With the exception of the United States, Brazil is the only country in our present survey that already has a large population. Yet on account of its enormous area, there are not quite ten people to the square mile. The populous districts are near the coast, and only an insignificant portion of the country is under cultivation.

COMPOSITION OF POPULATION

The white people of Brazil are mainly of Portuguese descent, and Portuguese is the official as well as the popular language. The aboriginal Indians lead a primitive life in the vast interior, and number probably not more than 500,000. In the early history of Brazil large numbers of African slaves were brought into the country to form a basis of a working population, and the use of this labor tended to retard the immigration of other races. After the abolition of slavery in 1888, however, European immigration received a great impetus. The majority of these people, for climatic and other reasons, went to the states in the south, and this section has consequently made the most rapid progress. It is also the region having the fewest colored residents. Germans and Spaniards migrated to that part of Brazil; the Italians settled in the central states. About a third of the population is at the present time white, the remainder being aboriginal Indians, Negroes, and mixed races. This gives a much greater number of whites than Canada ever has had to meet the impact of new European settlers.

The list of nationalities shown above is short compared with the much more heterogeneous throng that passed into the United States of America during the same one hundred years. The problem of assimilation is therefore simpler. Brazil has apparently had no occasion to concern herself greatly over the immigrant problem. The Government does not desire English-speaking immigrants without capital. The reasons are obvious. Recently some questions have arisen about Orientals. Japanese immigration societies have induced about 5000 Nipponese to go to Brazil. The first group, numbering

787, arrived in 1908. A Colonization Company with a capital of 100,000 pounds has been organized in Japan for the purpose of settling 20,000 Japanese laborers to cultivate rice, tea, and silkworms in Brazil. The first 1500 arrived in 1913. Since then some observers have questioned the wisdom of admitting these aliens.

The following table 2 shows by nationalities the total numbers of immigrants arriving in Brazil from 1820 to 1919:

ILLITERACY A SERIOUS PROBLEM

The degree of illiteracy, not only among recent immigrants, but also among old settlers, should occasion anxiety in Brazil, since 80 per cent. of the Portuguese, 70 per cent. of the Spaniards, and 60 per cent. of the Italians who have taken up their residence in Brazil have been unable to read or write. This alone is a heavy load of illiteracy for any country to carry. The Government, seeing that great progress cannot be expected under such conditions, is now making an effort to extend educational opportunities, particularly in the federal agricultural colonies.

AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES RANK FIRST IN BRAZIL

Agriculture and the related industries hold first place in Brazil, and their future development can utilize many more millions of people than those already at work. Brazil now 'J. C. Oakenfull: Brazil, page 174. 3 Official classification.

exports three-fourths of the world's coffee. Harvesting the berries in May or June calls for every available person around the plantations. India rubber, an essential factor of modern industrial life, grows wild; the gatherers' task is to obtain the juice from the trees, "cure" it and send it to market. These two illustrations are sufficient to show that nature has distributed her treasures lavishly in Brazil, but the country needs more settlers to develop industries already profitable and to open up great untouched tracts of land.

COLONIZATION CENTRES ESTABLISHED
BY GOVERNMENT

In order to stimulate immigration twenty centres of colonization have been established by the Federal Government of Brazil in the states of Espirito Santo, Minas Geraes, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Parana, and Santa Catharina. In addition to these colonies the Government assists the ten colonies established by the state of Minas Geraes and the three established by the states of Rio Grande do Sul. The colony of Bandeirantes in the state of Sao Paulo and that of Barao de Rio Branco in the state of Parana, which were settled fifteen years ago, were recently judged no longer to require Federal assistance and were separated from the direction of the Bureau of Immigration and Colonization by decree of January 8, 1920. Bandeirantes shows the following percentage of nationalities: Brazilian, 72 per cent.; German and Austrian, 14 per cent.; various other nationalities, 14 per cent. Barao de Rio Branco shows Brazilian, 66 per cent.; German and Austrian, 27 per cent.; various other nationalities, 7 per cent.

Since 1908 the Federal Government has placed 169,697 persons, consisting of immigrants, sufferers from the drought section of the north, and others desirous of taking up public land. About 18 per cent. of this number were Brazilians. Altogether the Federal Government has spent 2,352,850 milreis (about $588,210) in this work, including the cost of

4 The coffee tree, of course, is not native, having been brought from Abyssinia.

sending out the immigrants and assistance in money; and it has received in return as revenue since 1908, 1,959,467 milreis (about $488,860). The population of the Federal colonies on December 31, 1918, was 37,535 individuals, of whom 3172 were Germans, 12,209 Brazilians, and 22,154 of various nationalities."

SPECIAL INDUCEMENTS TO COLONISTS

The Government furnishes gratuitously to agricultural immigrants accompanied by their families, food, medical treatment and medicines, in case of sickness, not only at the time of their arrival at the port of Rio de Janeiro, but also during the unavoidable period before they can proceed to their freely chosen destination. Such persons are exempt from duties for baggage, agricultural machinery or tools of their profession, and they are given free transportation to their destination, accompanied by an interpreter whenever necessary.

Those immigrants who are on their way to the Federal colonies receive, in addition to the concessions named above, food for a period of from three to six days; employment or job work in railway or other construction, so that each adult of a family receives remuneration for 15 days' work per month; medicine and diet, free, during the first year of settlement; medical treatment until the colonist becomes independent; free distribution periodically of workmen's tools, seeds, plants; schools for the children from 8 to 14 years, with the free distribution of books and necessary supplies to the children of poor settlers; facilities for the quick handling of mail; and full information as to their rights and obligations.

The amount of land assigned to each settler is 25 hectares (about 62 acres), and is sold at the price of 8 to 30 milreis per hectare. There are farms with houses and without houses, these being sold for the cost of improvements. The Immigration Service provides temporary quarters for settlers who wish to erect a dwelling of their own accord. Amortization on the debt of the colony must be begun at the end of the third year,

'Daily Commerce Report, Washington, D. C., May 3, 1920.

with annual payments thereafter for a period of from five to eight years. After the land is paid for, the legal title is transferred to the immigrant. The Government refunds to the immigrants located in the Federal Colonies the amount of their passage from the country of emigration to Brazil, by crediting it to their account, and in many other ways is generous to colonists.

During the first four months of 1921, 14,786 immigrants entered the port of Rio de Janeiro. Of this number 2331 were Germans and 1654 Italians. During the month of July, 1729 immigrants entered the port.

VARIOUS STATES EAGER FOR LABORERS

According to a communication of the State Labor Department of Sao Paulo, 503 bidders or candidates for immigrants have asked the employment agency of that department for families recently arrived, aggregating in the total 5778 persons, all for the culture of coffee. Sao Paulo, which has always taken the lead in Brazil in practically every line of progress, is very active in the introduction of immigrants. During the first half of a typical year 18,953 colonists were received in Sao Paulo, with 1125 later arrivals. Responsible capitalists and agriculturists, with the support of official elements of the municipal district of Corumba, are working out plans to intensify agricultural production in that district, toward which end it has been resolved to found colonies of immigrants in the environs of that city. It has already been decided to offer to each family of colonists a house and lot and other inducements. Corumba fazendeiros (proprietors of estates) are ready to receive families, giving temporary accommodations, lands, and animals, until the definite conclusion of the work of founding the colony of immigrants. These advantages are in addition to those offered by the Federal Government. The President of Santa Catharina recently reported to the Director of the Immigration Service

Commerce Report, Washington, D. C., Nov. 7, 1921.