The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-06-17
IMMIGRATION AT
HIGH TIDE
(Continued nom Page One.)


Austria Hungary amounted to 265, 1885,;
Italy,, including Sicily and Sardinia,
273, 120; Russia and Finland, 215,665;
China, 1914; Japan, 1885; the West In
dies, 1856
That conditions have not changed
since these reports were made is evil
dent from the fact that the last an
nouncement from the East declares that
every fourth alien examined at Ellis
Island is italian, while every fifth new
conner is from the Austrias. The large
amount of immigration from Southern
Europe is due to the very general I'M
rest existing among the laboring classes
of those countries, and a very repre-
hensible activity on the part of agents
of transportation companies, who, in or
der to secure passengers for their re-
spectiye lines are often guilty of gross
MISREPRESENTATION of conditions and ad-
vantages In the United States.
1t is estimated that nearly four-fifths
of. the total immigration into the Unit
ed states comes into the port of New
York, and the officials at Ellis Island
are always delighted when in ship
load of newcomers there happens to be
very large percentage of Germans,
Firms, Norwegians, Danes and Swedes.
These are the people who locate in the
West many of them to take up govern
ment land or to hire small farms. In
most cases within a few years more
than 80 per cent. of them are respected
members of the communities in which
they have settled, and not a few or
them obtain local prominence. But the
principal point is that practically all
of them are hard working people VINO
come to this country, not for the pur-
pose of getting along without labor
but with the set determination to i'm
prove their condition in life. Most OF
them are either married when they
came, or, if not, send home for their
brides as soon as their income war
rants them in taking step which
must necessarily add greatly TO the ex-
pense of living.
This applies equally to the English
men who come over here, and the Irish
may also be included in this category,
although the Irish are more inclined
than the Germans, Swedes, Norwegians.
Firms and Danes to remain in the East,
or at any rate to cling to the cities.
But both English and Irish constitute
a most desirable class of immigrants.
The Italians, the Russians, the Syrians,
the Greeks and some Turks stick to the
cities These bring with them their un-
desirable home customs and they seem
to have no idea beyond eking out an ex-
istence with as little effort as possible.
They usually do not take the trouble
to learn our language.
The immigration figures for the past
few months of this year are more ap-
palling than those shown at the first
of the year and will make even the
most thoughtless pause for reflection.
When one knows of the elaborate pre-
cautions taken by this country to keep
out undesirable immigrants. the won
der is that any of them ever gets in.
Last year. however. only / per cent. OF
the arrivals We're sent back. The de-
portations. it is believed. should be in
creased or a least the adopted stand
ard more nearly conformed to. The
Ellis Island officials themselves confess
that there are occasions when they are
compelled to admit persons who IN
their opinion would never make good
citizens. There seems to be times, too.
when the officials simply ignore the
letter while living up to the spirit of
tho law and send back persons whom
they can not help seeing are undestr-
able.