Evening star., 1925-06-27

Is America becoming unpopular
with aliens who have come to It's
shores possibly with exaggerated
hopes of prosperity? Our immigration
account Is beginning to require red-ink
entries on the credit side Of the ledger,
for more aliens are now leaving US and
returning to distracted. impoverished,
belligerant Europe" than are now
crowding to our ports.
An anomaly! A paradox! There is
employment here for everybody and
the compe nSation Is far higher than
it is anywhere else in the world. Yet
more aliens are leaving us than are
arriving. although all quotas are filled
and every country has long waiting
lists of emigrants eager to leave for
that mystic land of untold prosperity.
Assistant Secretary Of Labor Mr..
Husbands explains that formerly
there was a large transient class of
immigrants who came to America
when times were hard In their own
countries, but as soon as slump
would come here they would return
home. About one-third of the inmi.
grants admitted never intended to
make this country their permanent
home; they could cross the ocean in
steerage at q cost of about $35, and
1t was cheaper for an alien who was
out Of employment to return home
for few months than to remain in
America. with American costs Of
living. In those days 1t was easy to
return and be admitted into America.
Conditions are very different today,
with the immiesation restriction laws,
permitting quota for each country
amounting to only per cent each
year Of the number of that nationality
already here. The result Is inevitable
that not only is the number admitted
cut down, but there will be fewer de-
partures in the future when immi-
grants realize how much more difficult
it will be to return here II they leave.
Consequently the present excess Of de-
partures over arrivals is only tenn
general complaint of our alien resi-
dents against American experiences.
X X X
The ultimate effect Of this curtailing
of the restless class, fitting back and
forth across the ocean, will be a loss
to the steamship trafflc, but, according
to labor interests, 1t will tend to sta
bilize the employment situation. 1t
will also tend to enhance appreciation
of American rights, privileges and
duties, when the stranger within our
gates finds 1t more dihhcult to gain
this access to American opportunity.
The present quota law has been in
effect only since last July /, reducing
the quotas from to per cent. In
the 10 months only 242.965 immi-
grants have been admitted from the
entire world: the year before we had
received 637,6O2 in the same period.
OF the 242 ,965 there were only 120,5 ,507
from Europe: 3,066 from the Near and
Far East; 33S from Egypt and other
parts Of Africa; 348 from Pacific Is
lands, including Australia, and 1870
from North and Central and South
America. The countries sending us
the most were: Canada, 87.753; Mexico,
25,077; Germany. 36,518; Great Britain,
1880; Irish Free State, 2O,500. The
South European countries have such
small quotas that their immigration
continues comparatively unimportant
Italy sends only 1921; Greece, 6O2;
Turkey in Europe, 201; Switzerland,
1864.
The immigration commissioner
states that there is a general misun-
derstanding as to the character or
trades Of the returning immigrants.
He points out that most of the immi.
grants are Of the peasant class, and
when they arrive and are recorded,
they appear as farmers" or farm
Iaborers; but they do not necessarily
remain farmers in this country. Many
have come here mainly to escape from
farminn Thew GO into jpduSt rial oyn-