The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-11
Southern and Eastern
Europeans Doing Iron
and Coal Stunts.
EARNINGS HERE,
EARNINGS THERE
southern Outlook Compared
With Chances in Some Other
Sections of Countrywide
the South Offers in Better
Wages to the Anbi-
tious Immigrant.
BY w. J. LAUCk.

DuI'hs recant years all branches OF
INNING have undergone a rer,rk,ht,
development in the Southern S,,,
me Alabama iron ore ann n,,un
Soal MINES, together with m. ,nnn,,
'Au coii mines VI Tennessee ana m,
I'1lious coal mines OF Virginia, WLst
e'"'a ana heitucky, nave tarnisneu
constantly increasing proDur;Un ~
me total output OF the countrv.s con,
IRON orr anu copper i he RESULTANT dc
mana Tor iauVr mas Dccu Iln,,r,,,,a,,,,,
ne returns OF the last census ire n,t
YET dSiiihole, but an mulua tion If tho
!Piu extension of mi.ing Operations In
.ile SCUM may be seen from the fact
-. III 1919 ohly l,o2S persons We're en-
p'oSea IN me pitunlInuus mines of ytr
shia, as coutrasted with b,p,tF,n ,.n7
III 1883 there We're only Cos. bitumi
nous mine workers in Alabama AZ
asaihst 2l.3sS niSntae. years later.
purihS the same period the oterut,n,r
totIes OIL the kentucny coal mines " ere
Peoied IN numbers, anu the nu.nper of
mn ;rs in Nesi Virginia increased from
''''S 10 oa,u:p Tie cNIraoruinary ny
panslon In coal mini"g operations ana
the unprecedented need for labor md,
Gated by these ngures may DE taken
aiso as TYPICAL OF iron ore and copper
| mining.
Sources Of Labor supply.
The main sources of IA NOR Iunn,y
winch were first drawn upon in develop-
ing the coal aid mineral deposits wero
me native whites OF the tugm.,ls and
mountain classes ana tha negroes OF
the south. In Kentucky and Tennessee,
where there has not been SO great "A
demand as III other sections. th,sn
! classes OF workmea, together with
icw German, Scotch, irish and English
/ immigrants. have been found to pa
Suihcient. In Alabama also, although
small number OF recent and old.r
| immigrants are found I'm the cu.i
] mines. the negro has practically consti-
| tuted the main source OF labor supply.
| rms situation has principally been
Drought about by the practice OF farm-
inS out Stale negro convicts to tn. coal
| mines and to the custom OF these con-
N'cts 10 remain In the mines after their
penal scr":tudc has terminated
On the otha hand. small numbers OF
southern and Eastern European immi-
gratis have been employed in the Ala
paihit IRON ore mines and In the Ten
nessee copper mines and shelters In
the bttuminous coal mines of Virginia
| and West Virginia recent immigrants
cons utute the largest class OF mine
workers ard At the present time arr
the principa! source OF labor supply.
The Southern Conl Miner.
rating the bltuminous mining ter
| ritory OF the Southern States as
whole. about 81 per cent of tho mine
workers are native white Americans
! 10 per cent. are negroes. and the re-
| mainder are immigrants largely from
thu South and East of Europe Tho
principal races of recent arrival in
this country employed in the Southern
mines are CroatIans. Magyars, North
and South Italians. Poles and Siovaks
only about one out of every ten las
| had any experience IN mining before
| coming TO the South. They are en-
| ployed as a rule us leaders after the
mining machines or in doing the rough
and unskilled work about the mines
Earnings of the southern Miner
| The average daily earnings OF all
| classes Of bituminous miners in tho
South, as shown by tho recent ana ex-
! haustive report of the ederal Imm
grafton Commission we:s S2.0l. Tho
immigrants earned on an average Il
daily wage of sal: ana the negroes
| Sl.S7.
| SiXty-eight per cent of all the mines
(! IN the South. as against only &c per
per cent. in Pennsylvania, earn 81 OF,
more per day. Furthermore, II per
cent. OF the southern bitumlnous miners
earn at least SO. as compared with
OILY per cent. of those i'll Western
Pennsylvania. This investigation also
showed that the average annual earn
| inss OF the male heads of families en-
ployed in South 1rn hitumiuous mines
were $500, while tnose In Western Fem
| sy4Nania were oily Si26; in Oho. In
| diana ana Illinois, sac. and in Kansas
and Oklahoma, S45,. In the Middle
T, West also 80 per cent. OF the adult
mine workers earned less than 500 an
! nually in the southwest. Al per cent,
and In Western Pennsylvania A per
cent, while in the Southern hituminous
mines only Is per cent rec sivcd under
: ) 100 per Ghnum. Again, the average
annual family income OF families tins
heads OF which were employed In the
min IS In tho Southern States Vas $685.
as contraSted with only 5S03 in the
| Middle West, s5iG In Western Pennsyl-
I vania. and 500 in the Southwest. One
( half OF the families OF the mine work
! ers in Pennsylvania, Onto, 1rdtana. I'LL
f, uois. Oklahoma and Kansas also hal
an av IraSc annual income unier s5Js
/ families of the mine workers IN the
| South with this income. When these
! figures are considered In con sction
with the lower cost of living in the
South. the relative advantages CT the
Southern bitum!nous miner are appar-
! ont. Working conditions housing ia
, cilities and living arrRa gGments ara
/, pra ctical,y the same in all sections OF
The country
Labor I'm the !iinhafea Iron Mines. ~
In the iron ore mines OF the Birmiag-
ham district, in alabama, slightly more
than two-thirds Of The employees are
, native negroes. about ~ per cent. art
native white Americans. The iSrp.t de- N
| maid for labor growing out OF tj.'s
development of the iron CIR deposits,
together with the open-rt system Of s
running. which renders possible the
~ IContinuef on thiSu pago,i y -