WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION 327

Mr. Gurnac. So far as our delegation and the State of Maine are
concerned, there isn’t the slightest question in my mind but that we
are a unit in believing that the present restrictive immigration law
has been a good thing for the country. Iam in favor of any additional
legislation the tendency of which will be for further selection of
immigration of any kind coming here or which will in any way aid in
the administration of our present immigration law to make it more
effective.
So far as the State of Maine is concerned, it has always been interested
 in the subject of immigration, even when some of the citizens
did not know it. Following the Revolutionary War, General Knox
brought Germans over and settled them along the coast. Mr. W. W.
Thomas, a former consul of Sweden, brought Swedes into the northern
part of the: State and developed it into the wonderful agricultural
country it is. Following that, it has been Canadian immigration
that hes kept the State of Maine going, so far as population is concerned.

The State of Maine for probably 50 or 60 years back has been a
training school for the United States. The boys and girls of the
State have gone from their, and the immigration we have had and
still want is simply to take their places. There are no French
Canadians or anybody else coming to the State of Maine and forcing
our native-born out.
The Cruairman. I do not quite understand that. You say that
the State of Maine is a training school for the United States.
Mr. GuLnac. According to the 1920 census, there were 208,667
Maine-born people living in other States of the United States. There
were 58,475 born in all the other States living in Maine, according to
that same census. That means a net loss to the State of Maine in
her exchange between the States of 150,000.
The CualrRMAN. You are losing vour native-born population?
Mr. Guinac. Yes.
The CuarMAN. And you are willing to fill up with any kind of
people you can get?
Mr. GurNac. No, sir.
The CuammmMaN. What have you to say about that?
Mr. GuLnac. Those who have come in have been the only ones
that have come to take up the loss through the native exodus of our
own. What I am trying to bring out is that never in any case has
there been an immigrant come to the State of Maine and forced a
native-born out of the State. As a matter of fact, what all our delegation
 have spoken about is that those who have been coming are In
a great many cases doing work there that is helping to keep more of
our Maine boys and girls home. These woodsmen come In from
Canada and do the work that our natives will not do, and therefore
the Canadians who come are making it possible for some of the
people of Maine to stay in our State.
The CHAIRMAN. The Maine boys go out, but they are not forced
out.
Mr. GunNac. Yes. It is the pull, like the pull from New England
when the West was developed. The truth is that all the United
States have been pulling from the State of Maine.