Of the population of St. Louis County, 84 per cent reside in cities or villages, which is very conclusive as to the predominance of the ironore industry.

The leading nationalities were Finnish, Austrian, Swedish, Canadian, and Norwegian, in the order named. As shown by the state census of 1905, the nationalities represented and their respective numbers in the chief mining centers were as follows:

PRINCIPAL FOREIGN-BORN ELEMENTS OF THE POPULATION IN THE CHIEF RANGE COMMUNITIES OF MINNESOTA, 1905.

No statistics as to nationality are regularly kept by the mining companies, but the Oliver Iron Mining Company has taken a census of its own employees at different times, the results of which are given below:

LENGTH OF RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES OF FOREIGN-BORN EMPLOYEES OF THE OLIVER IRON MINING COMPANY, MAY 1, 1907, BY RACE OR PEOPLE. [Data supplied by the Oliver Iron Mining Company.]

Of the 12,018 employees of this company in 1907 only 1,879 were native born, those of foreign birth being 84.4 per cent of the total number employed. Almost half of the foreign-born, 49.3 per cent, had not resided in the United States over two years. The races showing a large proportion who had resided in this country ten years and over were the Irish, with 87.7 per cent; Scotch, 77.4 per cent; English, 74.4 per cent; Scandinavian, 48.4 per cent, and German, 23.7

per cent. Those with a small proportion were Bulgarians, with less than one-half of one per cent; Austrians and Croatians, with only 3.8 per cent; Italians, 8.9 per cent; Finns, 10.3 per cent; and Slavs, 11 per cent. Of all the foreign-born employees but 13.1 per cent had resided in the United States ten years and over. The principal races with a residence of less than a year were the Montenegrins, with 34.3 per cent; Austrians, 16.6 per cent; Croatians, 14.9 per cent; Slavs, 13.6 per cent, and Slovaks, 12.8 per cent. Of all the foreignborn employees 12.4 per cent had resided in the United States less than one year.

In the following tabulation, which was furnished by the Oliver Iron Mining Company, American includes Canadians, English, Irish, and Scotch; Austrian includes, among others, Bulgarians, Bohemians, Hungarians, and Montenegrins; French and German includes Belgians, Swiss, and Hollanders; Finnish includes Russians; and Scandinavian includes Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes.

NATIONALITY OF THE EMPLOYEES OF THE OLIVER IRON MINING COMPANY ON THE VARIOUS RANGES OF THE LAKE SUPERIOR REGION JULY 1, 1908, BY LOCALITY. [Data supplied by the Oliver Iron Mining Company.]

NATIONALITY OF THE EMPLOYEES OF THE OLIVER IRON MINING COMPANY, ON THE VARIOUS RANGES OF THE LAKE SUPERIOR REGION JUNE 1, 1909, BY LOCALITY. [Data supplied by the Oliver Iron Mining Company.]

This company had 12,478 employees on July 1, 1908. The Americans were 25.8 per cent of this number. The Austrians were the most numerous, with 31.9 per cent. On the Vermilion range 52.2 per cent of the employees were Austrians.

On June 1, 1909, this company had 14,029 employees, of whom 23.2 per cent were Americans, 32.5 per cent Austrians, 15.9 per cent Finnish, etc. Those nationalities that showed an increased proportion employed in 1909 compared with 1908 were Austrians, Finnish, Italians, and Polish. Those that decreased were Americans, French, German, and Scandinavians.

NUMBER AND PER CENT OF FOREIGN-BORN EMPLOYEES OF THE OLIVER IRON MINING COMPANY WHO SPEAK ENGLISH, MAY 1, 1907, BY RACE OR PEOPLE.

[Data supplied by the Oliver Iron Mining Company. Figures do not include 25 persons not reporting as to whether they do or do not speak English.]

Only 48.6 per cent of the employees considered in this table can speak English. A considerable number of the races reported 100 per cent able to speak English, but the number of persons involved is too small upon which to base a conclusion. Austrians report 30 per cent; Croatians, 30.8 per cent; Magyars, 34.3 per cent; Slavs, 37.2 per cent; and Slovaks, 40.4 per cent speaking English, while the Italians report 55.2 per cent; Finnish, 54.4 per cent; Slovenians, 79 per cent; and Scandinavians, 87.6 per cent who speak English.

NUMBER AND PER CENT OF FOREIGN-BORN EMPLOYEES OF THE OLIVER IRON MINING COMPANY, FIVE YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES, WHO HAVE BECOME NATURALIZED, MAY 1, 1907, BY RACE OR PEOPLE.

[Data supplied by the Oliver Iron Mining Company. Figures do not include (8 persons not reporting as to naturalization.]