Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/203

 ITALIAN IMMIGRATION INTO THE UNITED STATES 187

home country with their accumulated gains, has no substantial basis, is well established by the American consul at Naples in his reports, which state that, if the southern Italian emigrant returns once, or even a second time, to Italy, he finally gives up repatria- tion, and, together with his wife and family, goes back to the United States with the firm idea of remaining there permanently. Such conclusion is favored also by the consideration of two other series of data, which indirectly re-confirm it : ( i ) the num- ber of immigrants who have been in the United States before, and (2) the number of those leaving to return to Mediterranean ports. The following table is an extract from the figures gathered by the Bureau of Immigration :

TABLE IV IMMIGRANTS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE

Year

Northern Italians

Southern Italians

Total

1 00 1

J.OI7

11.524

M.524

IQO2

3.47?

11,829

JC.304

1903 ..

4 452

12 619

17.071

1004 ..

e 163

M.870

20 033

Of 741,986 who came to the United States during the four years, 66,932 had been here before. They had therefore decided not to repeat the experiment of repatriation.

Before giving the figures collected for (2) it must be noted that they were furnished by the reports of the conferences of the different transportation companies which serve between the ports of the United States and the Mediterranean, from the agents of the Compania Transatlantica of Barcelona and the Compagnie Transatlantique Franchise ; and, also, that these data include not only Italians, but all third-class passengers for Mediterranean ports and Havre. How many among these may be Italians is difficult to determine, but, considering that these companies touch not only at Italian ports, but also at French and Spanish, and remembering that eastern and southern Europeans return gener- ally by way of Italy, and Belgians by way of Havre, it cannot be far from the truth, after deducting 15 per cent, from the com-