The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1908-12-03

port, as 1t is replete with information.
suggestion and human interest. Con-
cerning the bureau of immigration,
Secretary Strauss points out that up
to the close of the civil war all our
laws were framed to encourage immi-
grafton and that since then American
legislation, woile not hostile to immi-
grafton. has been directed toward the
elimination of undesirable classes. AS
result of this legislation the percen-
tage Of foreign born persons in our
population has remained practically
stationary for forty years. Concretely,
the percentage of foreign born in 1860
was 1872 while In 1900 it was 1877.
Immigration.
During a portion of the past fiscal
year." says Secretary Straus, and
extending into the present, this coun-
try has suffered an industrial depreU-
sion due to number of causes, among
others 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 depression upon
immigration was immediate, the fiscal
year of 1908 showing a falling off in
immigration of about 80 per cent. DE-
Quoting the total departures o. aliens
from the total arrivals during the fis-
cal year, the increase of alien pop
ulation was 209,S67 About 26 per
cent Of those admitted were Hitter
ate. The total amount of money act
ually brought into the country by ar
irving aliens was $17,794,226, an aver
age of almost $23 per capita. War
rants Of deportation were issued in
the cases of 1855 aliens and 10,9O2
aliens were rejected at the port of ar
rival. In the last ten years the ac-
cepted figures of immigration are act
ually 43 per cent in excess of the net
immigration.
The 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 in
crease in Japanese population was on
ly 1896. Secretary Straus says that
the Japanese and American govern
ments are cooperating to enforce the
law respecting the coming of Japan
ese laborers to this country.
Greater success has attended the ef-
forts of the department to enforce
the alien contract labor law during
the last year than in an ordinary pre-
ceding year. 1t is pointed out that
"the greatest violators of the contract
labor laws are the American manu-
facturers." Labor unions, too, have
at times been found among the vio-
lators Of the law. During the year,
1882 contract laborers were reject
ed, an increase of "a per cent over
the reflections for 1907. In all, 2,172
contract laborers were deported dur
ing the year. Particular efforts were
directed toward the suppression of
the white slave traffic, this country
cooperating with many European
governments to concert proper meas
ures to attain this purpose
White Slave Trade.
The great work Of the division Of
information in the distribution of alien
immigrants through the country is
considered at length Secretary
Straus regards the work of this di-
vision as of the highest Importance,
as it tends to relieve the congestion
Of aliens in urban centers of popula-
ton. Attention also is devoted to
the division of naturalization, which
shows that 2.244 courts have been
engaged in the last year in confer
ring naturalization upon aliens Dur
ing the year 136,725 declarations of
intention and 43,S7S petitions for nat
uralization were filed. Through the
department of justice. 1903 cases for
the cancellation of Illegally granted
certificates were instituted and in
457 of the cases the certificates were
withdrawn. Suggestions made of i'm
portant amendments to the legisla-
ton relating to the naturalization of
aliens.
Some space is devoted to consid-
Grafton of the operations of the bu-
reau Of corporations. but, on account
of the character of the work of that
bureau, little definite information is
disclosed. The secretary says that
the bureau now has on hand investi-
cations of the tobacco, steel, and Ium-
Der industries. inland waterways, the
International Harvester company, and
further investigation of the petroleum
industry and cotton exchanges. He
is of the opinion that advance 'tow-
ard corporate reform must come
through some general system of pub
licity."
Corporate Regulations.
"It is becoming more and more
obvious that the work Of the govern
ment in regulating corporations
should not be directed at the mere
existence of combination itself, as
such, but should deal rather with the
way in which the combination powers
are used, SO as to prevent as far as
possible the misuse of these great in
dustrial forces. Only such combina-
tions as are formed for wrongful pur-
poses. or such combinations as use
their powers for evil, should be
brought under the condemnation Of
the law"
Secretary Straus strongly recon-
mends the adoption of definite sys-
tenn of positive supervision and regu-
lation of corporations through an ad-
ministrative Office, urging that such
system Is constructive, not destruc-
tive. Through this Office it would be
possible to publish important facts