TABLE 142.-Comparative earnings per week of foreign-born male employees 18 years of age or over, by race and length of residence in the United States-Continued.

The data presented in the foregoing table show that of the foreignborn male employees 18 years of age or over who have been in the United States less than five years the Scotch, Swedes, Welsh, and English have the largest proportion of individuals earning $10 or over, $12.50 or over, $15 or over, $17.50 or over, $20 or over, or $22.50 or over each week. In the case of employees in the United States from five to nine years the proportion of individuals earning all or nearly all of the sums specified is largest for the Welsh, Swedes, Scotch, English, and Irish than for the representatives of any other race. An increase in the proportion of individuals of the races of recent immigration from southern and eastern Europe in the higher wage groups is, however, evident. The tendency toward increased earning ability becomes more marked in the case of employees who have been in the United States ten years or over. Even in this group, however, the proportion of individuals earning each of the sums specified, with the exception of those earning $7.50 or over, is higher for the Welsh, Swedes, Scotch, and English than for the individuals of any other race.

CHAPTER IV.

SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS.

Literacy-Conjugal condition-Visits abroad-Age classification of employees-[Text Tables 143 to 149 and General Tables 56 to 60].

LITERACY.

As regards the degree of literacy which prevails, the following table shows, by general nativity and race of individual, the per cent of male employees who read and the per cent who read and write:

TABLE 143.-Per cent of male employees who read and per cent who read and write, by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

As regards the literacy of the 65,109 male employees in the East for whom information was obtained, it will be seen that 90.5 per cent read, while only a slightly smaller proportion, or 89.3 per cent, both read and write. The foreign-born, it will be noted, show a considerably smaller proportion, while persons native-born of foreign father and the whites, native-born of native father, each show a considerably larger proportion who read and who both read and write than is shown in the total for all employees. The negroes, native born of native father, on the other hand, show a slightly larger proportion who can read and a slightly smaller proportion who can both read and write than is shown for all employees for whom information was obtained.

Among the foreign-born it will be noted that, of all races reporting, only two-the Canadian other than French and the Scotch-report their entire number as literate. Following the above races are the Finns, Swedes, Welsh, English, Germans, French, Dutch, Irish, and Magyars, each showing a proportion above 90 per cent with ability to read and both to read and write. In addition to the above are the Roumanians and Bulgarians, who show a proportion, with ability to read and both to read and write, in excess of that shown in the total for all foreign-born employees. The Slovaks, it will be noted, report a proportion with ability to read identical with, and a proportion with ability to read and write slightly below, that indicated in the total for all foreign-born. Of the employees reporting proportions below those shown in the total for all foreign-born, the Slovenians, with 82.5 per cent, have the largest proportion who read, and with 79.5 per cent, have, next to the Slovaks, the largest proportion with ability both to read and write. The lowest proportion having ability to read and both to read and write, on the other hand, is reported by the Macedonians, 62.5 per cent can read and 58.3 per cent of their number can both read and write.

As regards persons native-born of foreign father, it will be noted that there are none unable to read among those whose fathers were born in Canada, France, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland, and only a very small per cent among those whose fathers were born in the other countries, those whose fathers were born in Russia showing the smallest proportions with ability to read and both to read and write, or 96.8 and 95.7 per cent, respectively.

CONJUGAL CONDITION.

The conjugal condition of the foreign-born iron and steel workers is important in its bearing upon the subject of permanent settlement. In this connection the following table shows, by general nativity and race, the percentage of male employees 20 years of age or over in each conjugal condition:

TABLE 144.-Per cent of male employees 20 years of age or over in each conjugal condition, by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

Of the male employees 20 years of age or over for whom information was secured, 67.4 per cent are married and 2.2 per cent are widowed. The proportion of married employees is largest for the whites, native-born of native father, second for the foreign-born, and considerably larger for the negroes, native-born of native father, than for the native-born of foreign father. The proportion of widowed employees is largest for the negroes, native-born of native father,

second for the employees native-born of foreign father, and larger for the whites, native-born of native father, than for the foreign-born. Of the foreign-born, the Germans have the largest, Welsh, Slovaks, English, and Dutch, in the order mentioned, and the Greeks, Macedonians, and Lithuanians the smallest proportion of married employees. The Irish, Welsh, Dutch, Canadians other than French, and English, in the order mentioned, show the largest proportion of employees who are widowed.

The following table shows, by general nativity and race of individual, the percentage of male employees in each conjugal condition by age groups, and includes only races having a representation of 100 or more males, while the table last discussed included the races which had 40 or more males furnishing information:

TABLE 145.-Per cent of male employees in each conjugal condition, by age groups and by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 100 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

Total native-born of for

eign father.. Total native-born.

Total foreign-born..

27, 195 55.6 44.0

901 39.0 59.8 1.2 1,248 37.9 61.3 .8 752 49.6 49.1 1.3 4,119 26.0 72.7 1.3 4,757 38.061.2 .8 835 48.3 50.5 1.2 948 35.5 63. 6 .8 517 24. 271.8 4.1 903 45.6 53. 3 1.1 8, 199 22.7 76.3 1.0

.4 24,506 11.6 86.2 2.2 8,631 4.687.9 7.5 60. 332 30. 4 67.4 2.2

3, 435 64.4 35. 1 .6 3,029 19.277.8 2.9 1,221 7.784.5 7.8 7,685 37.659.8 2.7 10,018,55.6 43.8 .6 9,033 14.7 82.5 2.7 3,700 5.5 86.8 7.7 22, 751 31.2 66.2 2.6 17,177 55.644.0.315,473 9.888.4 1.8 4,931 4.088.7 7.337,581 30.0 68.2 1.9 a Not computed, owing to small number involved.