THE AMERICAN EXODUS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue 13908, 8 November 1919, Page 3

THE AMERICAN EXODUS.

California and othc-r Western States have become alarmed that the exodus of foreign-born residents has spread to the Far West (says a correspondent of the "Press"), and a startling state of affairs exists, according to tabulated figures just presented in San Francisco by Consul-General da Vella, of Italy, who declares that American prohibition and the Italian desire to revisit the homeland, now that the war is over, has been ascribed as the controlling reasons for the abnormal emigration of Italians. It row seems that the low value of Italian ironey has added another reason to the hegira of foreigners from the shores of America. It was said by Consul da Yeila that within the last few months Italians in California have converted about 12,C00.0C0 dillars of American money into lire*. For their twelve million American dollars they received, .*aid Consul da Yella, approximated one hundred million lires. Normally, the lire is worth slightly less than" twenty cents in American money, but its exchange value now, according to figures announced by the Consul. is not more than nine cents. "Thousands of my countrymen/' he stated, "are returning to Italy, and they are taking with them all their savings. Five thousand of them have left California within the past few months. Within the month of July alone the Italian banks in San Francisco, have exchanged over 4.000.000 dollars into 35.000,000 Italian lires for these people, whose heads seem turned over the fact that never before in history has the rate of exchange for dollars into lires been so high. And for the last three months the sums so exchanged by the various banks amount to 100,000,000 lires. or 12.000,000 dollars. "A large percentage of these immigrants are agriculturists, who have sold their holdings, and others ai'e workers in the \inevarris for whom there is now no work through prohibition coming into force in America. The exodus is increasing, and to-dav I signed another 200 passports. Manv of the-e people also reason that thev'had better return to Italy in view of the fact that the homeland is on the threshold or a new era oi tremendous prosperity and industrial development.