern states of Italy, are found in nearly all occupations followed in the community, and it is easily seen that great improvement has been wrought in their standards of living by length of residence in the United States. Among South Italians, little betterment, if any, has been effected by their residence in this country.

EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN.

The male children of immigrants in this community, when old enough to be exempt from the compulsory education law, invariably enter the mines, where they are found working in the lighter occupations. No positive statement can be made as to whether the children of immigrants remain in the community for any length of time, but from the unsettled state of the majority of the races and the constant coming and going among them, it is safe to conclude that very few of the children remain in the community. Among the Irish, English, Germans, and Swedes, the number of children remaining in the locality is larger, since these races are more settled residents.

SEGREGATION.

The recent immigrants tend to live apart from the natives and from each other whenever possible. This fact has already been noted in the description of the community. Segregation is possible in the urban center, but in the outlying mining communities it is difficult for one race to live apart from other races in a particular section, for the reason that the latest arrival is forced to take any house that may be vacant. The only illustration of segregation in outlying districts was furnished by a settlement clustering around two mine openings. A railroad track in this locality separates two groups of houses. In the first group live American miners, and in the second, recent immigrants. It was found that the latter were not allowed to move across the track into the American colony. The superintendent's only explanation of this regulation was that it was a "sanitary precaution. Since this settlement is the only one at which Americans live in any considerable number, and since such a "sanitary precaution" was not observable elsewhere, it seems safe to presume that in this instance the railroad track has been made a line of arbitrary division. This foreign group is composed chiefly of Slovaks, Magyars, and Poles, about equally divided.'

DISEASES PECULIAR TO IMMIGRANTS.

Physicians of the community know of no disease peculiar to or introduced by immigrants, and they do not believe that the health of the locality is greatly menaced by the presence of the southeastern European races. There has been but one epidemic in the town since its founding, and that was following the Spanish-American war, when smallpox was prevalent. During the epidemic as many as 200 simultaneous cases were reported, but only one foreigner, a Swede, had the disease. No favus or trachoma has been discovered. In cases of wounds and injuries, the opinion of the surgeons in the hospital located in the urban center is that the foreigners exhibit greater vitality and recover more quickly than native Americans, and this in spite of the poor sanitary conditions in which they live and their frequent failure to observe the directions of the attending surgeon. The table following shows the medical record for thirty-four months of the company hospital located in the urban center, by race of patient.

TABLE 267.-Hospital record in the urban center of Community A, by race of patient.

The only hospital in the community, as already pointed out, is private property of the mining company, but it is open to all who may wish to secure treatment therein, whether employed by the company or not. Persons not employees of the mining company are charged for treatment in the institution, while 50 cents is each month deducted from the wages of each employee, as a fund to cover expenses of treatment in case of sickness or injury. No further collection is made by the company from an employee no matter how long he may be an inmate of the hospital. The institution is thoroughly modern, and offers all conveniences to patients. The corps of physicians and nurses is large enough to render efficient service at all times.

CRIMINALITY.

There is very little crime in the community. The chief offense is drunkenness, which is not confined to any one race nor to the immigrant population, for the native Americans are as much addicted to the use of intoxicants as are the foreigners. Formerly many affrays took place among the lower class of South Italians, but now even these offenses are less frequent. The urban center is policed by about five men, who seem well able to handle the situation. When it is recalled that the population of the community, including