Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 258, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 October 1916 — NO IMMIGRATION AFTER THE WAR [ARTICLE]

NO IMMIGRATION AFTER THE WAR

European Fight Has Put Stop to Flow of Big Human Tide,to This Country. BEST TYPES CANNOT COME Germany, France and England Will Not Let Their People Leave When Peace Prevails, an Official Predicts. New York. —Immigration at the port of New York continues to be fast locked by the European war. Even the shortage of labor, the exceptional prosperity and the high wages being paid, have failed to stimulate emigration Prom those countries which huve not placed an embargo upon it. Thus runs ap article by Frederic C. Howe, Commissioner of Immigration, in u recent issue of the World. Under the circumstances we would expect the vacuum created by the closing of the doors of Germany, England, France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Poland and Italy aguinst emigration to have stimulated the flow from Scandinavia, Denmark, Holland, Spain and Portugal, whose gates are still open to the outgoing flood. This has not occurred. For the four years prior to the war immigration averaged in the neighborhood of 900.000 a year aj the port of New York. The first year of the war it fell to 243,000. The second year it feil stiii further, to 176,000. The outgoing flood has more than neutralized the incoming tide. The net loss through this port to our population during these two years was 20,793, There is still some immigration from Italy, and a considerable immigration—from— altiiough the immigrants from these countries are largely men over the military age and wives and children coming to this country to join husbands or parents. During the three months, Muy, June and July, 1916, 8,056 Greeks entered at the port of New York, 10,355 Italians and 4,668 Scandinavians. Should the war be extended over the entire Balkan peninsula, as now seems quite probable, southern immigration will be reduced to Italy ani} Smain.’ Pure Conjecture After Close of War. As to what will happen after the war, that is pure conjecture. It depends upon too many influences. Undoubtedly Germany, France and England, the most highly organized of the military countries, will keep their people at home. Wages are likely to be high, and the socialization of industry which has taken place will enable these states to regiment their soldiers much as they have done during the war. This is not true of Russia, Austria, Italy and the Balkans. And from these countries it is safe to assume a large immigration will come. These countries have suffered most. They are less highly organized than the other powers. The burden of taxation will be heavy, while the devastation in these countries has been very greater. Should they lift the gates and permit their people to migrate, undoubtedly a very large, possibly a tremendous, immigration will follow the ending of the war from these countries. How will the' immigrants be financed in view of their poverty? Just as they have been flnanctd in the past, for 80 per cent of those who come to America receive aid and assistance from friends and relatives already here. It is American money sent to Italy, Austria, Russia and Poland that stimulates emigration to this country; and in view of the general prosperity of the workers this aid will be freely granted at the close of the war.

Immigration is a pretty accurate mirror of industrial conditions. When this country is prosperous, when wages are high, immigration rises. When hard times intervene and men are out of employment, immigration falls. Will Need Labor Abroad. The same rule applies to Europe. When conditions are good men remain at home, for most of those who come to America would much prefer to stay in their native countries if the conditions of life were tolerable. All of these forces will be acting and reacting on one another at the close of the war.* \ If the European countries set themselves to rehabilitate the wastage of the war, to rebuild their roads and reman their factories in order to recapture their trade, there may be a great demand for labor. If they should work out an africultural program for cutting up the great stretches of feudal estate® into small holdings,, to be sold on easy terms, this too will tend to keep the people at home. 1 It is likely that an agricultural revolution will follow the war and that the old feudal system which still prevails almost all over Europe to the east of Berlin will be broken up, and individual homes like those of France will he provided for the people. If such a program as this should be carried out. and there is reason for believing that it is under contemplation, immigration to America might be permanently Checked for many years to come. Andquite as Important, hundreds of thousands of foreign-born persons might leave the United States to acquire a home in their own country.