It is worthy of note in the preceding table that not a single South Italian woman had a money-earning occupation prior to her arrival in the United States; also that 95 per cent of the Germans were without prior occupation, while 5 per cent had worked for wages in their native country. Of the 71 Magyars reporting, 90.1 per cent were without occupation before coming to the United States, as compared with 86.4 per cent of the Poles thus reported. On the other hand, the Poles show 10.2 per cent of their number, as compared with 7 per cent of the Magyars, who had previously worked for wages, and 3.4 per cent of their number, as compared with 2.8 per cent of the Magyars, who had worked without wages prior to their arrival in this country. In the table next presented the three general groups are divided into the specific occupations of which they are composed.

TABLE 482.-Occupation before coming to the United States of foreign-born females who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more females reporting. The total, however, is for all foreignborn.]

Of the number reporting complete data, 1.3 per cent were farm laborers, 1.3 per cent servants and waitresses. The Poles show 1.7 per cent and 3.4 per cent, respectively, of their number as having been farm laborers or servants, waitresses, etc., as compared with 2.8 per cent and 1.4 per cent of the Magyars in the same occupations. The Poles also show 5.1 per cent of their number, as compared with 2.8 per cent of Magyars, in all other occupations, while the Germans show 5 per cent in this group. Of the 224 females reporting, 4, or 1.8 per cent, report that they had, prior to coming to the United States, worked as farm laborers without wages. The table next presented, based upon 892 males in the households studied, who were 16 years of age or over when they came to this country, shows that only 15, or 1.7 per cent, were without some occupation prior to their arrival in the United States; 514, or 57.6 per cent, worked for wages; 291, or 32.6 per cent, worked without wages; and 72, or 8.1 per cent, worked for profit.

TABLE 483.-Industrial condition before coming to the United States of foreign-born males who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Although the North Italians in the foregoing tables show a larger percentage of persons without prior occupation than do immigrants of any other race, they also report 71.9 per cent of their number as having worked for wages, the largest per cent reported by any one race and exceeding the proportion of Germans by 4.3 per cent. On the other hand, the Germans report 13.8 per cent more than the North Italians as working without wages, and 3.4 per cent less than the North Italians as working for profits. Of the 261 South Italians only one had no occupation in his native country, while 59 per cent had worked for wages, 32.2 per cent without wages, and 8.4 per cent for profits. It will readily be seen that the percentage of South Italians previously working for profits is exceeded by that of only one other race, the Magyars, who report 13.1 per cent. The Magyars also report 1.4 per cent less than the South Italians as working without wages, 5.5 per cent less working for wages, and 2.1 per cent more than the South Italians without prior occupation.

Little difference exists between the Lithuanians and Magyars in the number working for wages and the number without prior occupation, but the percentage of Lithuanians working without wages is greater than that of the Magyars by 6.7. The per cent of Lithuanians working for profits is smaller than the per cent of Magyars in the same group by 6.8. Forty per cent each of Russians and Slovaks, as compared with 60.9 per cent of the Poles, had worked for wages in their native country, while the proportion of Poles working without wages is less than the proportion of Russians and Slovaks in this group by 25 and 19.6 per cent, respectively. The Poles also show 2.3 per cent less than the Slovaks and 3.1 per cent more than the Russians as working for profits.

48296°-Vol 7-11-12

Proceeding further with the analysis, the following table shows the percentage of persons in the principal occupations which are combined to form the industrial groups of the preceding table:

TABLE 484.-Occupation before coming to the United States of foreign-born males who were 16 years of age or over at time of coming, by race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign

German.

Italian, North..

Italian, South.

Lithuanian.

Magyar.

Polish.

Russian.

Slovak..

Total..

892

0.0 2.9 14.7 32.4 5.9 11.8 67.6 29.4 0.0 29.4 2.9 0.0 2.9 6.3 28.1 10.9 1.6 25.0 6.3 71.9 15.6 .0 15.6 6.3 .0 6.3 .4 32.6 13.0 2.3 5.7 5.4 59.0 32.2 .0 32.2 8.4 .0 8.4 3. 1 31.3 9.4 9.4 .0 3.1 53.1 37.5 37.5 6.3 .0 6.3 198 2.5 27.3 7.1 2.5 10.1 6.6 53.5 30.3 .5 30.8 13.1 1.1 19.0 9.2 16.3 14.7 1.6 .0 11.4 5.7 .0 8.6 14.3 .0 26.7 5.0 .0 6.7 1.7 40.0 51.7 .0 51.7 8.3 1.7 25.0 9.8 8.1 9.8 5.0 57.6 32.4 .2 32.6 8.1 .0 8.1

.0

60.9 31.5 .5

40.0 57.1 .0 57.1 2.9

0005500

.0 13.1

32. 1

In the above table it is seen that of the entire number reporting, one-fourth were employed as farm laborers for wages, prior to leaving their native country; less than one-tenth each as laborers and in the hand trades; 5 per cent in all other occupations; and only 8.1 per cent as miners. A fraction less than one-third of those reporting worked as farm laborers without wages; and 8.1 per cent worked for profits as farmers.

