MIGRATION AND BUSINESS CYCLES 
temporarily out of employment. During the years 1909 to 1913, 
the ratio of the annual arrivals of alien workers to the number of 
wage earners attached to the leading industries ranged from 3.45 
per cent in 1909 to 4.96 per cent in 1913. During the war the ratio 
dropped to less than one per cent, but recovered in 1920 to almost 
two per cent. It is obvious that the incoming tide of alien workers 
is ordinarily an appreciable fraction of the total number of wage 
TABLE 11.—RATIOS OF GROSS AND NET ARRIVALS OF ALIEN WORKERS TO THE 
NUMBER OF WAGE EARNERS ATTACHED TO THE LEADING INDUSTRIES, 
BY FiscaL YEARS: 1909-1921 
ALIEN WORKERS ARRIVING® [NET ARRIVALS OF ALIEN 
YEAR WAGE WORKERS? 
ENDING EARNERS? -- p= : = 
JUNE 30 (THOUSANDS' RATIO TO RATIO TO 
WAGE WAGE 
THOUSANDS ALN IRS THOUSANDS BARNS 
(PER CENT) (PER CENT) 
1909 19,736 680.5 3.45 345.9 1.75 
1910 20,250 897.7 4.43 593.3 2.93 
1911 20,742 743.2 3.58 319.3 1.54 
1912 21,134 738.60 I. $3 49 240.2 1.14 
1913 21,601 ' 1071.1 4.96 575.0 2.66 
1914 22,158 1029.9 4.65 524.4 2.37 
1915 22,464 939 1 1.26 429.7 40.13 
1916 22764 239.7 1.05 52.1 0.23 
1917 22,998 937.7 0 1.03 134.3 0.58 
1918 22,315 147.4 0.66 43.0 40.01 
1919 22,098 156.2 0.71 415.5 40.07 
1920 22,798 403.8 1.77 66.0 0.29 
1921 23.330 629.9 2.70 314.8 1.35 
aIncludes wage earners attached to factories, transportation and communication, mines and quarries, 
construction and building, agriculture and ‘unclassified industries.” Computed from estimates for calendar 
years prepared by Dr. W. I. King. 
bAll arriving aliens (both immigrant and nonimmigrant) less those listed as having no occupation. 
°All alien workers arriving less all departing aliens (both emigrant and nonemigrant) except those 
listed as having no occupation. 
dExcess of departures over arrivals. 
earners. However, it is also true that an immigration of three per 
cent may be a helpful influence in one phase of the cycle and an 
unwelcome and aggravating factor in another. The volume of 
immigration must be considered in relation to the contemporaneous 
conditions of employment before its real importance can be ap- 
praised. Also, allowance must be made for the offsetting factor of 
emigration. To these problems we shall turn our attention in 
subsequent chapters. 
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