Ebb Tide

The tide of immigration has flowed erratically upon the shores of the U. S. In the first decade and a half of this century, it swelled and swelled. Then came the War and it suddenly dropped to nothing. Then came peace and it rose to the flood only to be checked by the restrictive immigration law of 1921 and still more checked by the more limiting act of 1924.

Last week the National Industrial Conference Board, Inc. made public statistics on immigration for the fiscal year ended last June--statistics which would seem to show, not only that the tide has been checked, but that it is diminishing in force.

Some of the facts set forth:

That many nations fell short of their quotas in 1924-1925, including Czecho-Slovakia, 17%; Germany, 11%; Great Britain, 12%%; Irish Free State, 5%; Sweden, 6%; Italy, 10% (this although Italy's quota was only 3,845 last year and 42,057 the year before).

Sixteen countries received more returning emigrants from the U. S. than they sent as immigrants to this country. They include Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, Lithuania, Yougslavia, Spain, Portugal, China, Japan.

In the case of Italy, only 6,203 Italians arrived in the U. S., whereas 27,151 returned to Mussoliniland.

The total number of immigrant arrivals was 294,314, from which are to be subtracted 92,728 departures, leaving a net immigration of 201,586 for 1924-25. (The net immigration for 1923-24 was 630,107.)

Of the 294,314 immigrant arrivals, 130,193 were from Canada* and Mexico, which have no quota restrictions.

The full list of countries to which more emigrants returned than ones went forth is as follows:

Immigrants Arrived Aliens Departed Net Emigration

Bulgaria ............... 140 208 68

Greece ................. 324 6,574 5,748

Hungary ............... 616 875 259

Italy ....................... 6,203 27,151 20,948

Lithuania ............. 472 511 39

Portugal ............... 619 3,600 2,981

Rumania .............. 1,163 1,433 270

Spain .................... 275 3,982 3,707

Yugoslavia ........... 724 2,464 1,740

China ..................... 1,937 3,412 1,475

Japan .................... 723 1,212 489

Australia ............... 273 344 71

India ....................... 65 128 60

New Zealand ........ 143 159 16

Cuba ....................... 1,430 1,959 529

Other W. Indies .... 676 2,016 1,400

*On the other hand, statisticians of the Canadian Department of Immigration last week announced that 5,307 emigrants from the U. S. entered Canada during the first three months (April 1 to June 30) of the present fiscal year.