The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-20
CHINAMEN GET
 IN COUNTRY BY
 DESERVING SHIP
Evade Laws By Thousand In Ports of the
 Country

Although the American immigra- ton laws forbid the entry of Asiatics into the United States, it is estimated that more than 10000 Chinese sea- men have gained entrance into the port of New York during the past year and have deserted their ships. The steamship companies. which em- ploy Chinese to serve on the ships which operate under British registry report that they have had about 100 per cent of assertions, owing to the provision in the Seamen's Act which gives them shore leave.
 The three largest lines. which have steamers from the Orient to New York, are the Standard Trans portation Company, a subsidiary Of the Standard Oil Company of New York; the Barber Steamship Lines and the Dollar Steamship Company.
 The motive of the Chinamen is not so much the desire to enter thf United States as it is to take advan- l tage of the higher wage which is paid 1 the American seamen-
 Under the provisions of the Sea- mems Act, there is a clause which | guarantees that any foreign sean;en whose vessel docks in an American | port has the right to land. He is is 1 sued a seamen's indentlfIcation card and is given liberty in the port Ac- i cording to H. s. Sisson, the Chinese /, inspector in charge for this port, 1 neither the immigration service ncr i the steamship owner is responsible | for the return of the seanten to the | ship. Therefore it is easy for them | to desert the vessel upon which they tme into this country. However, if 1 they abandon their calling they are subjected to arrest.
 1 As a result of this practice the
 steamship companies, which employ 1 the Chinamen as seasmen, cooks and firemen, are forced to sign on another crew at a rate equal to or in excess of the American scale. Singularly, l they state that no trouble of this 1 kind is experienced in the Pacific ports, as the inspectors on the Coast
 will not permit the Chinese to land. At Hong Kong, Shanghai and 1 other Chinese ports the owners of the
 British ships sign on a crew at the
 Chinese rate. which is about $20 gold per month. It requires about one third more Chinese to operate a tanker or freighter than the captain i would have under his command if the men were Americans. However, it costs less to pay the Chinese, they do not eat as much, and are satisfied , with living conditions that would not l be gratifying to the American sea , men. At the Chinese port the crew | is signed for a round voyage. Othe~-
 wise they could not come to the United States. as the immigration
 laws forbid their entrance as immi-
 grants.
 Upon arriving at New York the in spectors board the ship and issue to
 each seaman an identification card,
 which enables him to go ashore Pro .
 vided he ships foreign, the inspec-
 tors are not concerned with the de-
 cision of the seaman as to what yes
 seI he will sign on. It is understood
 that the Chinese seaman comes ashore
 and then is taken in tow by "wise
 guy'' or a boarding house keeper,
 who informs him that he can get S9o
 or S100 per month provided he will desert the ship upon which he came
 into this country and ship out an an-
 other.
 The lure of this gold has proved to be too strorg for the Chinese. As : the result of this system the steam } ship companies must provide them- selves with other crews. Instead of
 hiring them at the Chinese scale they are forced to pay at least the Ameri- can scale, and som etimes must yield , a premium It is not practicable to
 replace the Chinese with Americans as the ships are fitted out with crew
 quarters for the Orientals, and they cannot accommodate other nationals While a great many British ships
 operate from China to British ports no trouble is experienced in holding l the crews, as the British authorities I'do not permit Chinaman to land.
 Steamship operators here are at g
 loss, to learn why the Chinese are
 permitted to land in New York and
 are forbidden to do so in San Fran l cisco and Seattle.