South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-09-05
ITALIANS To STAY
HOME AFTER WAR
Scarcity of Men After Great
Struggle Will Cause High
Prices For Labor.

ROME. sept. 5-Dr Joseph de
MicheIs Royal Commissioner of
Emigration for the North American
division. discussing the proposed /
new American immigration bill to-
day said that Italy no longer takes
a deep interest in the hnal fate of 4
the bill
The fact is" Dr. de Michel.s said, /
that after the war men as a ma
tional asset viii be immensely more I
valuable and the price of labor i'm
mensely dearer than IT now is. The /
larger the devastation and the longer (
the war. the higher the value OF /
man sound Of body and mind. |
Thanks 20 the peculiar nature OF her /
war, TO the density Of her popula- |
ton. and 10 the high birth-rate I
which ENSURES for many years 20
come a constant growth of the num- !
Der Of inhabitants. Italy IS one OF
the few nations whose losses In men |
ia the war will not materially affect |
the makeup OF her population.
And for Italy One of the cOnse- |
qusnces Of the present war Will be a
radical reversal OF the policy which
up to a year or so ago regulated her
emigration. While in country
governed by liberal institutions. the
individual cannot be restrained from
following his own inclination, yet,
d.
lens which viii confront the nation
after the war is over. the govern
ment viii be fully justified in adopt
ing such measures concerning emil
grafton as will best serve their So
luton. No, we shall never put a
veto 10 emigration. but we shall
regulate it according to the best in
terests Of the country.
Industries Changed.
Very few people realize the ire
mendous industrial transformation
Italy is undergoing even in the midst
OF the greatest. bloOdiest and most
expensive war she has ever fought
1t was only when importation ceased
and commercial intercourse with
Germany was prohibited that Italy
discovered the large number of ar
ticles for which the nation was trib-
utary 10 foreign manufacturers.
From needles TO agricultural imple-
ments there was a large variety or
articles which We found ourselves
Obliged to manufacture i'm order TO
meet the insistent demand. This
required the transformation of a
large number of laborers into me-
chanics. the establishment of war In
dustries. arms and ammunition fac
tories, has greatly helped in solving
this problem. Besides, these factO-
ries have grealy helped in solving
this problem Besides, these factO-
ries have been organized in such a
way as 20 be easily transformed into
shops for the manufacture of other
articles the very day the guns cease
roaring and the millions of men now
scattered along our border return 10
the blessed pursuits of peace.
In my opinion these new indus
tries will easily absorb a large part
Of that surplus of our population
which formerly crossed the Atlantic.
These mechanics no longer earn
few ueats a day and while the pay of
skilled mechanic in Italy is not
as high as in America. yet this pay
is considerably higher than the com
mon laboreT receives in America.
Thus the incentive 10 emigrate is
forever removed and the increase in
their earnings is more than sufficient
to keep the laborer at home even
without considering the fact that no
mortal being is more attached to
his native land than the Italian pea
SAINT.
And this is not all Think of the
reconstruction work 10 be done in
France. Belgium. Trentin and other
places after the war is over. Italy
has already negotiated treaty with
France for the supply OF labor The
probability is that France will need
more italian labor when the hour
comes OF repairing the devastations
in her invaded provinces. Belgium
will also need labor. even Germany
will need a large number of emil
grants TO work her mines. Italy will
hen be in q position to secure for
ner emigrant population better
working conditions than she has
hitherto been able 20 impose.
I don't think that in the future
Italian emigration 10 the United
states will be as large as IL used 10
ne. The huge total OF 1907. when it
reached nearly 10000. is a thing Of
the past. 1t was record which
will never be beaten