It is worthy of note also that three races, the German, Russian, and Slovak, report none without prior occupation; and a larger per cent than the Poles, are reported by the Russians and Slovaks, as farm laborers without wages. The North and South Italians, Lithuanians, and Magyars, who were employed for wages as farm laborers, vary only slightly in the proportions reported, the South Italians reporting the highest, 32.6 per cent, as compared with 27.3 per cent for the Magyars. A comparison of the North and South Italians as laborers and in hand trades shows a marked reversal in positions, the North Italians reporting 10.9 per cent employed as laborers and 25 per cent in hand trades, as compared with 13 per cent and 5.7 per cent, respectively, of South Italians.

Aside from the Russians and Slovaks, the Lithuanians report a larger per cent working as farm laborers without wages than any one of the other races; and the North Italians report the smallest-15.6 per cent of the latter as compared with 37.5 per cent of the former— with very little difference, as between the South Italians, Poles, Magyars, and Germans.

Of those who are reported as having worked for profits, prior to leaving their native country, all were farmers. Of the several races, the Magyars show the highest percentage, 13.1, as compared with 8.4

per cent of the South Italians and 8.3 per cent of the Slovaks. Two races, the North Italian and Lithuanian, report 6.3 per cent each as having worked for profits, and two races, the German and Russian, 2.9 per cent each, while the Poles show 6 per cent.

The above table also shows the significant fact that nearly onethird of the Germans reporting were employed as miners before coming to the United States; whereas the Poles report a fraction less than one-sixth of their number as having been employed in the same capacity before coming into this country. After the Poles come the Lithuanians, who report 9.4 per cent as miners prior to leaving their native country. It is also important to note that the Russians and Slovaks fail to show a single one of their number with previous experience as a miner.

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

Table 485, which exhibits the result of the study of the occupation abroad of individual mining employees of foreign birth in the South, shows that nearly three-fourths of the total were engaged in farming or farm labor. Seventy-three and nine-tenths per cent were farmers or farm laborers, 10.4 per cent miners, 7 per cent in hand trades, 4 per cent in general labor, 1.6 per cent in manufacturing, and 3.1 per cent in other industries not specified. The detailed exhibits for each race are here set forth:

TABLE 485.-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.]

The Bulgarians show a higher percentage of farming people than does any other race in the table above, 89.6 per cent of this race being thus reported. The Croatians follow, with 85.9 per cent, and the Poles rank third, with 82.3 per cent. The Magyars and South Italians report 78.3 per cent and 78.4 per cent, respectively, and the North Italians and Slovaks complete the group. Each of these races exceeds the general average of 73.9 per cent.

Only 4 per cent of the members of all races were laborers in industries other than farming. The North Italians show the highest percentage, though their 5.9 per cent is closely followed by the 5.4 per cent of the Croatians and the 5.3 per cent of the South Italians. Four per cent of the Poles are thus reported, and 3.3 per cent of the Slovaks. No Bulgarians were laborers, and only a very few of the Magyars.

The Slovaks show 3 per cent engaged in some branch of manufacturing, the Magyars, Poles, and South Italians show between 1 and 2 per cent, the Croatians and North Italians less than 1 per cent, and the Bulgarians none. The hand trades, however, were much more common, 7 per cent of all reporting an occupation in this class. The Magyars lead, with 11.5 per cent, the North Italians following with 9.9 per cent, and the South Italians with 7.2 per cent. The Slovak percentage is 5.1, and the Bulgarian and Polish each 4.3. The Croatians, with only 2.9 per cent reporting in this class, show a lower proportion than any of the other races.

As already stated, only 10.4 per cent of the immigrants of all races were engaged abroad in the occupation by which they now make a living. Moreover, of the principal races tabulated, the Slovaks alone report even that percentage, the Poles, who rank next, showing only 7.2 per cent. The Croatians and Bulgarians report but 2.5 per cent and 2.6 per cent, respectively, as having mined abroad. These are also the two races showing the largest proportion of farmers and farm laborers.

GENERAL OCCUPATION OF WOMEN AT THE PRESENT TIME, IN THE HOUSEHOLDS STUDIED.

As regards the general industrial condition of the foreign-born since their arrival in the United States, the table below shows for the southern coal fields the general occupations of all females 16 years of age or over in the households studied.

TABLE 486.-General occupation of females 16 years of age or over, by general nativity and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more females reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.