ITALIAN AND OTHER LATIN IMMIGRANTS. 347 



the Italian immigrant. In these colonies we see the Italian at his 

 worst, physically and morally, but, as has been pointed out, he crowds 

 the Italian quarter because there is no alternative for him, in his igno- 

 rance of our language and customs. Instead of being led into the 

 country, where the labor is needed, he is induced to stay in the 'quarter' 

 by his more fortunate countryman, padrone or banker, who expects to 

 increase his profit thereby. 



The philanthropists, Italians or Americans, who will direct the 

 Italian to his proper place in the rural districts, will do a grand work 

 for the Italian immigrant, for the states to which he will contribute 

 his skill and labor and for humanity in general. 



The Italians are the principal factor in our Latin immigration, 

 but we also receive French, Spanish, Portuguese and Eoumans. 



Immigrants from France rank high as desirable additions to our 

 population, but the desirability of French-Canadian immigration has 

 been the subject of much discussion. Much of the disfavor into 

 which the French-Canadians have fallen is due to their effect upon 

 labor conditions in New England. It is estimated that from fifty to 

 seventy thousand of these French-Canadians come to the New England 

 factory towns, for temporary employment, each year. When the price 

 of labor rises they come in large numbers and when the wages decrease 

 large numbers return. It is said that many French-Canadian farmers 

 send their families to Fall Eiver and other New England towns to earn 

 money and return with their savings to Canada. Their standard of 

 living is very low and, as they regard their sojourn as temporary, they 

 make little attempt to better it, but subject themselves to hardship and 

 self-denial m order to increase the amount of money which they hope 

 to take back with them to their Canadian homes. 



The enforcement of the child labor laws and the reduction of the 

 number of working hours for women, by the state of Massachusetts, 

 has had a marked effect upon the unfair competition of the cheap 

 child labor and unlimited working-day, which were features of the 

 French-Canadian invasion. Organization of the French-Canadians 

 has been beyond the power of the labor unions, and they are a factor 

 in depressing wages in the textile trades, although the influence in this 

 direction of the competition of native labor in the south must not be 

 overlooked. 



The French-Canadians are among the best lumber men and river 

 drivers in the world, and have been valuable in this industry in 

 northern Michigan and other border states. They are not very thrifty, 

 and usually spend their money freely. After the timber is stripped 

 off, they have more inclination to follow the receding timber line and 

 live in the lumber towns than to take up the cleared land for farming. 



In New England more of these people are becoming permanent 



