Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1914-06-19
IMMIGRATION TOPIC
HAVE THE MANY CHANGES IN
PAST FEW YEARS IN OUR
LAWS BEEN HELPFUL?
FROM AN INDUSTRIAL VIEW POINT
Effect Upon Wages Largely Depends
on Two Main Factors: Standard
of Living and Efficiency-Com-
mon Labor to Be Protected.

The change in the character of our
European immigration, the proposed
literary test, effects of the Chinese ex-
clusion law, the Pacific coasts Japan
csc problem, California's anti-alien
land law and the effects of the Pan
anna canal are some of the interest
ing developments of recent years af-
fecting the immigration movement
into this country. But, before en-
d~eavoring to discuss any Of these spe-
cific problems, it is well to briefly out
line the general industrial, political
and social effects of immigration and
in so doing the writer will simply set
down fundamental principles of ore
or less general application, without
reference to any special classes or ma
tionality of immigrants or to any
special economic conditions.
One of the most important ques-
tions to consider in discussing immi-
grafton is, what is the average i'm
migrant worth to us commercially?
The amount of actual money he brings
with him is probably of least import
ance. 1t is rather a question Of main
tanning or securing a properly bal
anced population; it is a question of
their earning capacity or industrial
fitness and of their expenditures or
standard of living. The immigrants
expectancy of life is very high be-
cause, as a general thing, only the
strong come and at an age when this
expectancy is high. So immigration
is of economic advantage provided we
have, and so long as we have, the ma
terial and opportunity of setting the
immigrants to work.
Only a small per cent of immigra-
ton can be classed as professional or
skilled. Approximately rs per cent is
unskilled or common labor and a
large part of this has not had the edu-
cation and training that u native
born common labor has. Naturally
these laborers compete more or less
with our W laborers, so the effect
of immigration upon the standard of
wages is a vital consideration.
1t is evident a modification of wages
must come through any change in the
relation between the supply of labor
and the amount Of work to be done.
But any modification in wages also
depends considerably upon the amount
of land uncultivated. So long as there
is available uncultivated land, the
general standard of wages cannot be
pressed materially below what the av-
erage man a make from the soil.
Therefore, so long as land is abund-
ant, immigration will not affect wages
and undoubtedly contributes to the de-
velopment of the country.
But in this country the tillable land
is nearly all taken up and we are ap-
preaching a time when we may seri-
ously consider the effect of immigra-
ton upon wages and whether we
should, on that account, place greater
restrictions upon immigration, even
European. OF course, the absence of
land will, of itself, tend to check i'm
migration and this accounts partly for
the change in the character of immi-
grafton during recent years.
Provided the foreign laborers come
in the right proportions as to skilled
and unskilled labor, so they may be
properly distributed and assimilated,
the effect upon wages depends upon
two main factors-(1) standard of liv-
ing, and (2) efficiency-and under this
head there are three possibilities:
First, where the immigrants have
the same standard of living and same
degree of efficiency as our own labor.
In this case there will be no effect
and the nation is enriched in labor
power and indirectly in wealth if the
labor is utilized.
Second, where the immigrants have
a lower standard of living and the
same efficiency. Provided this condi-
ton were to continue we would I'M
doubtedly face a displacement of
American labor, but the almost inev.
liable result In the case of European
immigration has been in raising the
immigrants standard of living. But
this result does not follow in the case
of oriental immigration.
Third, where the immigrants have q
lower standard of living and lower eff
ficiency. This is the actual case for
the most part and this will not affect
the jobs Of laborers of higher effc
iency, on the accepted principle that
high money wages are the cheapest
wages"
In the three above possibilities, il
is supposed that there is a proper pro
portion of the different kinds of labor
as skilled and unskilled, etc. If the
preponderance of unskilled is toe
great, we have dumped upon us &
class with which we can do nothing
They compete with our own unskillei
labor with two results: ID To force
some of the unskilled into the skilled
class, and (2) to force down the
standard Of living of the unskilled.
Tho cfondor1 ~ Ii-;r~ T. Ar -