MIGRATION LEGISLATION AND INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS Restrictions and Control of Emigration and Immigra tion.—It has already been made apparent that the feature of the migration movement of the 19th and early loth centuries was its comparative freedom from restrictions. So far as the white races were concerned, countries of immigration only interfered to the ex tent necessary to protect themselves from the incursion of persons regarded as undesirable, whether for medical or moral reasons, or of those likely to become a burden on the community. Since the World War, however, restrictions have been imposed upon the movement of population by countries of immigration which go beyond considerations of this nature, and, in addition, countries of emigration have imposed restrictions for national or political reasons. Migration has become subject to strict Government con trol, political intervention and methodical planning.
In the first place, countries of immigration have become much more strict in regard to civil and medical tests; immigrants are subjected to a process of selection and only admitted with severe restrictions in regard to numbers; occupational tests are enforced in many cases, and racial discrimination is applied even against the countries of Europe. Reference has already been made to the United States policy. South American and other countries have adopted somewhat similar restrictions. Brazil, Uruguay and Ar gentine, which before 1914 encouraged white immigration, have restricted it to certain classes, and even at times suspended immi gration entirely. Canada restricts immigration from certain coun tries on the continent of Europe to bona-fide agriculturalists, pro hibits assisted migration (except from Great Britain), and prac tically excludes certain European races entirely. Australia and New Zealand discourage, and have taken power to exclude, the immigration of any but British stock. France, which, since 1918, has been, in point of numbers, the second most important country of immigration, has also found it necessary to place limitations on the numbers of foreign immigrants.
The considerations which the countries of immigration have in view are sometimes economic, sometimes the safe-guarding of standards of living; with others the motive is racial, either to limit the numbers of certain stocks or to preserve a territory as an area for the settlement of a particular race.
Countries of emigration are also adopting policies of restriction, or at any rate of control. Some of the new nations in Europe, e.g., Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, from which there was formerly a considerable outflow of population, regard emigration as a danger to their national strength and for this reason have adopted a re strictive policy. Other countries, in order to protect their nationals prohibit or discourage emigration to territories where conditions are regarded as unsuitable. Some countries, e.g., Italy, compelled, owing to the lack of suitable colonies of their own, to enrich foreign economic systems with the labour of their nationals, en deavour to turn the emigration of their people to national advan tage and to secure concrete economic and political benefits for the nation as a whole, the increase of national influence abroad and the creation of fresh markets for national products. Emi grants are encouraged to preserve their original nationality and to return with their savings to the mother-country.
No country since the World War has devoted more considera tion to the question of migration than has Italy. The annual increase of population in Italy amounts to 500,000 per annum. Some 200,00o Italians were formerly absorbed annually in the United States, but by the quota law this outlet has been prac tically closed. France for a time took the place of the United States as a field for Italian emigration, but the restrictions which France later imposed upon foreign immigrants made it necessary for Italy to seek outlets for her population in other countries, where for various reasons Italians were not always welcomed. One of the aims of Italy's policy has, therefore, been that of over coming the objections to her emigrants by raising their standard and improving their equipment. Italy herself controls and appor tions her emigration and restricts it to persons most likely to prove acceptable overseas, and for whom there is a reasonable prospect of employment. The difficulty which Italy has experi enced in finding suitable outlets for her population overseas may be the cause of the change of attitude on the part of the Italian Government towards the population question. According to this, the Italian Government would appear to regard the growth of the Italian population with less apprehension than formerly and has adopted the view that Italy must conserve her man-power. With this object, it has been announced (1927) that emigration, which impoverished the nation, both from the point of view of quantity and quality, must be restricted, and reserves of population allowed to go abroad only when it is desirable to encourage an organic colonization movement.
Conflicting national policies necessarily arise from the diver gence of interests between countries of emigration and countries of immigration. The tendency of the former is to encourage emi grants to retain their former nationality in their new homes, whilst countries of immigration naturally desire the rapid assimilation of the immigrants. The application of the United States quota law gave rise to protest in a number of countries and the policy of exclusion in regard to Asiatics pursued in the United States and in the British dominions has been unwelcome, especially to Japan. The new French Law on nationality has been regarded by Italy as a menace to emigration from that country, whilst the emigration policy of the Italian Government itself has sometimes been re garded as incompatible with the national sovereignty of other countries.
This evolution from practically complete liberty of movement to increasingly strict regulation has had considerable effect on migration both in regard to extent and character. The total num ber of emigrants is falling in comparison with the period prior to 1914. On the other hand there is probably very much less wastage of human material under the modern system.
The increase in the cost of transport has a further restrictive effect on the movement of population, and has led to many Gov ernments affording financial help to suitable emigrants, e.g., the policy of State-aided migration within the British empire, and the assistance afforded to emigrants by the Italian Government through the Institution for Colonization and Work Abroad (the