The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-19
ANNUAL IMMIGRANTS
REPORT FROM COMMISSIONER
GIVES THE FIGURES.
ITALY SUPPLIED THE BULK
WITH AUSTRIA-HUNGARY NEXT
AND RUSSIA THIRD.

OF the Entire Number over One
Write-NearIy Five Thousand Re-
fused Permission to Land on Ac-
count of Disease and other Rea-
sOns-TranspOrtatfo Lines Must
Provide Competent Medical Iu-
spectiOn at Points of Foreign EN-
barlkation.
Washington, Oct. 1S.-The annual re-
port of the commissioner of immigra-
ton was made public to-day. 1t shows
that of the 64S,54S immigrants who ar
last fiscal year were 466,369 males and
1884 females. OF the entire number
of arrivals, Italy supplied 17s,375, an
increase of 42,379 over the number for
1901; Austria Hungary III, $3.50, an in
crease of $685. and Russia 1O7,347, an
increase of % OsO
Most European countries showed an
Increase, but there was a falling off
in the arrivals from Ireland amount
ing to 1,423, the total from that coun-
try being 29,13S. The figures concerning
Asiatic immigration shows a decrease
from China of $40, the total being l.
649, and an increase from Japan of g.
DOL, the total being 1920, or 40 per
cent.
or the entire number, 162,1SS were I'M
able to read or write, but 74,063 were
under IA years of age.
Commenting upon this circumstance,
| commissioner Sargent says:
1t can be roughly estimated from
the foregoing figures how effective in
! excluding aliens would be a reading
test, such as that proposed during the
recent session of Congress-, which
| would not be applied to children under
Is and adults over 5O.''
The total number of aliens refused
admission to land was 1874, or about
| tWo-thirds of l per cent. of the total
! arrivals. Of these, 1874 were paupers,
! IOS with loathsome diseases, nine were
convicts and 275 contract laborers.
Reference is made to the alien con-
tract labor bill pending in the Senate,
and the commissioner expresses the
nope that 1t may pass during the next
session of Congress.
| Mr.. Sargent finds that the sanguine
view expressed in the last annual re-
! port of the bureau as to the effect OF
careful examination by the United
states Marine Hospital surgeons .upor
the transportation lines bringing dis.
eased aliens to American ports has no
been confirmed by the experience Of
the past year. He urGgs the necessity
for legislation which Tnall infiict upor
the transportation lines who have the
/ means of protecting themselves from
the effect of violation of the law BIZ
competent medical inspection at the
port of foreign embarkation, a penalty
proportioned to the gravity of the risk
to the health of the American people
for bringing diseased aliens to the
ports Of this country"
SpeSIing of the enforcement OF the
! Chinese exclusion laws, Mr.. Sargent
! says many obstacles have been encoun-
tered. The chief Instructions" he saws
Ito the efficient enforcement of the
! law, arise on the one hand from
| the INSCRIPTIONS character of some
| American citizens and others who
| found large profit in smuggling Chi.
nese of the excluded classes our lanf
| boundaries, and, on the other from the
| constant interference of those zealou.
| persons in our own country whose con.
seriousness of their own exalted pur.
| poses in relation to the moral amend.
ment of the Chinese appears to them
ample justification sometimes for dis.
regard of the law and often for the en-.
deavor to have it's provisions waived
as unimportant in comparison with
their own designs"