Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-12-06
DISTRIBUTION OF IMMIGRANTS TO
FARMS and MINES ADVOCATED BY
COMMISSIONER OF Immigration
Should Be Sent Where Laborers Are Greatly
Needed Instead of Permitting Them to Clog
Up Already Congested Cities; IS Million Are
Clamoring to Emigrate to America.
tBY THE ASSOCIATED pREss)

New York, Dec. 5.-America
should have some say as to who
should be allowed to emigrate to
this country and where the home
seekers should so when they get
here, in the opinion of Commission
er of immigration Frederick A.
Wallis. He said in survey of the
immigration situation made pub
lie yesterday than an army of is,
100000 foreigners is clamoring TO
migrate 10, this country and the
United States has no means avail
able to stop those not wanted.
Distribution Of immigrants to
farms and mines where laborers
are greatly needed, instead of per-
hitting them to clog up already
congested cities where no more
Inhabitants are wanted, would help
TO avert the menace created by the
unparalleled influx of foreigners
through Americas front door, ac4
cording TO the commissioner.
Majority win Go To Cities.
More than 100000 of these
aliens-"many of them refugees in
the strictest sense of the term
will enter the United States dur
ing the current fiscal eyar, the
commissioner said. Some of them,
he added, will find their way to
farms where they are greatly need
ed, but the great majority will
flock to cities, which is particu-
larry undesirable in this period of
Establishment because of food and
housing conditions,
Municipal officials in several
cities have importuned the immi-
grafton officials to stop sending
immigrants TO their cities. and to
induce them to settle on farms, the
commissioner declared.
There are thousands of people
out OF work IN those cities today
he said "These added thousands
tf newcomers only maize cane'-
tons worse. They cannot find
work. They are not producers, and
they remain in the cities eating up
food that is'scaree enough at pres
ent.
Shortage of Farm Labor.
II have been told by the vice
president Of one of our great
western railroads that in the Da
kotas next year the harvest will be
less than go per cent of what it
was this year because they cannot
get sufficient labor on the farms.
proper distribution of the immi
grants, If it could be brought about
by legislation. would circumyent
this threatening situation.
at would send thousands to the
farms, thus dealing one of the most
effective blows at the high cost of
living, 1t seems to me that much
could be done In encouraging these
people to take up small bits of
ground and work them. I think
the government ought to help out"
Commissioner Wallis suggested
the establishment of a preferential
selective method of admitting i'm
migrants from the 100000 who,
he believes, are trying to come to
America.
But" he added, preferential
admission cannot be instituted
without first amending the consti
tuition. Numerous suggestions have
been made for the handling of the
coming millions and there are
many bills before congress on the
subject"
Ijteracy Test Is a Farce.
OF the present literacy test, he
declared, "there never was a
greater farce" and that 1T affords
mo safety to the country" Some
of the seventy-two radicals con-
fined on Ellis Island recently could
read and write in several languages,
he said, and could have passed any
literacy test devised, but they
were destructive citizens and bad
people for this country"
I'VE need tests that will determ-
inc whether a man or woman in
tends to be real worker and a
real law-abiding citizen. Many
people who cannot possibly pass
the literacy test will make the most |
substantial citizens.
II believe we should have some |
say as to who is to be allowed to |
come here and where they should |
go. Perhaps we could have a recip-
rocal agreement with other nations
to have our representatives on the
other side of the ocean to determ-
inc who should emigrate We do
not want undersirables and !
would rather send back q thousand