The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-30
SOUTHERN EUROPE
FURNISHES MANY
Immigrants TO United States
During Past Year
IS ECONOMIC MOVEMENT
As Far Back as 1880 Germany and
Great Britain Furnished Most I'M
migrants, But This Is No
Longer the Case.

Washington, March 29.-(Special.) Elm
igration from tie European countries to
the United States and other countries
length in a British publication which has
just reached the department of Com
merce and Labor through It's bureau
OF statistics The discussion in question
Is part of an elaborate document issued
by the British board of trade, the title
o! the chapter which discusses emigra-
tion being. Emigration from the Chief
European Countries" The following ex-
tracts from the discussion present the
more important of it's conclusions, and
especially those which relate to the Unit
ed States:
THE migration of population from one
country to another is afforded by num-
Der of complex causes. The whole vol
ume of migration, of course depends
largely on the distribution throughout
the world of density of population, eli
matte advantages, and wealth of nat
ural resources, together with facilities of
communication between the more and
less densely settled and naturally favor
ed regions.
AS regards theNvolume and direction
of the movement from any particular
country, much depends not only on the
natural resources and field of employment
but also on the national temperament and
characteristics the standard O. living Of
the people, and the existence In oversee
countries of populations of similar or
kindred character.
Purely Economic Movement.
so far as emigration is a purely eco
nomic movement, the main factors which
| determine the changes In Its volume are
| two-the state of the labor market in the
country from which the emigrant starts
and the state of the labor market in the
country to which he goes. But emigration
| Ia by no means an exclusively economic
movement. Other causes, such as political
or religious persecution, have operated in
many well-known cases to encourage the
transfer of population from one country to
others. Broadly speaking, however, the
economic element in migration is usually
| by far the most important, and even in
the case of emigration TO escape burden
some laws (e. g., the Russian Jews or
German socialists), the time and direction
of the movement is determined largely by
changes in the labor market in oversee
countries.
"A study of fluctuations in CONNER
cal activity and employment in the prin-
cipal countries leads to the conclusion
| that among the principal advanced com
merclal countries the general waves Of
initiation and depression are to a consider
able, and perhaps a growing extent,
simultaneous, thought the effect of these
| wide movements of expansion and con-
traction may be often. complicated and
| disguised in the case of particular coun-
| tries by purely local causes, e. g., the
| effect of war or other disturbance, the
| discovery of gold or other mineral re-
| sources, good or bad harvests, and so
forth. To these local variations in the
economic conditions affecting emigration
are to be added the local political causes
all eady adverted to, which may tend at
| one time or another to stimulate or re-
tard the migration of population.
Follow Definite Law.
| These countries would lead us to ex-
| pect that the total value of emigration
| SAY from all European countries will
| fellow some more or less definite law de-
| pending on the state of Industrial ac-
| tivity in the world generally. and es-
| pc cially in the oversee countries which
| are the chief recipients of emigrants,
| while s~e flow from and to particular
countries will be also affected by local
| and special circumstances, which in many
| cases may be even more important. Elk
anples, both of the general and local
| factors in emigration will be found In
| succeeding parts of this memorandum.
"A few of the leading results may be
| thus briefly summarized:
| Since 1876 (the first year for which the
statistics of net British emigration can
| De given there have been two great PEE
| ~iods of activity in European emigration.
| he first beginning about 1880 and lasting
I or the succeeding ten or twelve years.
nd the second beginning about 1899 or 1900
| md still continuing. Separating these pc