The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-04-16
5000 Are Sailing Weekly for
Europe Where Dollar
Is Potent.
CAUSE OF LABOR. SHORTAGE
Difficulties Of I travelling In Europe and
Danger oe Losing Their Money Has
No influence on Aliens Eager
to Return.

numbers. Steamship ticket agents
agree that 5000 are leaving FOR Europe
weekly. although the immigration 10
confined to Italians and Belgians.
have been In contact with great
number Of alien laborers In the United
States since my return from Europe In
January and I find that q great per-
centage Of them are preparing to leave
the states. writes Joseph Szebenyei In
the New York Times. Among the Hun
garians and those coming from -
newly formed states in eastern ~,
rope 20 per cent are about to return
to the old country.
The resultant labor shortage espe'
cially is being felt already. and en-
ployers Of alien labor are forced to
advertise continually In order to re-
place the hands leaving week after
week. They are spending thousands
Of dollars on advertisements In Slovak
and Hungarian papers. Mining COM
panies especially prefer Hungarian
workers because they are steady and
hard workers, doing jobs no others
would do, and earning I'm most cases
up to $12O week.
Causes Of Rs-EmIeratlon.
The causes Of the Wholesale re-
emigration may be found in the follow
ing facts:
1. Alien laborers have saved up mon
ey during the war, when they were
barred from sending 1t home, and, &C.
cording to bankers dealing exclusively
with them, they have an average Of
$1,000. If we take what dollar Is
worth in eastern Europe, 1t is easy
to comprehend that the worker ex-
changing his dollars into kronen be-
comes the richest man in his village,
a lure very few could Withstand. For
$4,000 he gets as much as 10000
kronen, enough to buy out the richest
landlord In his district.
2. Prohibition.
3. The laborer has not seen his fam
fly many have not even heard from
them, for six to ten years.
4. The high cost Of living in America.
Geza D. Berko, managing editor of
the Hungarian Daily, who has his fin
ger on the alien movements in Amer
lea more than any one else, when
questioned on the subject said:
''The re-emigration is slow because
there is not sufficient shipping. There
are only five steamers weekly avail
able for eastern Europe at present,
and yet 5000 are leaving by them.
Should the sailing facilities improve,
and the passport question be simpli-
fed, 1t will grow by leaps and bounds"
Cannot Be Dissuaded.
The manager of Emil Kiss banking
house, the largest ticket agents on the
east side, said that they were discour.
aging re-emigration as much as pos.
sible, and explained to applicants the
difficulties of travelling in Europe, the
danger Of their losing their kits and
money on the way.
"Yet it is impossible to persuade
them to stay" the clerks assert,
There are letters from former travel.
ers who say that they have been cheat.
ed and robbed of their possessions.
arrived home stripped Of everything,
yet you can't induce them to stay"
do you discourage exchange Of dol.
ars as well?" asked.
I'VE do, but the constant fall in the
exchange makes it difficult. By the
line the man arrives home he gets
more for his dollars, so he prefers TAX
ng 1t In cash, as most of them are
gnorant people who mistrust drafts.
Now, In travelling through Europe the
Iictim-for you can't call him by any
'ther name encounters laws In ey.
nv country prohibiting the export of
l0llars. If he lands in France his
money Is exchanged into francs, -
germany into marks, In Austria u =,
ugoslavla into kronen, being 10 Or
more per cent everywhere"
Some Of the re-emigrants travel
through five countries and thus lose
0 per cent Of their money ON forced
xchange. In France there are even
raver difficulties, for even the export
4 French money to exceed 1000
rancs is prohibited. The traveller must
ct a state permit, procedure taking
weeks. The whole OF Eu-