The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-16
Commissioner Frank P Sargent
 Makes His Annual Report
LANDING 1T SOUTHERN PORTS
The Number of Immigrants Received For the Year Ending June 30 Is 1,285,349 - Large Increase
 from Japan.

Washington, December 15.-Immi- grafton for the year ending June 30, 1907, was vastly greater than in any previous year in the history of the United States. This fact, with all its important details, is placed in strong light in the annual report of Frank P. Sargent, commissioner general of Inn migration and naturalization, which was made public today. Of this great gent says:
 An army of 1,2s5.s49 souls they have come, drawn hither by the free institutions and the marvellous pros perity of our country, the chance here afforded every honest toiler to gain a livelihood by the sweat of his brow or the exercise of his intelligence; sur passing in numbers the record of all preceding years
 The immigration for the year 1907 exceeded that for 1906 by 1S4,614 and that for the year 1905 by 25S,S50, or an increase over the year 1906 of more than IT per cent, and over the
  During the fiscal year 1906, 12,432 aliens were rejected at our ports during the past fiscal year 13,164 an increase of 632; hence the total number of those who have sought admission in 1907, viz, 1,29S,413, exceeds the num- Der who applied in 1906, viz, 1,113,16 by 1S5,246.
 Land at Southern Ports.
 Commissioner Sargent says 1t Is of particular significance that many im- migrants landed at ports in the south during the past year, and he refers especially to a party of 473 Belgians, excellent types of immigrants, received at Charleston, s. C., having been in-. duced to go there by the state author- ities. "The increase of immigrants to the south," the commissioner says, "is directly connected with the grow ing desire of the souther states to draw within their boundaries a number of the better class of immigrants. it being considered by practically all of the leading men of that section that the future development and welfare of the south depends upon its ability to receive and absorb reliable labor ing and farming element"
 Striking increases are also shown at New Orleans. Galveston and Honolulu The tide of immigration from some of the countries Is indicated by the fol- lowing figures: Austria Hungary. 33S,- 452. increase 73,314; Bulgaria. Servia and Monte Negro, 1859, increase 6693 France, 9731, increase 345; German em- pire, 37,s07, increase 243 Greece, 36,- Sicily and Sardinia. 2s5,731, increase 12,611; Russian empire and Finland 25S,943, increase 4S,27S: Turkey. 20767, increase 11.257; England 56,637, in- crease 7146 Ireland. 34.530, decrease 465; Scotland, 19,740. increase 3S74: China. 961, decrease 5S3 Japan, 3O,226. increase 16.391; British North America, 19,ss1. increase 1855; West Indies. 16,- 6S9, increase 3033
 Increase from Japan.
 Interest naturally attaches to the pro- portionately large immigration from Jdpdn. w illlt tIc CACluSiO1 ldWS nave rendered practically nil the immigration from China, the immigration from Japan, although relatively not great, has largely increased in the past year.
 The reports show that thousands of Japanese Handing in Mexico during the last year gained admission surreptitiously into this country. Once in the United ct t1 except in the rarest instances.
 The total amount of money brought into the country by arriving aliens was s25.5s9,S93, or an average of almost s2O per person.
 Of the 13,e64 aliens who were turned back during the year. 1434 were contract laborers 90 per cent less than in the pre- ceding year.
 In a discussion of the new immigration act, Commissioner Sargent strongly urges that advantage be taken of calling an in- ternational conference on immigration and emigration. It is his opinion that now is the time to act. He says:
 There has never been period when all the principal countries of the world were so deeply interested in the sub- ject. Several of the leading European countries have recently either passed or introduced m their legislatures iinmigra- tion laws, some of which are modelled practically after our own. Some of the governments are taking notice with the idea of adopting measures to discourage the migration of their citizens or to induce their return; others are solicitous lest their subjects should forget their alleg- lance, and altogether there should be no difficulty of accomplishing some Inter national arrangement and understanding that will be for the general good.''
 Some Recommendations.
 Among the recommendations made by Commiaeinner Sargent are the folIowipr