RELATION OF TILE GOVERNMENT TO EM IGRA TION. The attitude of the State toward emigra tion has been influenced not so much by economic considerations as by political and sentimental motives. It has ranged from positive encourage ment to absolute indifference and positive opposi tion. The attitude of governments has been greatly influenced by the possession of colonies or by their absence. Whenever the State has had distant colonies it has sought to direct the stream of emigration to them, and has offered particular inducements to intending colonists. Before the establishment of self-government in the Australian colonies, Great Britain organized in 1837 a board of colonization commissioners, succeeded in 1840 by the Colonial Land and Emi gration Board, whose chief function was to pro vide emigrants for the colonies, by spreading information and by assisting emigrants with passage money. France in like manner provides special encouragement for French settlers in Algeria, and Germany is entering the same path as respects its possessions in Africa. Coloniza tion societies with the support of the Govern ment authorities offer another opportunity for the State to show its interest in promoting cmigrat States which have no colonies of their own have either sought to discourage emigration or have remained indifferent to it. In the early days of last century emigration was an offense against the In NV ill many countries of Continental Europe. Such restrictions have long since passed away, and were succeeded by complete indiffer ence. emigration becoming a private matter which the State had to tolerate, but in which it took no part. The movement has, however. reached such proportions that most of the European Stati•s have passed ha vs designed to protect in tending emigrants and to prevent, reckless emi gration. Such laws exist in England, in Bel gium since 1876, Switzerland since 1888, Italy since 1889, Germany and Austria since 1897. These laws have many features in eommon. The maritime nations prescribe rules for the trans portation of -migrants, and establish inspeeting officers to carry them out. These rules extend to the fitness of the vessels employed, their sea worthiness, their facilities for caring for emi grants, feeding them, and providing suitable med ical attendance. also prescribe rules for
the sanithry inspection of vessels, the exclusion of persons suffering from contagious diseases, and kindred matters.
A second feature of these laws relates to immi gration agents and the immigration contract. In all the agent requires the license of seine Gov ernment authority for the prosecution of his busi ness and is required to give bonds for his faithful observance of the law. He renders himself liable to fine or imprisonment by any false pretenses. In general these laws prescribe that the contract between the agent and the intending emigrant most be in writing. As an illustration of the scope of such laws it may be noted that in Germany any contract which contemplates the payment of the passage money after arrival is illegal, and that no contract can he entered into in which a foreign State or society pays any part of the passage money. In Switzerland contracts must be individual, and no agreement to furnish a given number of emigrants is valid.
A third feature of such legislation is the establishment of official bureaus of information for intending emigrants, which is a special fea ture of the Swiss and Belgian legislation, such officers to give no advice either for or against emigration, but to furnish the fullest possible authentic information upon any questions con cerning foreign countries and transportation thereto which may be put to them. Such offices are intended as a corrective of the naturally glow ing accounts furnished by interested agents, who, however strictly prohibited by the law from giv ing false information, cannot readily resist the temptation to increase their business operations.
Consult: Mayo-Smith, Emigration and Immi gration (New York, 1890) ; Philippovich (editor), .Auswanderung and Ausivanderungspolitik in Deutschland (Leipzig, 1802) ; id., "Auswan derung," in Handicorterbvelt der Staatsmissen sehaftcn, edited by Konrad Elster and others, vol. ii. (Jena, 1899). To these might be added many of the English works on Colonization, such as those of Wakefield, Merival, and Torrens. Works which treat the subject from the standpoint. of immigration are cited under that head. See