Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1912-07-06
America Gets Nearly All Those
Who Are Leaving
Now.
never Before Was There Such
Demand and Well Paid
Labor.
CANADIAN BOOMERS WITHDRAW

dublin correspondents note that
hopeful evidence of the cbanging
conditions in Ireland is returned ,n
the report of the Registrar General
on Emigration which has Just been
issued. This shows that in the five
months ended May 81, 1000 ner-
sons lett ireland, this being a de-
crease of 2,507 compared with the
corresponding period last year. The
hopeful feature of this report is that
lt shows a return to the steady de-
cline in emigration figures which
was a feature of the reports until
1909. In 1910 they jumped nm
again, but this was due TO sneciaI
conditions, and is not likely to he
repeated. AS usual the United States
has absorbed most of Ireland's loss.
Out OF the total, 10,0S5 persons
went to America, 2,71O to Canada.
ttfty-three to South Africa. 32S TO
Australia, ninety to New Zealand.
795 to Great Britain, and nine to
other countries.
Even more significant than the
actual decline in the emigration fig
ures 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 paving
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 graduallnu
withdrawing from the Irish field an
devoting themselves to England al
Scotland, where the rush of en-
grants today is something like tha
which almost depopulated ireland
twenty-five years ago. These agents
who are shrewd observers, decla
mar me rrv-as0n 5S-v-rfre,
is the growing prospe4
Of Ireland, which makes 1t possible
Tor the people to earn a living at
home. In addition to this, Ireland
by European standards-is really
lnderpopulated at present, and
here is practically no unemploy-
nent. Farmers complain that agri-
labor never has been so
scarce and so dear, and to the indus
rial towns of the North it has
been found necessary to
import workmen from England and
Scotland.
Another interesting feature of the
present emigration is the fact that by
'ar the greater proportion of 1t is
lrawn from the North. The poverty
stricken" South and West are finding
work at home for their own people.
L is only fair to say, however that
he Northern emigrants are a differ
mt class from those who used to go
rom the South and West. In the
I'D days the Irishmen who left the
I'D land were almost all agricultural
aborers, who went out in the hope
If earning higher wages in the new
countries, but with little immediate
prospects of being anything but wage
,arners. The most of the Northern
migrants today, including prac-
ically all those who go to Canada,
ire the sons of substantial farmers,
rades people and professional men,
Who go out with a little capital to
AXE up land OF their own. There Is
llso a fair number who have been
attracted by the tales of big crops
md high prices, and who have sold
heir Irish holdings to try their luck
inder better conditions.
Some figures of the trade OF Bel
asst in 1911 will show why the emil
grafton of mechanics and laboring
nen is falling off During that year
he wages OF 10000 employees in
he ship yards we're increased. The
wo big yards-Harland & Wolf and
Workman & Clark1employ over
~ 600 men between them, and
heir weekly pay roll is $175l94.
)ne company making rope and twine
EMPLOYS $500 persons, and although
he raw material last year was
,carce and dear the output was
arger than ever, while the linen
rade which is Belfast's staple in
lustry. had boom year. IL Is
Itated that the percentage OF unem-
in Belfast is the lowest
n the United Kingdom, and II may
,e added that in the skilled trades
is practically non
xistent.