The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-27
The Pilgrims to Our Land.

Perhaps the most striking fact in the
statistics Of immigration for the fiscal year
iust ended is that Italy furnished 1880
of the newcomers, or more than one-fourth
OF the whole. This rise of Italy into the
foremost place in immigration during the
last few years is the more remarkable
since, in the ten years from 1871 to 1850
inclusive only an average Of 1877 Italians
o year came, while in the thirty years from
1871 to 1870 inclusive there were only
2A,O89 Of them, or less than one-third as
many as for the single twelvemonth just
ended. Even during the decade ending in
1890 there were fewer than one-fourth as
many immigrants from Italy as from Ger
many. The field of rough labor opened
here to Italians accounts chiefly for this
great change.
Russia, including Poland, has also made
enormous gains in the immigration statis-
tics OF the last few years. Poland alone
sent US 49, 66 immigrants last year.
With these figures contrast the $50 arrivals
from Russia and Poland combined during
the decade ending with 1850, the 1921
during that Of 800, and the total OF 1924
from both combined during the thirty
years ending in 1880.
Hungary also shows a wonderful rush
during the last ten or twenty years COM
pared with earlier decades, the question OF
unskilled labor here again coming in. Tho
Scandinavians, including Norwegians,
Swedes and Danes, numbered 23,249 last
year. a very notable element in the total
They are also among the peoples that have
made extraordinary gains In immigration
during the last quarter OF century. From
1871 to 1850 they sent us total of 4. 442
immigrants. but from 1881 to 1890 an av-
erage Of 64,s59 a year. This last was
nearly treble last years total, but that
was not great immigration year, although
greater than 1898.
Contrasted with these countries we may
note the relative decline in Others notably
In Great Britain and Ireland. Out OF
1907, 500 immigrants from Europe in the
decade Of 1s41 to 1850. two-thirds Of the
whole, or / ,o47, 763. were from the United
Kingdom, and 7sO,719 or about one-half,
from Ireland alone. These proportions
have steadily dropped, yet as late as the
decade from 1871 to 1880, out OF total OF
2,s4e,ee4 European immigrants. $50, 16a
were from the United Kingdom, and 444
$50 Of these from Ireland. In the decade
from 1891 to 1890 the United Kingdom
barely kept at the head Of the list, as Ger
many was close upon her, but the Irish
were more than twice as many as the Ital
ians Last year the Irish numbered only
s2,945, or less than half as many as the
Italians, who, in fact, very far surpassed al
combined Of the United Kingdom.
As to the Germans, last year 26,631 o
them came, or fewer than the Irish. whereal
In the decade from 1881 to 1890 the yearl!
average each year was 145, 295 Germans
against 146, e42 from the United Kingdom
and 6,69s from Ireland alone. A curious
fact is that but one Swiss immigrant is re
corded last year, against 2,277 annual!
for the ten years ending in 1870.
There lie something very significant il
these changes Of nationality in our immi
grafton during the last half century. Othc
parts of Europe have supplanted the Brit
ish Isles as the main source OF our foreigl
labor supply.