The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-15
LARGE SUMS
 SENT TO ITALY
Estimated Five Hundred Million Lire Go Annually
 from America
STATISTICS FROM BANKS
And Postal Service Show
 Care Taken of Peasantiy
 Left in the Old Country.

New York March 15-The annual report of tho commissioner-geuera of emigration of Italy throws much light on the interesting subject of the moneys sent or carried by Italian inn migrants to the motherland. Prof. Luigi Rossi. the retiring commission CT who held his difficult post with such general approval devotes ;l chap ter of his report to a subject which is undoubtedly an important economic factor in the consideration of the eff fects evil or beneficial of the enor- nous emigration from Italy.
 The study begins with certain gen eral considerations as to the limita- tfcns of such an inquiry which can at best yield only approximate data; thus it excludes from consideration the moneys brought into Italy by re- turning emigrants on their persons or sent to their families in the kingdom through friends Neither is any sta tisticai record possible of moneys sent through the numberless small private bankers. who, until recently, prob ably, contributed the largest part of such money transmitted at least from this country. Likewise, savings trans u,ftted through the postal service furnish uncertain data both because much of such money is sent by regis stated) and because not infrequently money sent by postal orders repre- seuts a commercial operation, and IS in no way the transmission of imm1- grant savings.
 Absolutely certain and reliable data, however, are furnished by the statis- ties of the Bank of Naples, which. by the Italian emigration law of 1901, Is the financial institution to which IS officially entrusted the transmission of the savings of immigrants from every part of the globe.
 Seven Years Record.
 The statistics for the Bank of Ma plee show that during 1909 Italian inn migrants sent to Italy, either by money orders of the bank, $S,035.706 tcalcuiating roughly in this and other figures herein cited at the rate of five lire to one doHar) These represented 17l.s9a transmissions. From 1902 to the end of 1909 the total moneys trans rnftted were Sls. s.241, ,e94 The average amount thus sent varied from a mini mum of s29 30 in 1902 to a maximum of sS2ao in 1908.
 An item of interest brought out in the report is the fact of the progres- eive decrease in the amount trans nsftted by immigrants for investment iu the Kingdom, such as moneys to be deposited in the postal banks of Italy. Such decrease Is explained mainly by the reduction, if not extinction, of the rate of exchange, which, when high, was universally taken advantage of ty the thrifty and long-headed Italian immigrants. Other causes of such progressive reduction may be found Tn fhe effort of banks and other fnan- cial agencies in this and other coun- tries to keep in their own markets the moneys earned there by immi- grants
 The report points out the good re- suits achieved by the New York agency of the Bank of Naples in fore ing the small banchisti to improve their service by modifying the rates of exchange for their clients and low ering the charge for transmission. It is the opinion of not a few observers that the agency of the Bank of Ma ples in this city will be found a more effective weapon in reducing the abuses of certain East Side banks than any legislation we have attempt cd or can enact for the protection of the savings of immigrants.
 By Postal Order.
 A second source of statistical inves- tigation of this subject having some reliable basis is a study of moneys transmitted to Italy by postal money orders. In 1900 such postal orders amounted to 10.4S millions of dollars in 1903 they rose to 21.36 millions. in 1906 to 39.0S millions. reaching the maximum in 1907, with 49.6i millions. Tn 1908 the financial crisis in our coun- try was felt all over the world, and showed itself in a reduction of such postal orders to 446 millions of dol lars; notwithstanding improved fnan- showed another decrease in it's total of pos -al orders amounting to 41.4S mil lions.
 This country contributes a notable part of the total transmitted by postal money orders; during the period 1907 os the United States post offices sent to Italy orders totalling 5S.22 million dollArs; European countries which have . large temporary" immigra- tion from Italy, transmitted during the sarle period the following amounts: Germany, e074 million dollars; France 7T.3 millions. and Switzerland, 1856