The Welsh have by far the largest proportion of individuals who have been in the United States from ten to fourteen years; the Swedes, French, Welsh, and Canadians other than French, in the order mentioned, the largest proportion who have been here from fifteen to nineteen years, and the Irish, English, Scotch, and Canadians other than French, in the order named, the largest proportion of individuals who have been in this country twenty years or longer.

RACIAL CLASSIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES AT THE PRESENT TIME.

Detailed information, as already explained, was secured from 65,711 iron and steel workers in the East, and this number is sufficiently large as compared with the total number employed in the territory. The following table therefore, showing the number and percentage of male employees of each race from whom information was secured, is considered to be representative of the racial composition of the operating forces of the industry in the eastern section of the country.

TABLE 137.-Male employees for whom information was secured, by general nativity and race.

In the East a proportion of about one-fourth, or 24.8 per cent, of the iron and steel workers are white employees native-born of native father and only 1.1 per cent are native negroes. On the other hand, 14.3 per cent are native-born of foreign father composed principally of males whose fathers were born in Germany, Ireland, England, and Wales. The foreign-born employees make up about three-fifths of the total, or 59.8 per cent. Among the iron and steel workers of foreign birth the Slovaks appear in the largest proportions, followed by the Poles, Magyars, Croatians, Germans, Irish, and English, in the order named.

CHAPTER III.

ECONOMIC STATUS.

Principal occupation of immigrant employees before coming to the United StatesWeekly earnings-Relation between period of residence and earning ability-[Text Tables 138 to 142 and General Tables 53 to 55].

PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION OF IMMIGRANT EMPLOYEES BEFORE COMING TO THE UNITED STATES.

A very small proportion of the iron and steel workers of foreign birth and of races of recent immigration from southern and eastern Europe had any experience or training before leaving their native country which would qualify them for the industrial work in which they are now engaged. This fact is shown by the following table, which exhibits, by race of individual, the per cent of foreign-born male employees who were in each specified occupation before coming to the United States:

TABLE 138.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in each specified occupation before coming to the United States, by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 80 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of the 32,188 foreign-born male employees, for whom information was secured only 8.4 per cent were employed abroad in the manufacture of iron and steel and its products; 2.7 per cent in other manufacturing; 65.5 per cent in farming or farm labor; 11.7 per cent in general labor; 5.5 per cent in hand trades; 1.2 per cent in trade; and 5 per cent in occupations not specified. The proportion of employees engaged abroad in farming or farm labor is largest for the Croatians, Lithuanians, Roumanians, and Servians, in the order mentioned, and

smallest for the Welsh, English, and Scotch. On the other hand, the races of old immigration from Great Britain and northern Europe, or the Welsh, English, Scotch, and Swedes, in the order mentioned, have the largest, while the races of recent arrival from southern and eastern Europe, or the Croatians, Servians, North Italians, Greeks, South Italians, Russians, and Slovaks, the smallest proportion of individuals who were employed in manufacturing iron and steel and its products before coming to the United States.

WEEKLY EARNINGS.

The range in weekly earnings of the iron and steel workers is set forth in the table next submitted, which shows, by general nativity and race, the percentage of male employees 18 years of age or over earning each specified amount each week:

TABLE 139.-Per cent of male employees 18 years of age or over earning each specified amount per week, by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

*

[This table includes only races with 80 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

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.