THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM 
38 
here for a few years to acquire a competence and 
then return to their home country. 
From the reports of the United States Commis 
sioner-General of Immigration, which have, on the 
whole, been confirmed by the separate investigations 
of the Immigration Commission, it appears that tak 
ing a number of years in succession, 1908, 1909, 
1910 (the later figures of 1911-1914 indicate the 
same tendencies), the number departing for every 
one hundred admitted varies greatly among the dif 
ferent races, and the distinction between the new 
immigration and the old in this regard was very 
striking. Not less than 56 per cent, and over of the 
North Italians and South Italians, Magyars, Turks, 
Croatians, Slovenians and Slovaks were returning 
ot Europe in those years, whereas of the Hebrews 
and the Irish only 8 per cent, and 7 per cent., re 
spectively, returned. If we classify the data re 
garding the aliens admitted and departed, so as to 
indicate separately the old and the new immigration, 
it is found that the number departing for every 
one hundred admitted of the old immigration was 
only 16, while of the new immigration it was more 
than twice as much, 38. 
It appears then, clearly, that in this respect like 
wise the conditions which would lead to a ready 
assimilation with the Americans exist to a much 
greater degree among the races of the old than 
among those of the new immigration. It appears, 
too, that the inclination to return to the home coun 
try is much greater among the immigrants who have 
been in this country but a short time than among 
others, another fact which seems to justify the 
belief that the transient immigrant is becoming a