The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-09-15
Travel Tide
Sets West to the
East Again

NEW 1OhhB DCPe' Ao' NoAANS@
Press. "A stream Of emigrants from
America that will number hundreds
of thousands will flow back to Euro
pean countries as soon as transporta-
ton facilities will permit, according
to consular officials in New York,
who report that their Offices are
swamped with applicants for pas
sage back to the old countries.
Authorities familiar with the sit
uation predict important effects from
the wave of emigration, which re-
verses the usual trend of traffic.
Hitherto, there has always been a
huge flow of immigrants from the
European lands to America.
Several reasons are suggested as
responsible for the turning of the
emigration tide between Europe and
America. Jointly they are considered
sufficient to cause a wave of immi-
grafton to Europe.
The general tie-up in trans-Atlan-
tic traffic during the five years of
war is one Of the causes for the con-
centrated desire of Europeans to re-
turn home now, think authorities.
Many men who came here to work
have not been able to visit their
families during the war.
Applications filed with consulates
show that the majority Of these emil
grants do ot intend to return to
America with their families, but feel
that they will have better opportuni-
ties in the old countries. High wages
during the war, and especially during
Americas participation in it, have
enabled most of the foreigners to re-
turn home with savings sufficient to
make them quite Independent on the
old scale of living. A
1t is predicted, however, that few
of them realize the cost of living in
Europe, where scales have risen more
than in America, and that these re-
turning Capitalists" will be disap-
pointed. This will be especially true
of Italy, it is believed, where it has
long been the custom to go to Amer
lea a few years and return well-to-
do citizen.
The greatest permanent rush of
peoples will be to the small nations
freed from yokes Of Austria and Ger
many by the allied victory, it is
thought, judging from indications at
consulates of Poland, Checko-Slovakia,
Servia and Rumania. There is also a
strong movement under way toward
countries formerly under the Russian
Cars rule, especially Firms and
Lithuanians. According to ennis
saries of the Russian Soviet govern
ment in New York, more than half a
million Russians throughout Tie coun-
try want to return to Russia.
1t is impossible to estimate the
strength of the movement TO Ger
many and Austria, there being nc
consular representatives of these
countries in America.
Economists see in the emigration
movement serious problems for Amer
lea, which may lose almost millior
workingmen in the course of two OF
three years. 1t is said this will cause
scarcity of the so-called cheap la
Dor for unskilled work, and keeE
wages high.
At the same time Europe will grad
ually get more labor, which will tenC
to reduce wages on that continent
and probably reduce prices, though
the emigrants will be scattered thru
such large population that they will
not affect European countries al
much as their absence will be felt il
the United States.
Sociologists see in the movement {
purifying of the American national
| ity, which has been strengthened anc
welded together by the war. Re
moval of that part of the population
which has no desire of being assim
ilated would be a good thing, they
think, in spite of the shortage o.
labor it might create.