Italian Emigration to the United States, etc.— The emigration to the United States in 1905 was nearly one-half (43.62 per cent) of the entire number of emigrants. The number of emigrants for the United States increased gradually in the 30 years 1876-1905. In 1881 we find it at 11,842; 10 years later it had quadrupled (47,952 in 1890, 44,359 in 1891), falling to little more than 30,000 in 1894. But it soon increased again, and in a few years was over 100,000, and with a jump in 1901 to 1902 it rose from 121,139 to 193,772; the following year it increased again to 197,855. It was 168,789 in 1904, and almost doubled in 1905, with 316,797 emigrants. Statistics of emigration to the United States from Italy in the fiscal year ended 30 June 1915 show that only 57,217 Italians came as immigrants to the United States during that period.
But what strikes one particularly is the scanty emigration to Eritrea and other Italian possessions and protectorates in Africa, even to Tripoli; although to ensure a better future for Italian colonial politics it would be truly neces sary and desirable that swarms of laborers •should emigrate to those regions.
It is difficult to determine precisely the num ber of Italian emigrants who return to their own country, because many return by land, i.e., by rail, and one can get no reliable figures in regard to them; and the others who return by sea do not include all those who return home from trans-oceanic countries; a certain number of these disembark in foreign ports and continue their journey by rail. Out of 100 emi grants, from 36 to 40 were considered, in the last four years, as emigrants for an indefinite period and were therefore stricken off the regis ter of the population, it being understood that they had transferred their habitual domicile to a foreign country. The great increase in emi gration, whether to trans-oceanic countries, or to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, gives rise to the necessity for investigation as to what may be the causes of this tremendous emi "gratory movement.
There are conditions which doubtless favor or stimulate emigration. Thus, the near neigh borhood of the boundaries of a country render it easy to leave the country, even on foot, and to betake oneself to some other state to seek for work. Even the mountainous character of various regions induces migrations in the in terior of the country, from hill to plain, and in great part to the emigration to foreign countries of mountaineers who are more dis posed to move about than citizens of the plains; and often they are even compelled to leave their mountain homes in the winter season in order to make a living.
But an accurate investigation into the causes should distinguish between the physical, demo graphical, economic, psychological, historical, administrative and tributary causes. It is im. possible, here, to undertake such an'investiga tion. Suffice it to note that malaria is a phys ical cause that cannot be overlooked, that the density of the population is in some cases a coefficient of some importance, together with the high birth rate and hence the increase in the number of inhabitants, owing to the excess of births over deaths. Nevertheless Calabria has a very large emigration although she has not only a low density of population (91 in habitants to the square kilometer), but has also a low birth rate and excess of births over deaths. Liguria with a high density (204 inhabitants to the square kilometer) has a comparatively small emigration, 720 per 100,000 inhabitants. of whom 560 go to trans-oceanic countries and 160 to European and Mediterranean states. We may certainly say that, not infrequently, where the population is least dense, the emigration is even greater; for the same causes that deter mine the low density— as, for instance, a lack of the means of subsistence — promote also emigration.
The demographic factors, taken by them selves, cannot be held responsible for the con stant increase of emigration, as there are re gions with a high birth rate, and a large excess of births over deaths, and yet with a small emigration. It is the economic conditions which give a determining power to the demographical factors, and for this reason we may say that emigration in Italy is the consequence of a superabundance of population only in the sense that they have not yet found that perfection in the conditions of existence and of labor that suffices to keep them all in their own country, especially when compared with the conditions that they find in other lands.
Although Sardinia has one of the poorest regions, she has nevertheless a small emigra tion (341 in 100,000 inhabitants in 1905; while the average for the kingdom is 2,161). This must be attributed to the low density of popu lation (33 to the square kilometer) and to the conditions peculiar to the island, which are not yet influenced by the social life of Italy, and to the fact that its inhabitants are passion ately attached to their native soil.