Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1942, Blaðsíða 36

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LE NORD
emigration that it reached the high figure of 23,152, while the
relaxation of this policy owing to the General Strike in 1905,
together with the depression in America in 1908, checked the
flow and caused the return of considerable numbers of emigrants.
The oppression was renewed and conditions became bad again
before the first World War and this is reflected in another high
figure, viz. 20,057 in 1913.
The total number of persons who left Finland during the
period 1893—1919 was, according to official statistics, 271,120.
After Finland became independent the number of emigrants
to the United States and Canada were as follows:
in 1920 5,577
1921 3,531
1922 5,705
1923 13,801
When the United States began to restrict immigration the
flow of Finnish emigrants turned towards Canada in preference
to the former country. This was especially the case in 1923. Up till
then our statistics had not shown separately the figures for these
two countries or indicated the very few persons who had gone
to Central and South America. Between 1924 and 1930 the emi-
grants to America averaged 4,552 a year, and of these
about 408 went to United States
» 4,012 » » Canada
» 82 » » Central and South America.
Then came the complete ban on immigration into the United
States, where immigrants are now only admitted if they are rela-
tives of persons already settled there, or on a few other specific
grounds. The number of Finnish emigrants therefore declined to
255 a year between 1931 and 1939 (the year of the Russo-Finnish
Winter war). Of these 153 went to the United States, 71 to
Canada, and 31 to Central and South America.
The total number of Finns who left their homeland for the
United States and Canada between 1920 and 1939 was, accord-
ing to official statistics, 62,779 (a figure which also includes a
few persons who went to Central and South America) a number
which must be regarded as comparatively large. In addition,