The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-02
Many Recommendations Made in Annual Report of Federal Department of Commerce
 and Labor,
IMMIGRATION STATISTICS
Percentage of Forcign-Born Popula- ton Stationary for Forty Years Unions Violate Contract
 Labor Law,

Washington. n, C., Dee, i,--lmport- ant statements and recommendations are made by Secretary Oscar s Straus in the sixth annual report of the department of commerce and la hor made public to-day.
 Secretary Straus points out that la bor and the industries and commerce
 are lnter-dependent, That com merce which Is developed and expand cd to the detriment, either of the health or of the wage standard of the lahorcrs engaged therein, however 1 profitable. It might be in the mater 1 ial sense, Is harmful to a nations well l fare and should be discouraged
 Particular attention is devoted by the secretary In his report to the i bureau of immigration and naturali- \ zation, corporations and labor. While ] other bureaus of the department are important the three mentioned bear
 the more directly upon the material
 interests of the people than do any of | the others The report. as lt relates
 to them scarcely can he considered
 as an ordinary departmental report
 as it is replcte with information, sug-
 gestion and human interest, Con
 ccrning the bureau of immigration,
 Secretary Straus points out that up to
 the close uf the civil war all our laws
 were framed Co encourage immisra-
 ton and that since then American
 Legislator, while not hostile to inn
 migration, has been directed toward
 the elimination of undesirable classes.
 As a result of this legislation the per-
 eentagc of foreign horn persons in
 our population has remained practi-
 eally stationary for forty years. Con-
 cretely the percentage of foreign
 born in 1860 was 19.2. while in l9OO
 it was lG.1.
 DeductIng the total of aliens from the
 total arrivals during the fiscal year, the ; net increase of alien population wa,
 209 SCI About 26 per cent of those ad mitled were illiterato Tho tota : amount of money actually brought intc : Che country by arriving aliens wa
 SlG79i226, an aveape of almost s23 pc, : capita Warrants Of deportation were ' issued in the cases of 1855 aliens am { l0.902 aliens were rejected at the DOT
 of arrival In the last ten years th, | accepted figures of immigration are ac
 tually iS per cent in excess of the ne
 immigration
 Considerable space Is devoted to th
 incoming oi Japanese. which shows gradual but sure reduction in the mum
 Der. During the year the net lncreas
 in Japanese population was only 2,S2f
 Greater success has attended the ef
 forts Of the department to enforce th
 alien contract labor law during tn
 last year than in any preceding veal
 It is pointed out that "Thc greatcs yiolators of the contract labor laws ar '' tho American manufacturers" Laba = unions, too, have at times been foun j. among the yioletors of the law. Durin r the year l932 contract laborers weg 6 rejected an increase of 3i per cen < over the rciectons for i9O1 In all 2,l7 ( contract lah0rers were deported dur i. ing the year Particular efforts wer s. directed toward the suppression of tn I white slave traffic
 ,. The great work of the division O {: information fin the distribution of allie [ immigrants through the country + considered at laugth Secretary Strau I regards the work of this division q | of tho highest importance, as it tend f to relieve the congestion of alions i . urban ccntcrs of population. Atten f ton also Is devoted 10 the division q < naturalization, which shows that 2,2t | courts have been engaged in the las {. year in conferrins naturalization upo | aliens. During the year 136.725 dc ; claratons of Intention and 43,S7S pc < ttons for naturalization were fet | Through the department of iustic j. 1908 cases for the cancellation of il | legally granted certificates were insti ! tuted and in 457 Of the cases the cer !: ticates were withdrawn. Suggestion 6 are made of important amendments { ,i the legislation relating to the natur i alization of aliens.
 E Some space is devoted to a consider + alton of the operations of the burea | of corporations, but, on account of tn ! character of the work of that bureat i little definite information is disclosed L The secretary says that the burea + now has on hand Investigations of tn I tobacco, steel, and lumber industric < inland waterways, the Gnternationi + Harvester company, and further ir ' vestigaton of the petroleum industr and cotton exchanges. - Tt is becoming more and more ol
 Yious that the work of the governmeI
 in regulating corporations should n,