Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-05-18
WORKERS FROM
EUROPE ARE FEW
MOVEMENT OF LATE HAS BEEN
AWAY FROM AMERICA RATH- :
Err THAN TOWARD
PRESENT SITUATION UNIQUE
Employers Looking VainIy for Relief
for the Labor shortage-Revision of
the immigration Laws Will Be
Postponed.
BY JAMES q. HoRNAoAY.


Observation-Disclosures of the gov
eminent and employers of labor, as
well as many other persons not so
directly interested. are watching the
tide of immigration with the hope that
IL VIII sooner or later throw some
light on the question as to whether
me labor shortage now existing
throughout the country is to he re-
lleved. The incoming tide, which, ac-
c0rding 10 some of the prophets. was
to bring hundreds Of thousands of Eu-
ropeanS following the world war. has
NOT made its appearance. During the
iaSt few months the movement has
heen toward Europe rather than from
it. II is the view of most of the stu
dents Of the situation that conditions
are still so chaotic as to make it i'm
possible to say whether the United
States should enact any new immigra-
ton legislation.
Recently thp disposition in congress
was 70 build the bars a little higher.
but apparently nothing is to he done
In a legislative way with the subject
at this session. Most of the congress
sI"nal leaders are of the opinion that
the wise thing TO do is TO await deveI
opments. The situation at the pres
ent time is summed up in this way
ny the commissioner general of immi-
grafton. Two streams of humanity
are rushing across the Atlantic. One
IS coming westward the other is go
ing eastward. One. that coming west
ward, is composed largely of women
and children long separated from nus
bands and fathers The other is made
up FOR the most part of husbands who
are getting back to their families on
the other side
Foreign Men Going Back.
The situation is unique. according TO
the immigration officials. in the his
tory of the bureau Of immigration. En-
pioyerS of labor have agents watch
Ing every passenger steamship THAT
comes in from EUrOne with the hone
that they will see StrOng-armed male
Immigrants come ashore, but they are
almost invariably disappointed At
every Atlantic coast port are men of
foreign birth waiting for transpOrta-
ton home. Some Of these men are TAX
Ing their families with them and are
also taking a good deal Of ready cash.
and frankly say they do not expect to
return III case they find opportunities
to invest their savings advantageous
ly in their former homes. In some
quarters the attempt has been made to
show that the departure of so many
men of foreign birth during the last
few months may be attributed to pro-
hibitiOn legislation hut the immigra-
ton officials do not take this view
of it. Their Investigations reveal, and
they have 50 informed the bureau of
immigration, that thousands upon
thousands OF men Of foreign birth re-
turn TO their former homes regularly
once in every two or three years: that
these men have not been able to get
back since the spring of 1914 and hat
they are now taking advantage of the
first opportunity 70 90.
The human tide on the Atlantic was
almost at a standstiIl from 1916 mn
til the summer Of last year. The
grand total of immigrants from No
vember. 1916, To November, 1910, was
only 210,473. Within that same pc
Rod 214,421 foreigners left the shores
of the United states for their foreign
homes. The bureau Of immigration has
not tabulated the official figures for
the months that have gone by since
November, 1919, but il knows that
about 25.000 persons. mostly women
and children, have come in each
month.