We must also note that every year numbers of harvesters arrive from Europe, earn good wages, save money, and return to their native countries directly after the harvest.

In 1905, 1906 and 1907 the migratory movement was represented, as we have seen, by 781,795 immigrants and 324,687 emigrants. If we allow that each of these latter took away with him a sum of £30, as the Department of Immigration has calculated, it follows that from this cause alone nearly £10,000,000 left the country during this period of three years.

Here are some figures taken from an official publication dealing with the migratory movement, which relate both to immigration and emigration, and show which European countries have chiefly contributed to the current of immigration. Italy and Spain, as will be seen, furnish the greatest number of immigrants.

Immigration and Emigration.

Year.Immigrants.Emigrants.Excess in favour
of Immigration.
1904125,56738,92386,644
1905177,11742,869134,248
1906252,53660,124192,412
1907209,10390,190118,913
1908255,71085,412170,298

Immigration from 1857 to 1908.

Italians1,799,423
Spaniards795,243
French188,316
English42,765
Austro-Hungarians59,800
Germans40,655
Swiss28,344
Belgians20,668
Other Nationalities203,242
————
Total3,178,456

As we have already observed, one of the causes which impede emigration is to be found in the faulty distribution of the soil, the obstacles which the agricultural immigrant

has to surmount before he can become the proprietor of even a scrap of ground; and in the lack of serious attempts at colonisation, which would provide the cultivator with the means of working his holding and finally of becoming its proprietor. “How many immigrants,” says Señor Girola, “coming to this country with the idea of buying a little piece of land, have been forced to abandon their dream, on account of the difficulties put in the way of their obtaining the desired holding!”[34]

[34] Investigacion agricola, 1904, Carlos D. Girola.