ABSTRACT
During 1953, 1,784 natives of hinterland tribes registered that a fifth of the new registrants were Temne and that nearly as many were Mende, while, in proportion to their numbers in the Protectorate, Limba were very heavily represented. The figures of emigration by district and chiefdom confirm the view that migration is heaviest from the Northern Province and in particular from Limba chiefdoms. Emigration from areas of land degradation is heavy where the population is dense. It becomes necessary to distinguish between two kinds of immigration: firstly, that of workers who come to Freetown, register for employment, and settle there; this may be referred to as urbanization and is the most important of the labour movements in Sierra Leone. Secondly, there is that of seasonal migrants who come only for a month or two, having usually obtained a registration book on a previous visit.
