Japanese shops. Here the prices are lower than those generally charged at shops conducted by other races, if the poorest shops are excepted.

The prices now charged were established as minima by the Japanese Suit Cleaning Union, which was organized in February, 1909, and which has as members the majority of the proprietors of cleaning, pressing, and dye shops. The competition of the Japanese cleaners and dyers has been more far-reaching in its effects in Seattle than elsewhere, if some small places, such as Bellingham, Wash., are excepted. In Seattle the agent of the Commission found that "highclass" and even "second-class" tailors were not affected by Japanese competition, but that the third-rate shops, and especially those which do cleaning and pressing as their chief business, were quite seriously affected. The Japanese tailors make suits for less money than white men and their workmanship is often as good. The charge for pressing suits has been reduced from $1 to 50 cents, and for pressing trousers from 25 cents to 15 cents, on account of low Japanese prices. Even at these rates the white establishments have lost much of their business to Japanese.

A few white tailors are employed in the larger Japanese shops in Seattle and one is employed in the largest shop in Los Angeles. These men are cutters or other skilled workmen. The other employees are Japanese. The wages paid in the shops investigated in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles varied from $20 to $65 per month with board and lodging; from $40 to $55 with lodging only; and from $35 to $80 per month with neither board nor lodging. The average monthly wage of 26, with board and lodging, was $39.23; of 8, with lodging only, $47.50; of 8, with neither board nor lodging, $51.88. Still other Japanese were employed at piece rates as are most of the workmen in American shops.

PROVISION AND GROCERY STORES.

The number of provision and grocery stores in the cities and towns in which Japanese business was investigated in 1909 numbered 124. Some of these are large establishments engaged chiefly in providing Japanese laborers employed in railroad and other work in country places with canned goods and other staple supplies, chiefly of Japanese origin. At the other extreme are many small establishments carrying Japanese and American goods in stock in varying proportions and patronized by varying percentages of white persons and Japanese. The stores of the large cities are located in the districts in which the Japanese are settled in largest numbers, and with the more specialized stores which have developed meet most of the wants of the Japanese save for clothing of a superior type. In Seattle, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and elsewhere, it was found that the Japanese traded chiefly at stores conducted by their countrymen, though some of them have shown a tendency to seek better service or better bargains elsewhere.

The number of Japanese provision and grocery stores has increased rapidly in all of the cities in which the Japanese population is large. In Seattle they numbered 16 in 1905 and 26 in 1909; in San Fran

cisco, 10 in 1904 and 22 and 1909; in Los Angeles, 6 in 1904 and 27 in 1909. In Sacramento there are now 12, most of which have been established in the last five or six years. This increase is due partly to the increase of the Japanese populations of these cities during this time, partly to the fact that a smaller percentage of the laborers are now controlled by contractors and provided with supplies by them, and partly by an increasing amount of patronage by other races.

In Seattle an agent of the Commission investigated 9 of the 26 grocery stores. Making allowance for differences in the volume of business transacted, a little less than three-fifths of their patrons were white persons, while some $51,800 of the total $96,800 of sales were of goods of Asiatic origin, most of which, together with some goods of non-Asiatic origin, were sold to Japanese. It is evident that the larger part of the business is done with Japanese. These stores are located in a district in which there are a large number of small shops and a small number of larger grocery stores. A large percentage of the small shops are conducted by Greeks, Italians, and Servians, and these places are patronized chiefly by persons of the same race as the proprietor. The competition of the Japanese has been chiefly with the stores conducted by other races than those just mentioned. While their rents are a larger percentage of their receipts, the wages paid to their employees were found to be lower than those paid in the few large white stores investigated by the agent. The wages of the 11 employees of 7 Japanese stores (the other 2 investigated were conducted without hired assistance) averaged $29.55 per month, with board and lodging, while the wages of the white men employed in other stores were very much larger.

The competition which exists in Seattle is purely local. In Sacramento, on the other hand, 2 of the 12 grocery stores employ large amounts of capital, and though located in the Japanese quarter, sell and deliver goods to families living in all parts of the city. From 30 to 70 per cent of the customers of 5 stores investigated were white persons, but their purchases were reported as being from 15 to 40 per cent of the total, and Japanese goods from 50 to 70 per cent of those sold. The facts that most of the goods were of Japanese origin and that most of the sales were to Japanese, while the majority of the customers were white persons, is due to the large amount of business done with Japanese agricultural "bosses" and Japanese farmers who purchase supplies in large quantities for their employees. While some of the Japanese grocers are selling goods to families living in various parts of the city, their competition affects the small grocers in and near the Japanese quarter far more than others.

