The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-17
FloatingInmig'rantSup-
ply as Applied to Rail
way Construction.
DIFFERENT KINDS
OF CHEAP L ABOR
Increase of Foreign Supply, on
Southern Works-Immigrant
characteristics-N egro Is
Still Preferred, but He Can't
Be Relied Upon-Facts
Not Generally Known.

The recent Immigrant has not onIy
found extensive iodgmen. in the oper-
ating forces OF the principal branches
OF mining and manufacturing In the
United States. out the labor supply
Tor railway and other construction
work, q we'll as for other kinds of sea-
sonal and temporary employment, are
largely recruited from members OF
races OF recent immigration originating
In southern and Eastern Europe. The
same statement Is true OF the iaborers
on railroad maintenance OF way. A
study, IN the year 1909, OF the employees
In the malntenance-of department
east OF the Ohio River OF ono Of our
most important railroads showed that
"a per cent, were OF foreign birth and
that the principal races employed were
Croatians and North and South Ttal-
ianE. Moreover, 81 per cent. OF the Ia
borers of these races had been In the
United States less than i've years. In
the South. which in former years de-
pended upon the negro entirely for this
class u work owing TO i.s extensive
development during the past decade.
has found IL necessary TO employ I'M
migrant labor. The Virginia, the Caro-
lima, Clinchleld and Ohio. and other
railroads OF recent construction ira
vcrsing Virginia and other Southern
States were largely built by this class
OF labor.
Methods of Securing Work.
The principal methods by which the
Immigrant labo-cr secures employment
in temporary work are: %, BY per
sonal application: %. by the padronc
system. and. t3). through labor
agencies. The method first mentioned
is seldom. followed, the only places
where It is employed being where the
t.. -
ite extent or by reason OF the regular
recurrence OF the demand Is n matter
OF common knowledge. .-s,,.-
AS a rule, the demand for and the
supply OF labor are adjusted through
system Of regularly constituted agen-
cies. These labor agencies arc situated
in the different cities OF the country,
and cooperate with one another in adj
tustinG the supply OF labor to the dis
tribution OF the demand. They are in
dependent Institutions. or operated In
conjunction with immigrant banks.
steamship ticket Offices. or other lines
of business. Tho usual movement OF
the immigrant LABOR supply is from
New York II the recognized indus rial
centres OF the interior. where the larg-
or number or immigrants seeking work
ind employment In regularly estab-
lished Industries. The demand for rail-
road construction and other temper
airy labor lis then largely supplied by
the agencies In the interior, by means
of laborers secured from the iInmigra n I
colonies 81 the Industrial cities OF
towns. When one piece Of work is
completed the lahorers usually return
to the point where they originally
started, and are again distributed by
the agencies In many cases, however
tho newly arrived Immigrant Is sent
directly from New York TO railroad or
other construction work.
The Pndrone Syrtem.
Tho padrone system is the outgrowth
Of the inability to speak English and
tho lack Of knowledge of American
methods and customs. which prevail
among the immigrant laborers who
seek employment. Some form Of the
system is found among all nonEng-
1ish speaking races. 1t is most high
~ developed. however. and Is most
usually followed. by the South Ital-
iana. In the majority OF cases the
padrone is a labor agent, who agrees
to furnish and control certain sup
ply OF labor for a specified work. In
return for which he is TO receive spe-
cinl privileges, as, for example, the
commissary or housing privileges in a
railway or other construction camp.
In other cases he merely acts as the
representative of the laborers in neg .
tfations with employers or other per-
mons. and for this service each laborer
In his gang regularly pays him the
specified and understood amount.
Racial Classification of Construction
Laborers.
Disregarding geographical lines, II
may be said. In general. that foreign
born wage-earners constitute Slightly
moro than hree-fourths of the en-
tire number OF persons engaged In
railway and other construction work.
Native white Americans and native
negroes each make up about onc-tenth
Of the working forces. The remaining
part consists OF English. Irish. Ger
mans and other wage-earners of the
second generation. or Of persons Of ma
tive birth, hut Of foreign father. Thir-
ty-seven races were represented among
The immigrant wage earners Of these
classes. Scarcely any English or Ger
mans arc found in the railroad con-
struction camps. but small proper
tfor Of Irish, amounting to about per
cent. OF the entire operating forces. are
found In supervisory and responsible
positions. OF the recent immigrants
the South italians. North Italians,
Croatians, Poles. and Greeks, In the
order named. are employed in the
greatest numbers. The South Italians
as rule. constitute about one-thiri
Of tho unskIlled workers. the North
Italians and Croatians each one-tenth,
and the Greeks Poles. and Bulgarians
about one-twentieth each, Other races
which appear in considerable numbers
are the Russians, Rumanians Magyars.
and HeregovInians. In all the sections
ofSthe country. the South Italians form
h the highest proportion OF laborers en-
ployed on railroad construction work,
The Rulgarians. Greeks. and Rumanians
are principally employed In the Mid