The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-04-04
FOREIGN BORN LABOR
:. N UNITED STATES | J.
Railroads, Coal Mines and Lumber
Camps Have the Largest
Percentage.
Many Of the Foreign Laborers
Live in Groups on the Co.
operative Plan. =.

operative Plan. Z.
Contracting companies engaged In
railroad construction and similar un~
dertakings employ men Of various
nationalities.: The work is usually
carfied on where there are no accom-
modatlons for boarding and lodging
the workmen. A boarding camp is
as much a necessity for a. contracting
company as the picks, shovels, and
machinery for doing the work. A
fixed charge: is made for the boarding
and lodging per week of each man.
At the comon table the unskilled i'm
migrant laborers of all European ma
t1onaltties. excepting the Italian, come
into close personal contact with their
hrst Americanizing influences. The
SWede, Norwegian, Finlander, German,
and Slav rub elbows for the first time
with American born and foreign born
OF the English speaking races at the
eating tables Of the boarding shanty
and there get their knowledge af the
common language
The :Padrone System.
In the lumber camps, the coal mines
ana the railroad camps this getting
to8etner, amalgamatiOn, and assimi-
lat1on goes on every day. The Italian
laoorers, however, are not. brought in
TO contact with these Americanizing
influences, rude, as they may be. In
all cases the railroad and contracting
companies find it necessary to pro-
vide separately for the Italian labor
ers. 1t is usually made one of the
condltlons of employment of Italian
laDorers that commissary be estab-
l1shed at the. labor camp for the sale
OF the articles of food preferred by
them, each man eating and cooking
IN such fashion as may suit him. Un-
like other races, they do not select a.
COOK from among their number or
otherwise to furnish meals at a COM
mon table.
The padrone encourages this method
on account Of the profits he realizes
from the sale of the food. Through
TINS system he keeps In touch with
MS countrymen and can control their
movements and employment When
work ceases at one point and with
to another and make profit in the
Zee for each man. The italian labor
er himself insists upon the commits
sary system because he can live much
cheaper in this way.
Cost of Living.
The Slavic and Hungarian laborers
when the work is Of a permanent
character, prefer to form groups of
20 to 80 men, procure a house or
shanty, and live On a cooperative
plan. They insist on a much greater
variety of food than the Italians. and
fresh and salt meats are regarded as
essential part OF their bills Of fare.
Under such an Arrangement the cost
OF supplies and board ranges from
Of. opportunity for cooperative living
they live at the" boarding camps at
the same cost as the others. Manv
cases are found where they live &C.
cording to the American fashion. and
pay $12 a month for board and iodg-
Ang.
investigation of the records of =.
large contracting company engaged
on. railroad construction and employ
ing many laborers of various NATHAN
al1t1es as wells as italians shows that
the actual cost to the company Of
groceries, provisions and payment for
cooks, walters, fuel, light, etc., at it's
boarding camps for a given period
was 10 cents per meal, or 1899 week
Tor each man. The men were charged
$1S month for board and lodging.
The Italians at the camps Of the
company lived mostly on macaroni.
sausage, cheese, sardines, and bread.
Macaronf and bread were the staples.
tie sausage, sardines, and cheese being
used very sparinly. The average
monthly expense Of the Italian laborer
was as follows:
Twenty five. w Id. loaves of
bread, at cents. 5000
Thirty pounds of macaroni, at
cents ................ ....... 21O
sausage sard1nes and cheese. -. 1.5O
Lard 20
Total for food ............. $40
Most of the Italians, in addition to
the above, spent an average of SO per
month for beer cheap cigars, or to-
bacco, which, with the expense of ST
per month for shanty rent, brings the
total cost of living, per man to $3.50
per month. $751;.
An examination Of the records of
three railroad systems New York.
pennsylvania and New Jersey for
1905 and 1906 gives accurate records
of the earnings and the total cost of
living Of large numbers Of Italian
laborers employed on these railroads
and living under: the usual commits
sary system. The average earnings
per man for a representative month
in 1906 for, 80 gangs, numbering 1880
men, were 's37.07. The cost of all
food was $3.50, AND of rent Of shanty
and sundries s$l49, Hor a total of 1919,
leaving surplus Of $30.28.
:. The average food consumption for
the month per man of one group OF
"a men from the above number was
as follows:
Bread, pounds BAL
Macaroni, pounds LIB
IN 10 Ia