Speech #680070932

I do not know to what extent that enters into the motives for emigration. At the present time the Italian Government very frankly encourages emigration. because of the advantage to Italy in the monetary remittances of their emigrants. That iS one of the most important items In the international budget of Italy. It is said that the matter of Italian emigrants remittances amounts to as much as a billion dollars a year. To finish with this chart: I have shown the marked decline in immigration from northern and western Europe. and the marked increase in Immigration from southern and eastern Europe. I want to show on the other chart what that did to us. Speaking only in round numbers. In 1890 we had approximately 9.000.000 foreign born in this country. These are people who were living in this country. citizens and aliens. who were born out of the United States. Of that approximately 9.000.000. 78 per cent came from northern and western Europe. while only 8 per cent came from southern and eastern Europe. Twelve and a half per cent came from Canada or the Latin countries of America. and 11 per cent came from Asia 4nd Africa. This figure on the chart represents foreign born only in 1890. Seventyeight per cent came from these northern and western countries. Then came the two decades. which are shown on this column and this one [indicating]. with their great Immigration from southern and eastern Europe. and this was the condition of our foreign born in 1910. The foreigners in this country who were born in northern and western Europe. according to the 1910 census. had come down to 48 per cent of our foreign born. Those from southern and eastern Europe. who were only 8 per cent under the 1890 census. had increased to 39 per cent in the 1910 census.