The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-07-06
IRISH EM|GRANTS
LESS IN NUMBER
Report Recently Issued Shows a
Falling Off in the Exodus
from Ireland.
Changed Conditions Found to be
Due in Large Measure to
Home Prosperity,
America, According to Reports
Gets Nearly All of Those Who
Are Leaving Now.

Hopeful evidence of the changing
conditions in Ireland is returned in
the report of the registrar general on
emigration which has just been is
sued, says the Chicago Tribune of
June 30. This shows that in the five
months ended May 81. 14,07O persons
| left Ireland. this being decrease of
2,507 compared with the correspond
ing period last year.
The hopeful feature of this report
! is that it shows return to the steady
was a feature of the reports until
1e09 In 1910 they jumped up again,
but this was due to special condi-
| tions, and is not likely to be repeated.
AS usual the United States has abb
sorbed most Of 1reland's loss. Out Of
the total, 10,0s5 persons went to
America, 2,71O to Canada, SO to South
Africa, 1928 to Australia, 80 to New
Zealand, 795 to Great Britain, and 9
to other countries.
| Canada Boomers Not Encouraged.
| Even more significant than the ac-
| tual decline in the emigration figures
is the attitude taken by the Canadian
government agents, who are employed
to attract laborers to the new lands
in the west by every means in their
power. An army Of these boomers is
spread all over the United Kingdom,
but for the last year or two they have
been paying less attention to Ireland,
and now they frankly admit that as
far as Ireland is concerned they can't
earn their salaries, and they are grad
TALLY withdrawing from the Irish field
and devoting themselves to England
and Scotland, where the rush Of emil
grants today is something like that
which almost depopulated Ireland
twenty-five years ago.
These agents, who are shrewd OBJ
servers, declare that the reason for
the falling off in emigration is the
growing prosperity of Ireland, which
makes it possible for the people to
earn living at home. In addition
to this. Ireland-by European STAN
dards-is really under populated at
present, and there is practically no
unemployment. Farmers, for instance,
complain that agricultural labor new
er has been so scarce and SO dear, and
to the Industrial towns Of the north
it has actually been found necessary
to import workmen from England and
| Scotland.
| Emigratine to Buy Land.
Another interesting feature of the
present emigration is the fact that
by far the greater proportion Of it is
drawn from the north. The poverty
stricken" south and west are finding
work at home for their own people,
1t is only fair to say, however, that
the northern emigrants are a differ
ent class from those who used to 20
from the south and west.
| In the old days the Irishmen who
left the old land were almost all agri-
cultural laborers, who went out in
the hope Of earning higher wages in
the new countries, but with little i'm
mediate prospect of being anything
but wage earners. The most of the
northern emigrants today, including
practically all those who go to Cam
ada, are the sons of substantial farm
ers, trades people, and professional
men who go out with little capital
to take up land Of their own. There
is also fair number Of farmers who
have been attracted by the tales of
big crops and high prices. and who
have sold their Irish holdings to try
their luck under better conditions.
Wages Increasing in Belfast.
Some figures of the trade in Belfast
in 1911 will show why the emigration
of mechanics and laboring men is fall
ing off. During that year the wages
Of 10000 employees in the ship yards
were increased. The two big yards
Harland and Wolff and Workman and
Clark-employ over $4,000 men be-
tween them and their weekly pay roll
: i $176.1s4. One company making