PART I-GENERAL SURVEY OF THE GLASS MANUFACTURING

INDUSTRY.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

Definition of the term "glass industry"-Growth of the industry-Territory studied— Households studied-Members of households for whom detailed information was received-Employees for whom information was secured-Comparative scope of the investigation-Preparation of the report-[Text Tables 1 to 11 and General Tables

1 to 7].

DEFINITION OF THE TERM "GLASS INDUSTRY."

For the purposes of this report the term "glass industry" is used to designate the manufacture of all such products as plate glass, window glass, glass bottles, cut glass, chimney globes and similar articles, and plain and fancy glass tableware.

GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY.

During the past forty years the glass-manufacturing industry has had a remarkable growth, which has been most marked in the States of Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia. The large expansion in these States during the period 1880-1905 and in the country as a whole during the thirty-five years 1870-1905 may be quickly seen in the table next submitted, which sets forth the increase in the number of establishments, in capital invested, and in the value of finished products.

9

TABLE 1.-Growth of the glass industry in the United States, 1870-1905, and in selected
States,.1880 to 1905.

[The following statistics compiled from the United States Census, Special Reports on Manufactures Part III, 1905, Table 1, p. 837; Table 2, pp. 840-841; Table 9, pp. 860-863.]

From the standpoint of recent immigration the most significant fact attending the growth of the glass industry has been the resultant increase in the number of glassworkers. In 1870 the average number employed in the industry in the United States was only 15,822, as contrasted with 63,969 in 1905. The geographical distribution of employees has of course followed the location of the industry. The table next submitted sets forth the increase in the average number of glassworkers in the United States during the period 1870-1905 and in the principal glass-manufacturing States during the period

1880-1905.

TABLE 2.-Increase in the average number of employees in glass manufacturing in the United States, 1870–1905, and in the principal glass-manufacturing States, 1880–1905. [Compiled from United States Census, Special Report on Manufactures, Part III, 1905, Table 2, pp. 840-841.]

For the purpose of determining the racial composition of the operating forces of the industry and to ascertain how far the growth of the industry had been dependent upon or affected by recent immigration, a study was made of the glass workers and the members of their households in the States where the industry had been established and where it had had its greatest development during recent years, or in other words, in the States of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. The map submitted shows the geographical scope of the investigation and the location of the establishments of which the employees and the members of their households were studied in detail.

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HOUSEHOLDS STUDIED.

A total of 660 households, the heads of which were engaged in various forms of glass manufacturing, were studied in detail. These households were selected so as to represent the different divisions of the industry, and geographically distributed so as to be representative of conditions prevailing in the different glass-manufacturing areas. The following table shows the households studied, according to general nativity and race of head of household.

TABLE 3.-Households studied, by general nativity and race of head of household. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

The above table shows that of the 660 households studied in this industry, 80.5 per cent are households the heads of which are foreignborn, 2.1 per cent are households the heads of which are native-born of foreign father, and 17.4 per cent are households the heads of which are native-born of native father. Among those whose heads are foreign-born a slightly larger number of Slovak than of Polish households were studied-the number of these households combined constituting 45.8 per cent of the total number of households studied. After the Polish households, it will be seen that the number of German households constitute a considerably larger proportion of the total number of households studied than do the Flemish, and a very much larger proportion than do the North Italian, Magyar, South Italian, or French households, in the order named.

MEMBERS OF HOUSEHOLDS FOR WHOM DETAILED INFORMATION WAS

SECURED.

The table next presented shows, by general nativity and race of head of household, the persons in the households studied and the persons for whom detailed information was secured.

TABLE 4.-Persons in households studied and persons for whom detailed information was secured, by general nativity and race of head of household.

The following table shows by general nativity and race of head of household the sex of persons for whom detailed information was secured in the households studied:

TABLE 5.-Sex of persons for whom detailed information was secured, by general nativity and race of head of household.

The table next submitted sets forth, by sex and general nativity and race of individual, the persons for whom detailed information was secured in the households studied.