Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-30

lergest in South Omaha and smallest in
Chicago, with those in Kansas city mid
way between the two cities. More than
one-half Of the Russian employees in Kan
sas City and Of the Russians and Lith-
uRnians in Chicago earned less than Sis
each day. More than two-fifths OF all the
immigrant employees in both Chicago and
Kansas City earned under 81 per diem. The
Sverage daily earnings Of women en-
ployes over IS years OF age for all three
cities was $40. while for girls between the
ages OF IA and Is years the average daily
wage was f1O2 The average daily wage Of
boys "A and under IS years of age was
N.S Chicago employees showed the highest
average annual earnings for heads of fam
HES, or S6O4, as compared with 1888 for
South Omaha and SAL for Kansas City
One-fourth OF the heads OF families in Kan
sas City. one-ffth in Chicago and only one
eighth in South Omaha earned under 500
| annually.
The average annual income Of workers
in the industry was 500 in Chicago. $3.50 in
South Omaha and s742 in Kansas City. More
than one-fourth OF all the families in Kan
sas City and Chicago had an annual in
come under $500, and the proportion of i'm
come less than this amount was even
greater.
Women An the Industry.
OF the women In the households studied
only per cent Of those Of foreign birth
and slightly more than 10 per cent OF the
native Americans were at work for wages
On the other hand, more than one-half OF
the second generation, or the women Of
native birth, but of foreign father were
wage earners. OF the Bohemian women of
the second generation almost three-fifths
were working for wegea The average an
uual earnings Of native born women was
1883 and of foreign born S211. As the earn
iugs of the husbands declined the tendency
on the part of wives to add to the family
| income by working for wages or keeping
| boarders or dodgers increased. The proper
ton of wives who found It necessary to
| seek employment, or to take boarders or
dodgers, was smaller in Chicago than in
Kansas City or South Omaha. About two
fifths Of the Polish wives in South Omaha
| and three-fifths of those in Kansas City
found It necessary to assist in the support
Of their families. OF all the families
studied, only 81 per cent of those in Chi
cago, Sc per cent of those in South Omaha
and 4S per cent of those in Kansas City de-
rived their entire support from the earn
| ings of the husbands in the Strengthening
and meat packing establishments.
| or the foreign-born households about 10
per cent In Chicago, AZ per cent in Kansas
| City and Ii per cent in South Omaha kept
| boarders or dodgers as compared with 4
per cent Of the native-b born in Chicago 20
per cent in Kansas City and per cent in
| South Omaha In Chicago there were six
| teen boarders or dodgers in each 100 immi-
grant households, in South Omaha forty
two and in Kansas City 21S In South
Omaha 45 per cent, in Kansas City IS per
cent and in Chicago only 20 per cent Of
the immigrant households occupied apart
ments of less than four rooms. A much
smaller proportion of immigrant families
also used all rooms for sleeping purposes
than in South Omaha or Kansas City
Abnormal Kansas City Conditions.
| The conditions of family life were much
more normal in Chicago and South Omaha
than in Kansas City. In the two cities
first named only about one-flfth of the
married immigrant wage earners reported
| their wives abroad as against almost two
fifths in Kansas City who stated that their
wives and families had been left in their
native countries. OF the families whose
heads were born abroad, the largest per-
OontaBe OF nome ownership, or 66.7, was
shown by the Lthuanians and the small
est, or 1s per cent, by the English or
the total number OF families studied 90
per cent of those in South Omaha, 40 per
cent Of those In Kansas City and 80 per
cent Of those in Chicago had acquired
their own homes.
OF the foreign-born wage earners in the
plants Of Chicago and South Omaha about
three-fifths and OF those in Kansas City
slightly more than two-fifths were fully
naturalized. In South Omaha the Bohe-
mians, Moravians and Poles showed much
larger proportions of fully naturalized citi-
zens than they do either in Chicago or
Kansas City. OF the immigrant who had
taken the preliminary steps towards ac-
curing citizenship by securing first pa
pers, the greater proportion of all races
In this condition were found in South
omaha, as compared with Chicago and
| Kansas Citv