Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-12-29
SHOULD NOT PART
ALIEN FAMILIES
Secretary Nagel Points Out in
Annual Report Injustice Done
Immigrants.

ncudations for changes and improve
ments in the various bureaus and |
branches Of the department Of commerce
and labor.
Great popular interest attaches to the |
immigration and naturalization Of Aliens |
md much of the secretary's report is de- |
voted to that subject.
one of the hardships Of the present i'm
migration laws, Secretary Nagel believes.
is the separation Of families. In many |
instances father is admitted and his
wife and children are barred out after
the pioneer has made n home, The score
tary believes that more equitable sys-
tenn could he found. and says he assumes
I, IS .he purpose of the law to keep fam
HES together and not to separate them.
Tho secretary suggests that some system
Nv which inquiry should be made about
IN, families OF immigrants. before fathers
and SONS uro ad,uitted should be put
into practice.
Unless immigration can bc diverted
from ellis island or reduced. there Is need
for additions 10 the facilities there. At
no port Is there any adequate provision
for handling immigrants, declares the
secretary. although at most places sites
have already been bought by the gov
eminent for buildings to be used for these
purposes.
FINES FOR COMPANIES.
stricter regulation If steamship COM
panics in the immigrant traffic is urged
I'm the report and system of fines for
companies which bring insane hmi-
grants or those afflicted with contagious
diseases is proposed The secretary de-
-l,r,., too .iY1.
find it unwse to allow alien employees of
steamships to land on American soil
without applying the usual examination
to them.
While the fiscal year 1910 brought TO-
tai of JOS, 037 immigrants to the United
States. the prediction is made that the
coming year will approach the banner
year 1907 when more than 1,25 900 aliens
came in. OF all those who came this
year, more than 274,coo admitted they had
been assisted by friends. All the immi-
grants brought total of SIS 1877. 1i5 with
them. per capita of about 81. The bulk
of the immigration continues to be
drawn from southern and eastern Europe
Two per cent. of all who applied for ad-
mission We're turned back. They num-
bered @,27o in all as against lO41l in 1909.
contract labor is apparent. 100 aliens
were deported as such during the year.
Stricter legislation to govern that class
Of immigration is recommended,
WHITE SLAVE MENACE
Secretary Nagel refers briefly to viola
tons of the white slave law and declares
that immgra ton officials are able to
Will mi fra ian of In v nj
tons. If the traffic is to be stamped out,
he says. the States and municipalities
must take a more active interest.
Promotion of employees by merit and
not entirely by scholastic examination is
treated at length by Secretary Narel,
who believes scholastic examination may
be proper when an applicant enters the
government service. The conditions
within the service, however, he thinks,
call for an entirely different test for
promotion.
Employees work under the direction
and obserV alton of chiefs Of breaus and
divisions and their capacity, efficiency
and resourcefulness are judged by them
says the secretary. In the final analysis
their rights to advancement should he
wholly determined Ivy the opinions Of
opinions are well informed, judicious and
rouscienuously reached"
Secretary Nagel puts himself on record
in favor Of some sort Of superannuaton
or retirement for clerks He believes
compulsory retirement for age or disabil-
lty would Ice an economical measure for
the government and expresses the opin-
ion that If salaries of clerks are to re,
hnK "a IN
afford 20 provide straight pensions with
-Ut contribution from employees.
INVESTIGATIONS UNDER WAY
The work OF The bureau Of corporations
has been highly important during the
year. and probably this month a compre-
hensiye report on Its investigation of the
lumber industry will be completed. TIE
bureau now has under way Investigations
Of the International Harvester company,
the steel and tobacco industries concen-
tration Of water power ownership, add
corporate taXation.
Secretary Nasel believes ;he value Of
corporation publicity has been proved.
There should be-" he says, IAN active
anG permanent system OF publicity under
the federal government, by which all inn
portant industrial corporations engaged in
Interstate commerce shall report to one
federal agency the essential facts of their
business. Federal action of this sort is
necessary because no state system can
romprehensively cover the subject. Thus
with central agency of business infor-
nation in continuous operation, the coun-
Try would have reliable information OF
The management Of our commercial
forces, public opinion would be afforded
dice would be removed, and business in.
tcrests would have source OF nforma
lion on corporate facts covering the en-
tire country. There would be a perma
nent and recognized point Of contact be
tween the government and the manager!
Of corporations. The relations of corpor
ate action TO public interest Cons u'
considered, cooperation could be in
creased. and uniformity of corporate &C
counting could be secured"
PROTECTION FOR FUR SOURCES
In reviewing the work of the bureau o.
fisheries. Secretary Nagel proposed
protected zone for all fur bearing AMI
mails and would have 1t located on tn,
Aleutian Islands. Fox and other ful
bearing animals have beer generally
slaughtered there, the bureau Of fish
cries has found. and many of the animal
nave been poisoned by aliens who wante,
their skins. The secretary recommend
that some part of the islands be made
reservation and that wireless station