26 
mated as $40,000 at the high prices of 1920, perhaps less than half 
of the meat consumed by the negro element in the population. 
In the eight largest cities canvassed foreign-born meat dealers 
constituted 51 per cent of the total, whereas the foreign born in the 
male population over 21 years of age were 29 per cent. (See Table 
12.) In Hartford the foreign-born element was the largest, 76 per 
cent of the number of dealers, while the foreign born in the adult 
male population was 41 per cent. In Lowell the foreign born 
among meat dealers was 62 per cent and in Pittsburgh 63 per cent. 
In Des Moines the percentage of foreign born among meat dealers 
was more than three times as high as among the adult male popula- 
tion and in Birmingham more than eight times as high. In Port- 
land and Los Angeles foreign born were found to bear approxi- 
mately the same relation to native born in the meat trade as in the 
total adult male population. 
In the eight largest cities canvassed foreign born from Austria, 
Italy. Russia, Poland, and Greece were reported as approximately 
three times as numerous comparatively in the meat trade as in. the 
adult male population. Germans were slightly more than twice as 
numerous, and native Americans. British, and Scandinavians were 
less numerous comparatively in the meat trade than in the adult 
male population. The small group of Syrians were reported as eight 
times as numerous comparatively in the meat trade as in the total 
adult male population. In cities with large sections inhabited by 
negroes it is noticeable that foreigners of the newer immigration 
conduct small retail shops in large numbers in such sections. In 
such instances, although the customers are poor and the meat of 
inferior quality, the prices charged usually show an excessive spread 
over current wholesale prices. 
In the more rural districts the foreign-born in the meat trade are 
much less numerous comparatively than in the cities. In the 8 
counties completely canvassed, those in the meat trade reported as 
foreign-born were 24 per cent, while the foreign-born element in the 
male jDopulation over 21 years of age was IT per cent. As is to be 
expected, the comparative number of foreign-born in the meat 
trade was largest in the counties containing cities of considerable 
size and smallest in the more rural counties. The smaller number 
of foreign-born in the trade in rural communities is perhaps due 
partly to less readiness among the rural population to change from 
established commercial relationships, and partly to the fact that 
those of foreign birth do not find in rural communities sufficient 
numbers of their own racial groups to encourage them to enter the 
business. 
Although accurate inquiry was not made regarding racial rela- 
tionships other than as indicated by color and country of nativity, 
certain data collected incidentally indicate that the Hebrew race 
is engaged in the meat trade in numbers far greater than their 
proportionate numbers in the population. From the canvass of 
New York City in 1918 by the Federal food board, it appears 
that 32 per cent of the dealers in retail meats in that city were in 
the kosher trade. (See Table 8.) Moreover, of the dealers in the 
gentile or general meat trade in that city it is estimated that from 
one-third to one-half are Hebrew. Probably fully 60 per cent of 
all the dealers in New York City with 50 per cent of total sales are 