The Japanese sell at somewhat lower prices than other grocers in Sacramento. Not only do they sell at lower prices, they also pay lower wages than the white proprietors of 5 groceries located in the same part of the city. The wages of 11 Japanese clerks and drivers varied between $25 and $40 and averaged $31.59 per month, with board and lodging. The wages of 9. white male and 2 female employees in white stores varied between $40 as a minimum and $90 as a maximum, and averaged $63.82 per month, without board and lodging. The most serious disadvantage under which the white storekeepers have labored, however, is that most of their trade is

local, and that with the influx of the Japanese, many of their white patrons have moved to other parts of the city.

An agent of the Commission investigated 9 of the 27 Japanese grocery and provision stores in Los Angeles. Their annual sales aggregated $423,400. More than one-half, 51.5 per cent, of the goods sold were of non-Japanese origin, much of it being rice grown in Texas, and about 81.5 per cent of the sales were made to Japanese, a large percentage of them farmers in Los Angeles County and "bosses" of agricultural labor in the southern part of the State, who purchase provisions in large quantities for the men who work under their control. Such competition as has developed in this branch of trade has been scarcely felt by white grocers. At any rate, no especial complaint of Japanese competition was made by these men. Twenty-three Japanese men, 1 Japanese woman, and I white woman were employed in the 9 stores investigated. Omitting two managers, the wages of the 21 men varied between $30 and $50, and averaged $38.24 per month, with board and lodging. In San Francisco the competition between Japanese and other races is even less than in Los Angeles. The white patronage of Japanese provision stores investigated varied from 5 to 25 per cent of the total. About 50 per cent of the goods sold were reported to be of Asiatic origin.

ORGANIZATION.

Another detail of interest in connection with Japanese business is the extent to which they are organized into associations to limit competition among themselves or to protect themselves from injury by others and to further their own interests. Reference has been made to the Shoemakers' Union, in which practically, if not quite, all of the Japanese shoemakers of California have membership. The barbers are organized in almost every city in which more than a few shops have been established, to provide for relief of those in distress and to control apprenticeship, hours for opening and closing, and the prices which shall be charged. Among the places in which such unions exist are Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Fresno, and Stockton. Organizations are even more generally found in the restaurant trades, among restaurants serving Japanese meals and drinks, as well as among those serving American meals. Prices are controlled, as well as other matters of mutual interest to the trade.

The boarding-house keepers are commonly very well organized, especially those who are also labor contractors. The proprietors of laundries are usually organized where more than a few exist, as in Seattle and San Francisco, to standardize wages and hours, and in some instances, as in San Francisco, to provide for their mutual defense. Other interesting instances of organization are found among the carpenters, the expressmen, and watchmakers in Sacramento, among the suit cleaners in San Francisco, among the tailors of San Francisco and Oakland, and among the house cleaners in San Francisco. The more important details relating to these organizations are set forth in the special reports dealing with the Japanese in the cities mentioned. They are of interest here: (1) As an expression of a tendency exhibited still more extensively in their native land, to organize the crafts and branches of business; (2) as an evi

dence in a large number of instances of the ruinous competition among themselves, said to exist at the time of organization because of new men constantly entering the trade and reducing profits; and (3) as a factor affecting the competitive ability of the Japanese engaged in the businesses in which these organizations exist.

SUMMARY.

A general summary of the persons employed for wages in the Japanese establishments for which schedules were taken in Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Fresno, shows that of the 679 only 19 were white persons, and of the 660 Japanese all but 10 were males. The earnings of the 10 Japanese women were as follows: $15, but less than $20 per month in 6 cases; $20, but less than $25 in 1 case; and $25, but less than $30 in the remaining 3 cases, with board and lodging in all cases. Twenty-three of the Japanese males were paid at piece rates or on a commission basis. The earnings per month of the remaining 627 are shown in the following tables, those receiving board and lodging, those receiving board only, those receiving lodging only, and those receiving neither board nor lodging, in addition to their money earnings, being distinguished:

TABLE 41.-Number of male Japanese employees with each specified amount of earnings per month, with board and lodging, by branch of business.

TABLE 42.-Number of male Japanese employees with each specified amount of earnings per month, with board, by branch of business.

TABLE 43.-Number of male Japanese employees with each specified amount of earnings per month, with lodging, by branch of business.

TABLE 44.-Number of male Japanese employees with each specified amount of earnings per month, without board or lodging, by branch of business.

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In view of the remarks made concerning wages in the preceding pages of this report, the details presented in this summary table require no comment, save with regard to the general prevalence of the living in" system among the Japanese. The 10 Japanese women and, including those working at piece rates or on a commission basis, 468 of the 617 Japanese men, received board and lodging; 74, chiefly in the restaurant trade, received board, but not lodging; 10 received lodging, but not board; while 65 received neither board nor lodging, in addition to their money wages.

The table on the next page shows the earnings of 425 Japanese wage-earners in Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Fresno, and Watsonville for the twelve months ending with the time the schedule in the given case was secured.