Croatian Immigration: Business or Politics?
Matica Iseljenika Hrvatska
By Adam S. Eterovich
The
Italian, Greek and Irish economies would have collapsed years ago if it were
not for the overseas Italian Greek and Irish immigrants. Irish, Greek and
Italian products flood the American market and in many cases, the importer is
Irish, Greek or Italian American. About twenty years ago in Croatia, immigrants
sent home approximately 1.2 billion dollars per year; tourism, at the same
time, earned 1.2 billion dollars per year. There was no insinuation of
corruption, stealing or politics in that the immigrant monies went direct to
individuals in Croatia. No product was sold or consumed; no invoicing was
necessary; just pure profit.
The
Croatian immigrant is business; he adds financial stability to Croatia; he
spreads the word and good reputation of Croatia in the country of residence; he
is not political; he is a pure gold bar. It is the business class and those
that are industrious or economically well off who send money to Croatia; in
most cases they are apolitical. Croatian politicians in immigration produce
nothing and are not an industrious or wealthy group; they send only bad advice
to Croatia.
The
monies sent home today to Croatia are
estimated at four Billion dollars.
What Croatia Owes the
Immigrant
By J. Lupis-Vukic, Split
1934
Croatia
does not understand its emigration problem nor the beneficent role that
emigration plays in its economic and financial life. Before the war the mass of emigrants, mostly
from America, freed themselves from burdensome debt and sent savings, amounting
to tens of million of gold Krone to our
banks. War turned all these savings into
nothing. Fortunately, during the year,
the emigrants in the America and South America made good earnings. From 1919 to 1922 over 40,000 of these
emigrants returned home, sending and bringing into the country, over 80 million dollars. Those that remained abroad remitted yearly from 18 to 20 million dollars. Since the establishment of Yugoslavia emigrants
sent and brought to the country not less that 15 billion dinars. Emigrant
gold prevented the Dinar from following the course of the Austrian Krone and
German Mark. Emigrant money paid two
thirds of all deficits in foreign trade and all
foreign obligations. At the
present moment our country receives no other gold except from emigrants. The exceedingly passive trade balance with
the America and South America is being settled by emigrants gold. Yugoslavia has no statistics of emigrants’
deposits in our banks, but these certainly amount to more than a billion
dinars.
Two-thirds of all new houses, built during the
last 30 years in Croatia, Slovenia Dalmatia, Hercegovina and Montenegro, were built by emigrant money earned
in America or South America and the
British Dominions.
MATICA ISELJENIKA
HRVATSKA
Croatia “owes
us”..Business is Business
I
propose:
That Matica Iseljenika Hrvatska become an Institute and have
American, Canadian, Australian and Latin American born Croatians on its Board of Directors before we all disappear in
immigration. We have the capability and objectivity to take politics out of
anything;
That the Institute be Business-Economic and Cultural in
purpose and orientation; that the institute act as a Chamber of Commerce for
immigrants with business interests; that the Institute act as an Agent for
cultural groups going to various immigrant communities to perform; and that the
institute provide cultural and historical material and information to
immigrants;
That the Institute have as its official language Croatian,
English, Spanish and German since over five million Croatians live outside of
Croatia.
Austrian Studies in
America
A
number of years ago Austrian immigrants in America tried to collect money for
an Austrian Studies Chair at an American University. They did not succeed.
Someone hit upon the idea to appeal to the Austrian people in Austria for a
donation of $1.00 apiece; they succeeded!
Hungarian Studies at
Rutgers University
The
Institute for Hungarian Studies is the center of all instructional and
scholarly activities related to Hungarian society, history, culture and
language at Rutgers University. Established by an agreement between Rutgers and
the Ministry of Culture and Education of
the Republic of Hungary and highly valued financial support from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Hungary
and the Hungarian Fulbright Commission.
Adam
S. Eterovich
croatians@aol.com
www.croatians.com