The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-10-08
GREAT FLOOD
 POURING INTO
 ELLIS ISLAND

New York, Oct s.-Ellis Island,
 melting pot of the world: is boiling as never before, with the greatest flood of imimgrans in history pour ing into 1t. Millions more are clamor ing at Europe's exit, anxfShls to come to America and Congress will be physical plant and working force on the Island to more than double it's
 present size, according to Immigra- tion Commissioner Frederick A. Wal lis.
 Since early last summer. aliens have been entering Americas front l door in unprecedented numbers. The 1 problem of housing them until they i become painful to all parties con i cerned. Recently, hundreds of inn
 migrants detained for investigation had to sleep standing up, as the were filled with the backwash from
 the congested dormitories
 The tide is certain to become
 greater with each passing month, Steamship operators informed him their accommodations are booked to 1 capacity for 12 months ahead. Gov ernment officials announced 267,0O0 ports in Poland alone, mostly by Jews. while hundreds of thousands in other parts of Europe also were anxious to cross the seas to this country.
 Between s,ooe,oo0 and 100000 Italians are seeking domiciles and
 citizenship here and more than B. 0o0.O00 Poles want to comeG over,'' buted the exodus from Europe to the
 harsh postwar living conditions and Gle economic situation.
 Frequently the commissioner asked I the aliens why they left Europe. Mos of them replied mo money, no eat , he said. Many Italian farmers de
 clared they quit their native soi , because of the danger from explo
 sions when blowing in former battle . grounds.
 Added to the prospective influx O.
 immigrants from the countries of tht :, war allies, will be millions in from Germany who. as soon as the way i !. clear, will seek passage to America I the immigration authorities hay, 2 been informed by reliable and officia sources.
 "The immigration in the fut,ir l will be limited only by the capacit,
 of the vessels Commissioner Wa1li
 said.
 e In the meantime while wonderin 8 how many years it will be befor n aliens quit coming across the sea a e their present rate, Ellis Island work
 CTS are perplexed over their existin l.. the island is reached when 2,000 i'm < migrants are inspected daily. Yet, o . 1 8 accent day. 10.400 aliens were fe " there. During another day the sam v week II 900 persons were detaine in the holds of the vessels whic . brought them over, while official = struggled with the work of examin = ing the 4,000 then on the island. Flo I two days the island doors were shu
 against incomers, who remained O = boa:s.
 e The rapidity of handling them de <, pends upon the aliens themselve ,. Commissioner Wallis has found tha e some groups are easier to eaamin than others, while care must h 4 taken in separating the many ma u tionaIties which make the islan ! conversation sound like that at tn ;. ower of Babel.
 . If we mix Enylisfl. Irish an ,ee Jews there will be free-for-a ,. fight in ten minutes,'' said the con ss missioner. The English won't e. ,f with the Jews, and call them 'fol 4 eigners.'
 Three recent additions to the. task @ Of the immigration officials hay
 made mere tedious the handling ( s the aliens. Much time is reouire ,. in viseing passports and the literar
 test which all immigrants must pas le also causes trouble. Each alien nu c. read in one language before bein ,d with the aliens the immigration O. l. fcials examine every seaman ente1 a- ing the port, even though he left r. but d few days before. In the la e. eight months s00,o00 seamen we, al examined here. 1e sible is being done to make the Urea as ment of the aliens on the island h, H. mane. Babies are given warm mi to and crackers. Candy, cigarettes fru es EDITOR