The Washington herald., 1920-06-27
By RAYMOND G. CARROLL,


New York, June "a For the
first time since before we entered
the big war the total number of
persons admitted into the United
States is greater than the total
number departing. But. an analy-
sis of the figures for the first FIVE
months for 1920 shows that prac-
tically all of those who left Amer
lea were able bodied male wage
earners. or those who entered fully
so per cent were women and chill
dren.
There have arrived at the por,
of New York, which usually
handles about so per cent of i'm
migration for the country. 1924
aliens this year up to June l, ana
ll4,954 have departed" said Jo-
seph Mayper. executive secretary
of the inter-racial council. Thus it
appears on the face to be a net in
crease of 3S,2s7. Still in no way
are the pressing agricultural and
industrial demands for unskilled
labor being satisfied as compare
lively few able-bodied males are
arriving as most of the European
countries do not yet permit men Of
military age to leave their borders.
Arrivals are chiefly women and
children while nearly all of our
departures are men,"
America Needs skilled Labor.
That the one outstanding need
of America is unskilled labor was
Overwhelmingly revealed to the
writer in a recent trip to the Pa
cific Coast and back. We are living
hn
up in a tree top without a solid
foundation below. The ladder of
work is empty on it's lowest rung.
The masses have gone up a peg,
and there is nobody to do the
drudgery. where can We get men
and women to do the ordinary
tasks of life, the unskilled labor"
was the cry of industry and agri-
culture In every State visited.
l have visited Ellis Island the
neck of the labor supply bottle"
and find that no substantial relief
can be expected this year from Eu-
rope. During the last six months
of 1919 the total number OF aliens
admitted was 162,SS3 and 166,21 de-
parted. This is a net loss of 1899
and no count is taken of those who
went over the border into Canada.
Compare with Pre-war Days.
Now compare 1t with pre-war
days. In the same period of 1918
there was net gain of 5S1,07e.
Looking over the figures July-De-
cember. 1919, one quickly ascer-
tains that twelve of the races that
normally provide the bulk of our
unskilled labor-including Serbians.
Greeks, Italians and Rumanians
show a total decrease of S6,l02
On the other hand the eighteen
races which do show an increase
coming in for the same period, in
cluding the English. French and
Scotch are those which do not gem
orally engage in the basic agricui-
tural or industrial work of the
country. These are the unpleasant
facts. They indicate that the only
possible chance for relief Is to de-
crease the technical difficulties in
the pathway of European immi-
grants who may desire to come.
Many industrial leaders say that
ultimately there may arise the
choice of their closing their plants
or calling upon the Oriental coun-
tries for unskilled labor. in which
latter event there must needs be
an overhauling of our immigrat tion
laws.
Three Places to Find Cosmopolita ans.
Going from the problems Of the
bottom to the affairs of the top,
recalls the fact that George Ade
once said there are Just three
places in the world where cosmo-
politans could be sure to find one
another-Shepherd' Hotel in Cal
70. the Cafe de la Paix In Paris
and the Cocktail Room of the Ho-
tel Savoy In London. Crushed by
the war, today all three are drab,
colorless touches for pre-eminent
personalities and weI must look
elsewhere for distinctive swagger
gatherings, say the opening Of the
'Ziegfold Follies" last night at the
New Amsterdam Theater.
From the sweltering shelter of
an ornate foyer pillar were OBJ
served the new notables OF a
Broadway premiere from many
parts Of the country and overseas.