192 RELATION OF ORIGINS AND NATIVITY TO CRIME
due to an age distribution especially favourable to crime, for immigration from Austria had
assumed comparatively large dimensions quite early in the century. The same remark
applies to the Roumanians and to a lesser degree to the Poles and Russians.
It is exceedingly significant that these five countries which send such large numbers of
criminals to Canada, are all situated in the central, east and southern parts of Europe and
that, with the exception of the Ukraine, they constitute the main sources of our immigrant
population from that geographical division. In fact in 1921 the five countries mentioned
were among the first seven foreign countries in respect of the number of emigrants sent to
Canada. Further, that situation has not obtained merely during the latter years of the last
decade, It has been typical of immigration during the whole of this century. Between 1900
and 1914 Russia and Austria each sent to Canada more emigrants than any other continental
 European country. At no time since 1900 has Italy stood lower than fifth place, and
in the past ten years she has ranked either first, second or third among continental Furopean
 countries in the number of emigrants sent to Canada. The simple fact of the matter
appears to be that immigration since the beginning of the century has brought to Canada
the least desirable of foreign peoples in the largest numbers, i.e, the least desirable in
respect of their crime records. Their records in learning the official languages of Canada.
illiteracy, intermarriage and infant mortality are dealt with in other chapters.
The countries of birth have been grouped in a summary table (Table 119), where the
number in penitentiaries and rates per 100,000 are presented in parallel columns. A few of
the significant facts are brought out by comparing Tables 118 and 119. First, there were
twice as many male immigrants from Austria in our penitentiaries in 1921 as from the whole
of North Western Europe. Secondly, the number of males from Italy in Canadian penitentiaries
 was 70 p.c. greater than the number born in all countries in North Western
Europe combined; and thirdly, more Russians by two-thirds were serving heavy sentences
in Canadian penal institutions at the date of the census than immigrants from all Germanic
and Scandinavian countries together. These facts challenge most emphatic comment.
Further, Table 119 shows that over seven times as many immigrants from South, Eastern
and Central Europe were serving sentences for major offences in Canada as from North
Western Europe. In fact 88 p.. of the European born males in our penitentiaries came
from the South, Eastern and Central parts of the continent. The rate per 100,000 males
from South, Eastern and Central Europe was over three times greater than that for those
from the northwestern section.
Passing to the immigrants from the United States, it is surprising to find that the
proportion of males born in that country in Canadian penitentiaries was almost as large
as the rate for the South, Eastern and Central European groups. The actual number
of United States born. male convicts per 100,000 male immigrants over 21 years of age
was 159, as against 185 for South, Eastern and Central Europe and 53 for Asiatic immigrants.
 It will be shown below that the high rate for the United States born is not
attributed to the bona fide settler. The close proximity of the United States and the
ease of crossing the international boundary makes Canada peculiarly subject to visits of
the professional criminals from that country.
Turning to the linguistic groups, the Latin and Greek countries take the lead with
nearly 300 per 100,000 males in penitentiaries, a proportion seven times greater than that
for the Scandinavian immigrants and well over four times that for those from Germanic
countries. The penitentiary population of males born in Slavic countries ig 161 out of
every 100,000 male immigrants, which is four times as laree a proportion as among those
coming from Scandinavian countries.
Such facts cannot but claim the attention of those interested in the observance of law
and order, and in the building of a Canadian nation imbued with ideals of right conduct.
As was intimated above, their importance is further emphasized by the discussion in a
previous section showing that those countries which send the largest proportion of
criminals to Canada have dominated foreign immigration since the beginning of the century