The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-02-05
COLOSSAL MIGRATION
AMONG THE NATIONS
More People Moving From
Native Lands Than Since
Days Of Moses.
MANY RICH FAMILIES
French Are Leaving for
Italy as English Move
Into France.
SWISS TREK TO BADEN
Hebrews and Others From
Poland and Austria Look
ing to America.
SWISS TREK TO BADEN
epecia, Correspondence to The NEW YORK
HHAAIp. I'll
New York Hersid Eurs:H.

New York Herald Bureau.
Paris, Jan. IS.
zone result Of tho war is that a
bigger exodus is now taking place
among the nations than at any time
since the days Of Moses" This state
ment, made. on his, way homeward
through Paris by an American. who
has until recently been engaged on
Y. M. c. A. work in Czecho- S'ovakia,
exaggerated as 1t may sound, expresses
only one side Of very large truth.
For in the days Of the Jewish
exodus, or Of the great tribal move
ments at the first settlement Of Eu-
rope, when whole nations moved. they
included many individuals but little
wealth. Nowadays it Is the people
with the wealth who are migrating-a
very much more serious thing for
those who remain behind.
Within the last twelve months sew.
eral thousand French farni1ies-esti-
mates run from two to seven-have
left their homes to- settle. in Italy.
They are all more or less we'll to do,
in most cases possessing fixed incomes
which in future. while drawing
them from France. they will spend in
Italy. The reason is no lack Of patriot.
ism or love. for Italy-it Is simply
and purely because the French franc
is worth two Italian lire and they can
live twice as comfortably on the same
income r ~ reEss St .s.
The majority Of them are from the
southern departments and they have
not moved very farm some cases
only a matter OF twenty miles or So
but the frontier is behind them, and
although prices are to some small ex-
tent higher than on the Frerch side
of TIE boundary they are not enough
nearly to counterbalance the difference
in exchange.
Many English Arriving.
This Is only one example out OF many
similar hegiras. which can only be de-
scribed as worldwide. While the French
are leaving France the English are
nitd-nineteenth century hundreds OF Eng
liah families lived in Calais. Boulogne.
or Montreuil. In many cases they were
there to escape their creditors at home
as In the case'for instance Of the famous
Beau Brummel. or the even more ia
NOUS Lady Hamilton, Nelson's friend.
For the rest there were innumerable
half-pay officers and elderly people with
fixed. small incomes such as you may
read of in the pages Of Thackeray or
Albert Smith.
This movement has nowadays revived
to vastly greater degree. 1t Is no ex-
aggeration to say that half middle-class
England is turning It's eyes toward
France, where its money will be worth
double what 1t Is at home, and where
by little manipulation II Is possible
10 escape the crushing weight OF home
taxation.
s AS one typical instance may be mem
toned an English ex-ofEicer. member OF
q minor country family, Before the war
he had pberhaps $4,000 year Income.
or $4,000. Considering taxation and
the cost of living his income in England
would now be reduced about $3.50 year,
or sl.s00. He no longer lives In England,
but In Paris. What Is more. he has
sold his land and his securities in Eng
lard-getting a high price for the for.
-rner when the land boom was at its
height. His proceeds are invested In
Belgium. He escapes English taxes: no
has no income in France he is. If bad
citizen. almost as wealthy as he was
before the war. and his money is worth
, twice its home value.
Seeking Easier Life.
So far as England and France are
concerned 1t is not only tho well to do
who are crossing the Channel. Millions
OF young men and tens of thousands OF
y,ung women learned during the war
as soldiers. W. A. A. C's or w. r. A. F's
that life can be very pleasant in France
' when there Is not war on. Now that
unemployment has reached such des-
pprate lengths in England thew are