The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-09-28
IMMIGRANT TIDE POURS
INTO UNITED STATES
THOUSAND SEEK
ING THE NEW WORLD ARE
ARRIVING EACH WEEK.
CLOG NEW YORK HARBOR

Ellis Island Cannot Begin to Accom-
modate Arrivals From Abroad.
Majority of Foreigners Seek In
dustrial Centers on Atlantic Coast.
immigration is rapidly approach
ing pre-war figures, according to
United States officials at Washington
and New York city. An average of
between $4,000 and 10000 foreign
ers have been arriving at the port of
New York every week for the last
two months and this number would
be twice as great if shipping accom-
modations were available, according
to steamship agents abroad.
The rush of immigrants from Eu
rope has become so great that immi-
grafton officials at Ellis Island, in
New York harbor, are swamped. The
government station on the island can
not begin to accommodate the thous-
ands of foreigners arriving each
day, making it necessary for the
steerage passengers to remain for
several days on the vessels which
carried them across the Atlantic.
Last Saturday night eight passenger
ships were anchored in midstream
off Ellis island, waiting to discharge
their steerage passengers, for whom
there was no room on the island.
Cannot Hurry Work.
Commissioner Wallis and his staff
at Ellis island are working virtually
"a hours a day inspecting and pass
ing the arrivals from abroad, but the
commissioner has firmly refused to
speed up the work by making mere
ly superficial examinations.
"Too little caution in such matters
has been the root of bolshevism in
America" said Commissioner Wallis.
The immigrants are coming from
all sections of Europe, save Ger
many and Austria, but the great
bulk of them are southern Europeans
Italians, Greeks, Czecho-Slavs,
Magyars and Spaniards.
Too Many From Southern Europe.
This heavy influx from southern
Europe is not held desirable, and
Commissioner of immigration Can't
netti will probably put before the
next congress a plan to restrict inn
migration from that part of Europe,
particularly Greeks, Italians and
Magyars, and to take measures that
will attract immigration from the
harder races of northern Europe.
Organized labor leaders also will
make an attempt to have the next
congress restrict immigration, be
cause of the fear of an over-supply
of labor, particularly unskilled. The
present tidal wave of immigration
does not include a large percentage
of skilled labor, as the Scandinavian
countries are not largely represent
ed, while France is keeping its work
men home, and the Germans are
barred by reason of the state of wal
still existing between the two coun'
tries by reason of the failure of the
senate to pass the Versailles peace
treaty.
Flock to Industrial Centers.
Aside from inadequate port faclll-
ties to handle the great rush of for
eigners seeking the promised land IN
America rush will continue all
year, for steamship companies report
bookings that far in advance-per-
haps the greatest problem is the de-
sire of the new arrivals to seek the
industrial centers, which have also
attracted the aliens of less recent
arrival from the rural districts,
which in the ten years preceding the
war claimed more than a majority,
of the newcomers. This has tended
to increase the housing problems, IN
New York, Chicago and in Philadel-
phia and has left the farming sec
lions without the needed labor,
Until recently the greatest portion
Of the arrivals went west, having
been headed for Oregon. Less than
Ok ner cent of those who arrived in
August went far from the Atlantic
coast. saws Commissioner Caminettl.