Il ruolo degli agenti di emigrazione e delle compagnie di navigazione nei flussi in uscita dall’italia sino alla Prima Guerra Mondiale

The paper deals with the role of migration agencies and shipping companies in outflows originated in Italy until the First World War. While migration agencies – often criticized for giving misleading promise – provided the necessary support to people seeking better conditions abroad, shipping companies carried a multitude of emigrants to the other sides of Atlantic. The economic segment dealing with the improvement of the national ship-owning industry drew benefit from this activity, as ships were, albeit belatedly, refurbished. Shipping companies also received criticism for their tendency to join in trusts to raise the fare cost. The situation was remedied by the first organic law on emigration enacted in 1901, which replaced migration agencies with carried representatives and entrusted the Commissariat of Emigration the supervision of freights.