The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-11-08

the moor below. AT inc emu OF edcn
of these lines sits an immigrant in
spector and usually also an inter
prefer.
Ellis Island requires che services of
large number of interpreters, lor
the government must be prepared TO
inspect immigrants speaking any of
forty foreign languages or dialects,
more or less. The fact that the work
of applying the immigration law must
be performed through the medium Of
so many strange languages and dia-
lects adds materially to its difficulty.
Quite frequently an immigrant lands,
so one of the attendants told us, who
espeaks comparatively unknown
language. Only by finding among the
immigrants person or persons who
are familiar with his and some other
familiar foreign language or langu-
ages, for which an interpreter is pres
ent can he be understood.
Before the inspector are sheets of
the ships manifest containing the
names of the immigrants in the par
ticular line to which he has been as
signed, together with much other
statutory information, such as age,
occupation, nationality, race, last
residence, final destination, to whom
going etc. Inspectors must perform
the task, often a difficult one, of de-
termining which of the immigrants
under the law. All who are not clear
ly and beyond a doubt entitled TO
land "must be held for further inves-
tgation, known as special inquiry.
Most of the others are admitted at
once. The number held for special
inquiry varies greatly. Where a
vessel brings a poor class of immi-
grants II may reach twenty-five or
thirty per cent.
The principal classes excluded
from admission are as follows:
Idiots. imbeciles, predetermined per
sons and epileptics. Insane persons
and those who have been insane with
in five years.
Persons who have had two or more
attacks of insanity.
Paupers and persons likely to be-
come a public charge
Persons afflicted with tuberculosis
or with a loathsome or dangerous
contagious disease Gncluding ira
choma).
Persons suffering from any men
tai or physical defect which may af-
feet their ability TO earn living.
Criminals, polygamists and anar-
chists.
Prostitutes, procurers, and per
sons who are supported by or receive
the proceeds of prostitution"
Persons coming to perform manual
labor under contract.
Persons whose ticket or passage
has been paid for by any association,
municipality, or foreign government.
Children under sixteen unaccom-
panied by either parent except in
the discretion of the authorities.
Some of the physical defects con-
sidered in connection with the pro
vision excluding persons suffering
from any physical defect which may
affect their ability to earn living
are -Ankylosis of various joints,
chronic progressive of central nerv-
Gus system, chronic Inflammation of
lymph glands of neck, dislocation of
hip joints with shortening and
lameness, double hernia, goiter, poor
physical development, valvular d.
sease of heart, and well-marked vari-
cose veins, Such physical defects
are not in themselves ground for eX-
clusion (as are idiocy, insanity. and
loathsome or dangerous contagious
diseased but when present in agra
waited form they usually affect the inn
migrants ability to earn a living-in
fact, they frequently render him in
capable TO do so-and thus operate
to exclude him, irrespective of whet
her in addition he is person likely
to become a public charge.
The contract labor law as interpret
ed by the Attorney General applies
only TO persons coming here to per
form labor (skilled or unskilled) that
is essentially manual Furthermore,
this law specifically excerpts profess
sional actors artists, lecturers, sing
ers, ministers OF any religious de-
nomination. professors of colleges or
seminaries, persons belonging to any
recognized learned profession, and
persons employed strictly as person
az VI ubAutsllN NtiN anus dASO Shilitu
labor, where labor OF like kind unem-
ployed can not be found in this coun-
try. To satisfy the immigration au-
thorities that a given kind of skilled
labor can not be found unemployed,
& is usually necessary to prove to
them that proper advertisements for
such labor have been published in a
raper with a good circulation and
that either no responses nj all or no
adequate responses have been re-
ceived. Such proof must be present
ed in a clear and convincing form
and sworn to.
Children under sixteen unaccom-
panied by either parent may be ex-
cluded at the discretion of the Sec
rotary of Commerce and Labor.
Where admission is to occur the min
imum requirements are that the chill
dren shall enjoy good health. shall
be going to close relatives who are
able and willing to support and prop
crly care for them. shall be sent to
school until sixteen. and shall not be
put TO work unsuited TO their years.
Frequently a bond is required as a
condition of admission. Where il is
claimed that the parents of such chill
dren are in the United States. the lat
ter will usually be held until the par
INTO how. h.,,