The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-09
LABOR LEGISLATION PROPOSED.
New York Trade Unions Want Immi-
grafton Restricted and jap
anese Excluded.

NEW YORK, May S.--A conference
Of representatives of district assembly
~, knights Of Labor; district assembly
rs and go Of Brooklyn. the Central
Federated Union and the Central La
Dor Union Of Brooklyn. was held last
evening in this city to devise means
to secure legislation to restrict int
migration and to so amend the exclu-
sion act as to include japanese in its
provisions.
The call for the conference began by
saying that an army of foreign laborers
were fiocklng to these shores. and are
crowding into occupations that were
already over stocked. thus inflicting
great hardships upon American work.
men. II was declared that a great pro-
portion of these aliens were merely
birds Of passage. and did not intend
becoming citizens.
Delegate William Allen, Of district
assembly l9. said that the object of the
conference was 70 see what could be
done to restrict the immense immlgra-
tion that was pouring in.
I'VE read that strikes are breaking
out all over the country" he oontin-
ued, but the obstacle to their success
is that there is large amount Of un-
employed labor that is ready to step
in and fill the gaps This unemployed
labor is caused by the great immigra-
tion that flows in. and as long as EN-
ployers can get these newcomers they
viii never yield TO the demands of the
strikers for an advance in wages or a
reduction Of the hours of labor.
Last year several employers took
immigrants from Ellis Island to fill the
places of the strikers.
THAT there are more men even in
the skilled trades than there is room
for. is seen from the fact that some |
unions have raised their Initiation fees
to the prohibitory figure Of 800 and |
Sl25 and several unions have closed |
their books and win not admit any one
to membership on any terms.
$50 do not see how trade organi 1
cations will oppose a movement for re-
striction Of immigration. 1t is in fact
an outrage upon our workmen to al
low an alien to come in and take away /
his work or compel him to accept star
walton wages, and it is an outrage up
on the alien TO let him come here un-
til there is work for him"
Delegate Allen then submitted a
rough draft for a proposed bill. 1t pro-
hibited any alien from entering the
United States to engage in any occu-
patton who did not intend to become
a citizen, or who intended to engage
in any congested occupation or to
take the place of striker or locked
out workman. or to work for less than
the prevailing rate of wages.
The bill requires the commissioner Of
labor statistics to collect all informa-
tion on all industry and trade and send
it to the immigration bureau and the
United States consuls. All intending
immigrants must apply for certificates
from the consuls who will furnish the
certificates or not according to the in
formation they receive as to the de-
mand for labor or the congestion of
labor in this country.
The bill finally proposes an amend
ment to the Chinese exclusion act, pro-
viding that all laws now in force pro-
hibiting the immigration of Chinese or
of Chinese descent be amend
ed so as to include the Japanese in its
provisions.
A committee was appointed to draft
a bill and submit it for consideration
to the various central labor organiza-
tions, and to report.