The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-12
COMMERCE AND
LABOR IN 1904
sEcY. METcALFE'S REPORT.
THE CoJNTRY's COMMERCE THE
GREATEST IN ITS HISTORY.


SOS, OOO.O 900 - s12,S7O Immigrants
Were Admitted-A plea for the
Merchant Marine-The Steamboat
Inspection Service Reviewed.
Washington. Dec. IL. Secretary
Metcalfe's annual report of the De-
partment of Commerce and Labor,
made public to-day, is an interesting
document. 1t covers the work of the
various bureaus of the department
during the second year of it's organ
ization. The reports of the Bureau
of Labor, the Lighthouse Board, the
Steamboat Inspection Service. the Blu
read of the Census, the Coast and Geo.
detic Survey, the Bureau of Statis-
tics, and the Bureau of Navigation,
and the Bureau of Navigation are
perhaps the most interesting.
The Years Immigration.
The report of the Commissioner of
immigration shows that the total
number of aliens admitted to the
United States during the year was
S1e,S7O, exclusive of 27,S44 admitted for
the purpose of passing through the
United States TO foreign territory. OF
these arrivals 30,374 entered through
ports of Canada, 1912 entered ports
of the insular possessions of the Unit
ed States other than those of the Phil
ippine Islands, and 771,754 were ad-
mitted at seaports of the United
States More than one-half of the
entire immigration was composed of
the italian, Hebrew, Polish, Slovak,
and Magyar races. There were de-
creases in arrivals of 81 1926 from Italy,
29.S85 from Austria Hungary, and s.
7O4 from Japan. There was an increase
of 1888 from Great Britain, and APP
proximately of 100 per cent. from
China.
OF the total arrivals SAC, 100 were
males and 263, no were females. AS to
age, 1O9, $50 were IA years old or an
der 657 155 were between IA and 40,
and AZ, sos were As or over. The records
show 1858 as able to read, but not to
write, and 168,903 as illiterate, leaving
a remainder of 640O14 who, it is as
sumed, could both read and Write
Money Brought by Immigrants.
The total amount of money shown
by the arrivals was $40, S94,SS3, or about
s4,50O,O00 more than the aggre-
gate amount brought by the
larger number of alien arrivals of the
preceding year. There were denied
admission at seaports of the United
States as members of the various
classes excluded by law 1894 aliens
and 779 previously admitted were de-
ported upon the ground that they were
in the country in violation of law.
There are confined in public and pri-
waite charitable penal and reformatory
institutions in this country total of
449S5 aliens: of these. 20,4S5 are in
insane asylums, 9S25 are confined for
the commission of crimes. and 1865
are acknowledgement of $4,000 OF
these aliens will be confined for life.
The cost of the immigration service
during the year was $l,296,SOS 80.
There was expended $75,536.10 for de-
porting Chinese, an average cost of
$112.2 "a for each deportation. OF the
total appropriation of 100000 for the
enforcement of the Chinese exclusion
acts, 432,220.96 was expended for sal
aries and expenses, including the cost
of deportation.
Bureau of Navigation.
The Commissioner of Navigation ire
ports that the documented merchant
shipping of the United States at the
end of the fiscal year comprised "a
55S vessels of 6,291.535 gross tons, the
largest tonnage in our history. Less
than one-sixth of this tonnage is reg
istered for foreign trade. During the
past four years, however the regis
tered steam tonnage has increased
212, 314 gross tons, while the register
ed sail tonnage has decreased 140, TAO
gross tons. American shipping in for
eign trade has thus become more eff
cient, and in the past fiscal year Amer
lean ships carried 1913 per cent. of our
exports and imports, compared with
e.S per cent. in the year ended June
30, 1900 The upward tonnage move
ment of the last four years now seems
to have been checked. For the first
time since 1912 a fiscal year passed
without the completion of single
square-rigged vessel in the United
States. The United States shares in
the general decline of sailing vessels,
and the opportunities for their en-
ployment in the foreign trade grow
steadily less. The completion of the
Panama canal will greatly curtail even
present opportunities. Training on
sailing vessels. is regarded as an al
most indispensable qualification of the
deck officer of a steamer. If we are
to have merchant marine the lack of
officers will be felt as soon as steam
tonnage in foreign trade increases.
The subject is mentioned now for the
consideration of Congress in the fu-
ture.
Needs of the Merchant Marine.
Contracts made several years ago
have been performed and our princi-
pal steel shipyards on the seaboard
are building very few sea-going steel
steamers except warships for the navy
Indeed, were it not for government
work under appropriations by Congress
some of them would now be closed
for want of work and others soon
would be. The stoppage of these large
plants and the scattering of their
trained workmen would be more than
an ordinary Industrial misfortune
These plants are a necessary part OF
the system of national defense, and
when they shut down and their men
are dispersed the cost of warships Is
accordingly enhanced.
The government programme OF
naval construction, II executed
through further appropriations by
Congress, will help to keep the yards
busy, but IL will not alone suffice. The
situation reinforces all the arguments
which Of late years have been ad-
vanced In support of a definite and
durable legislative policy for the pro-
motion of the American merchant ma
rine.''
The Years Commerce.
The foreign commerce OF the
United States as reported by the Blu
reau OF Statistics shows larger tota'
than In any earlier year. While the
exports were surpassed by those OF a
No Dessert