The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-12-02
S'RAUSS MAKES
UNUSUAL REPORT
LABOR, COMMERCE AND INDUS
TRIES lNTEREEPENDENT
SAYS THE SECRETARY
IMMIGRATION BUREAU
Refersed 10 az One Of Moeti mportan
Relating to Commerce and La
for of u. S.-Some Com.
prehensve Figures.

Washington. Dec Important
and unusual statements and recon-
mendations are made by Secretary
Oscar S. Straus in the sixth aannual
report of the Department OF Com
merce and Labor made public today.
Secretary Straus points out that
labor and the industries and com
merce are inter-dependent That
commerce which is developed and
expanded to the detriment. either of
the health or of the wage standard
of the laborers engaged therein,
however profitable it might be in the
material sense, is harmful to a ma
tion's welfare and should be dis
couraged"
immigration.
Particular attention is devoted by
the SECRETARY in his report to the
bureau of immigration and natural
ization, corporations and labor.
While other bureauX of the depart
ment are important, the three men
toned bear the more directly upon
the material interests of the people
thar do any of the others The re-
port as it relates to them scarcely
can be considered as an ordinary
departmental report, as it is replete
with information, suggestion and
human interest. Concerning the
Bureau Of Information, Secretary
Straus points out that up to thel
close OF the Civil war all our laws
are framed to encourage immigra-
tion and that since then American
legislation. while not hostile to i'm
migration has been directed toward
the elimination of undesirablel
classes. AS a result Of this legisla-
ton the percentage of foreign born
persons in our population has re-
manned practically stationary fer
forty years. Concretely. the per.
cartage of foreign born in 1860 was
1872 while in 1900 it was 1871
Industrial Depression.
During portion of the past fiscal
year" says Secretary Strars. "and
extending into the present. this coun-
try has suffered an industrial depres.
sion due to a number of causes.
among other TO overproduction,
which were world wide, but perhaps
for the time being more accentuated
in this than in the other commercial
countries" The effect of this de.
preston upon immigration was i'm.
mediate, the fiscal year of 1903 show
ing a falling off in immigration oil
about 80 per cent. Deducting the to-
tai departure of aliens from the total
arrivals during the fiscal year. the
net increase of alien population
was 2o9.S67 About 26 per cent of
those admitted were initerate. The
total amount of money actually
brought into the country by arriving
aliens was sl7.794,226, an average ofl
almost $23 per capita Warrants OIL
deportation were issued I'm the cases
of 1855 aliens and 1892 aliens
were rejected at the port of arrival
In the last ten years the accepted
figures of immigration are actually
4S per cent in excess of the net i'm.
migration.
AS to Japanese.
Considerable space is devoted To
the incoming OF Japanese. which :
shows a gradual but sure reduction :
IN the number. During the year the .
net increase in Japanese population 4
was only 1896 Secretary Straus a
says that the japanese and American
governments are cooperating to en- n
'orce the law respecting the coming la
Df japanese laborers TO this country | f
Contract Labor. In
Greater success has attended the r
sfforts of the department to enforce fl
he alien contract labor law durinpi r
he last year than in any preceding g
fear. II is pointed out that the +,
greatest violators Of the contract lu
abor laws are the American manu- =
acturers." Labor unions. too. have N
It times been found among the vio-
ators OF the law. During the wear
.932 contract laborers we're rejected
md increase Of % per cent over the U
elections for 1907. In all. 2172 con
rect labcrers were deDorted during =
he year. Particular efforts we're d.
ected toward the Suppression Of the
White slave traffic. this country CO.
perating with many European gov
Inments to concert proper measures
o attain this purpose.