Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-17
REPORTS SHOW
BIG PROGRESS OF
COMMERCE BODY
CHAMBER HAS TAKEN STRIDES
IN PAST YEAR
RADICAL STAND ON IMMIGRATION
is DECLARED
Committee Asserts That Only Saliva
tion of Citrus Growers Lies in
Opening Doors to Chinese
and Japanese Labor

commerce late yesterday afternoon dis
closed the reports for the past year of
the sixteen different standing commit
tees and the progress of the body as a
whole in it's work for the advancement
of the best interests of Los Angeles.
Reports from the finance committee
show the chamber of commerce has
paid $4,000 in the last year in lifting
the indebtedness from its building, al
though it's bond obligation calls for
$4,000 year. The organizations bond
ed Indebtedness at the beginning of
1909 was $250,000 on property valued at
S450000. At this rate, the interest
charges are reduced to $1250 year or
more than S110 month. 1t is thought
even greater difference can be made
for 1910.
The report Of the immigration COM
mittee is of particular interest to the
California public. 1t puts its foot on the
immigration of South Europeans as rep
resented in the congested city districts
of the east and middle west and favors
those from the north of Europe of
Anglo-Saxon and Teutonic origin as
being persons adapted to the tilling of
soil. This committee also favors the
opening of the doors of the state to
the Chinese and Japanese, the Chinese
particularly and in its report declares
they are not competitor, but a neces-
sity to the American laborer. The re-
port in detail is as follows:
Serious Problem Explained
'Tn commenting on the quetsions of
immigration which has presented them
selves during the current year-your
committee feels that while no mat
ters of pressing import have been
brought before them such as can be
remedied offhand, conditions surround
ing our immigration problems are of
such a nature as to justify this digres-
sion whereby we lay before you what
we feel to be the cruX of this problem
in Southern California.
"In investigating the various phases
of our subject during the past twelve
months, this fact is paramount, that
our section of the country is primarily
agricultural and hence dependent upon
the cultivation of the products of the
soil. While our manufacturing inter-
ests are rapidly beSpeaking place for
themselves, our citrus industry, our
fruits and vegetables are first in inn
portance. To this end we favor that
class of immigrants who are naturally
inclined to agriculture and conversely
are not in sympathy with the great
throngs of South Europeans who of
late years have formed the majority of
our immigrants, whom we most nat
urally associate with the manufactur-
ing centers of the east and middle west
Two Desirable Glasses
Desirable immigrants, to our minds.
are found in two classes. In the north
European peoples are seen the same
characteristics, thrift and energy
which already form the backbone of
our American citizenship. We regret
that the proportion of the Anglo
Saxon and the Teutonic element in our
immigration rolls has been so lessened
during the ~ast twenty years These
peoples we welcome.
"Our western country is more and
more finding itself. Large tracts Of
land from 5000 acres up are being
broken up into twenty, thirty forty
acre farms and put in the market to
the interest Of just such desirable
immigrants. In a few years the great
work which our reclamation service is
undertaking will have been realized
and lands now arid will have been re-
claimed. Every few years a new rail-
road opens up territory which gives
additional opportunity to the proSpec-
tive land owner and home seeker. We
need high class of immigrant people
for this development of our country,
1.-THE other class of immigrants de-
sired is concerned with handling our
citrus industry, marketing our fruits
and vegetables and in general caring
for the many agricultural products for
which Southern California is noted.
For this work we need the Chinese
and Japanese, and especially the
former.
Chinese Question Discussed
"To all practical intents a discus
sion of the immigration problem in
Southern California is synonymous
with a discussion of the Chinese ques-
tion. Your committee feels that the
time is fast approaching when South
ern California is to be called upon to
face an imminent need of Chinese la
borers. While your committee is en-
tirely in sympathy with the general
spirit and idea of the exclusion laws,
It feels that certain notifications
should be enacted to preserve the orig
inal intent and yet satisfy needs which
are at present a serious problem to
some of our most important employers
of labor
"Our orchardists. our fruit packing
interests, our vegetable gardens, our
great bean fields, our walnut groves,
our vineyards, the raisin industry
these agricultural interests, together
with the omnipreSent domestic prob
lem, are clamoring loudly at the pres
ent time. 1t is a fact-the dearth Of
labor in such industries is approach
ing. These conditions demand your
attention to this important phase of
our economic problem.
Not Real Competitor
"In voicing what we believe to be
a sane view of the matter, the China
man in this present instance is not a
competitor of our American work.
man. He is a necessity. We feel the
solution of our immigration needs
now felt serious in some quarters-to
he found in the modification of the
present law, providing for the admis-
sion Of a restricted number of Chinese
workers.
your committee further believes
that we as a nation cannot afford to
much longer regard the Chinese in the
same light in which they have been
SO long held. This great people is just
awakening from it's lethargy of CEN
turies The Orient is alive with west
ern ideas, fostered by our own schools
and universities. The spirit that in
duced those fort honorary CONNER
cial commissioners from Japan to be
with us only this past year is also
typical Of the leading minds of China
Of today. The Pacific is to be the
great commercial mart of the future.
We feel that reciprocity between our
nation and China is the key to our i'm
migration problem"
Membership Growing Fast
The membership committee shows an
increase of only 436 new members dur
ing the past year, due to the dropping
OF those delinquent in their dues. The
membership today is 2SS9. against 2426