New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-13
BARSAUSTRIANS SOCIETY
THIRD HOME EXCLUDED.
Commissioner U'iNinms Thinks 1t
No Fit Place for Immigrants.

Commissioner Williams barred yesterday third
immigrant aid society from representation at Ellis
Island. the Austrian Society New York. which
maintains a home for immigrants No. 10 East
Nth street The Commissioner In his letter 10 the
officials Of the organization assigned more
definite reason than that the home. in his opinion
was no m place for immigrants to go" Those
familiar with the Investigations which have been
going forward say that the Commissioner may Re
expected 10 make some strong charges against the
society later. The Swedish ana Polish institutions
We're excluded from the island on Tuesday.
The Commissioner intimated that he would give
tho society fiu statement % The grounds for his
action upon request. He stated emphatically. as
10 the general overhaulinE which Is being admins
tered 70 the immigration societies. that there would
be no relaxation until the whole matter had been
Thoroughly aired and cleaned up
Dr. Sigmund Breitenfeld. Of No. ri East Ssth
street. who is first vice president and active chair
man OF tho Austrian society. said last night:
From the wording Of the Commissioners letter.
which refers 10 the home a ht place for I'm
migrants, I infer that ne makes objection 20 the
sanitary conditions there In some details IL may
be that such criticism IS Just I at once wrote
commissioner Williams asking that he send us the
fun details of his investigation, and shall short
~ hold meeting Of the society al which We will
take the matter UP. II the features OF manage
ment To which the Commissioner objects can be
remeded easily. We shall set matters rights az
once. IL not. then it may become necessary to dis
continue the home altogether
Il have talked with the Commissioner at some
length about the problem Of immigrant aid He is
an able. conscientious and very earnest man. and
his present efforts up the agencies which
care for the immigrants certainly praseworthy.
feel. however. that in some respects he expects
too much He is disposed the alien as IL
he were already American. with the training
and civilization which Americans. even OF the
lowest class. undoubtedly have. In my own coun-
try. Austria. the so-called lower classes unfortu
nately deserve TO have that term applied to them.
un- American though it is. They are unquestion-
ably lower morally we'll Intellectually. than
the poorer people of this country.
THE poorer Poles OF Austria think every man
they meet is a thief II you do of them
Kindness to-day. tomorrow be will back
thinking that you him more They are both
ignorant and servie-not necessarily by nature.
but by training. Such people are difficult to deal
with. If of them comes to this country and ia
admitted and aided by home perhaps get
him job porter. He returns to us in a few
days proud for his work. and repeats that
several times What do? The best thing.
perhaps would he deport him; but neither We
nor the Commissioner any longer has the authority
Il think Mr.. Williams expects somewhat too
much too. in asking that we keep hold upon all
the girls place at service. man recently tele-
phoned from Brooklyn that girl We sent 20 him
had refused to stay, and had left his house He
held her back telling her that he was responsible
To u.s. and finally called policeman The woman
had committed no crime and so he had 10 let her
60 our lack Of a paterual government here. you
see is not always convenient
This Is a very difficult problem / do not wish
IN he understood to resent the Commissioners ac-
ton I am certainly in sympathy with his wish To
better conditions and recognize that ne Is taxing
what seems To him the direct course toward
that end As I do not know what grounds he
bases his objections to home. | cannot speak
more definitely on that matter. Certainly some pro
vision should be made for the immigrants. Other
wise they will fall into the hands OF sharks and
boarding house keepers to be heeced, as they were
ten or twelve years ago.
AS to the future. Commissioner Williams refused
10 commit himself last night. When asked on what
conditions he would allow the societies 10 be again
represented the island he replied: Well cross
that bridge when we come TO it Action by the
societies themselves is likely to be slow. however.
The Rev. Gustav Nelsenius. president of the Swe-
dish society. Asserted that the matter would be
taken up at the regular meeting early in Septem-
Der. The head of the Polish home. the Rev. Ian
islaus Kwasniewsk is in Europe and is not
expected to return for several weeks
The present Austrian home was formed
branch from the Austro- Hungarian home which
was formerly No. IA Greenwich street In 1904 its
missioner Williams The Commissioner then based
his action in part upon report of the Board of
Health which represented the sanitary conditions
of the building highly improper. The society
then divided. the Hungarian home going to
State street and the Austrian home to it's present
quarters In East soth street. Both partly sup
ported by the Austrian government. which pays
1000 a year TO the Austrian society.