Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-01-28
Some immigration Facts
BY Fr,sdssi~ ) Ha-ktn

immigration Wallis Of New York.
Mr.. Wallis recently gave the Senate
'Gommttee on immigration succtnot
and startling account Of the immigration
situation, Of which only few words have
heretofore been published The gist OF
bis facts are therefore here set forth
In Danzig hs says that people are
standing in line by thousands TO get on the
boats, and that they are catnped Gil abou Z
the poft Of efnbarkation, waiting their
turns Tho steamship companies repor {
tina they are offered 10 times ~ much
business as they can handle. Most OF
these immigrants have sold everything
they possessed in order 10 raise enough
money TO pay for passage 20 this co1n :
try, and TO have enough money N be
admitted when they arrive. They pay
from s110 ~ s160 for stesrage passage
to the United States, which is more than n
first class passage cost few years ago
The Immigrant carrying business is said
TO be very rernunerative 20 the steamship
companies
Many of the immigrants tell Of being
robbed Mt the port of ernberkatiorl They
arc forced 10 check all Of their personal
belongings while taking bath, and sf-
terward they eay they are unable % re-
cover them the checks not being honored
There are also tales Of women and girls
being dragged out Of line and robbed
The result i 5 that when the immigrant
arrives u the United States he does not
hive sufficient money 70 be admitted 70
this country, "a the law provides that he
cannot be admitted if be Is likely 10 be-
come public charge On ono ship carrying
perhaps q thousand immigrants there
were several hundred that had less than
one dollar each in money. Many Of .hern,
from regions infested with typhus, wear
clothes so firnsy that these clothes will
not stand the disinfecting process through
which they must pc put.
CONGESTION AT ELLrs BLAND.
Most Of these destitute immigran -
claim that they expect money here from
friends, relatives or societies, and most Of
them are, in the course Of time, rescued
by some Of their compatriots III thu
country But mean time they must b.
cared for at Ellis Island. The island has M
accommodations for such q swarm o !,
people. They arc compelled 70 sleep on th
floors, and until recently many Of them
bad 20 sleep without blankets There are
no adequate toilet facilities or facilities
Of any other kind
Furthermore. these almost destitute
people land IN q country the language Of
6lAWft HfiFy FAHEtoA Htffthf anu III - lily
which ls already fun Of unemployed per-
g1ns. ard whtch has bread lines There
iapractica yno m chirery for placing these
people IN ~, Ir Wallis reported sew
cral letters that he had had from the West
asking for immigrant labor at good wages
But he has no authority % establish or 20
act ~ an employment agency. He be-
lievcs that the labor department u now
taking some steps To distribute these
immigrant laborers where they are need
ed, but does not know what funds they
have for the purpose. As a matter Of
fact, they have practically none. The
United states Employment Service, since
the Armist,ce, has been reduced 20 p
skeleton organization
Mr.. Wallis does not believe that the
situation IS 70 be relieved by the passage
of law like the Johnson Bill prohibiting
all immigration. with certain exceptions.
such as the blood relatives Of those al
ready here, for year. he believes that
theexceptiona, and .hefrauds which would
naturally grow out OF them, would more
than fill the boats that We would get
about the same amount OF immigration,
but tuat it would consist mostly OF wo-
men, children and other dependents. lie
seems 20 believe that either all lmmIZra-
ton should be stopped, without eycep-
tloras, until legislation regulating imnl-
grafton z scientific way can De passed;
or else immigration should be allowed %
run along as it IS until such final legs
lation can De passed.
BOATS LIMIT Islsn nGRATros.
Mr. Wallis points out the important
fact that the amount Of immigration
which we can receive is limited by the
number Of persons which the ships can
carry. He estimates that the ships now n
use can carry 8 million steerage Pssxer gers
q year and perhaps three hundred thou
sand in the first and second cabins. Il
is further brought out in the hearings that
25>to 80 per cent Of the trane-Atlant nc
passer ger traffic IS non-immigrsnt--tha
Is, It consists OF people who intend 70 re-
turn 20 their native countries, or Of
Americans retuEulng 8 from Europe
this way 1t is seen that our inlnig grafton IS
self-hmited TO less than million a year
barriT what cones in over the Mexican
and Canadian borders. OF course, laSs-
much as the carryirg Of immigrant pas
ser gers is Eow 8 highly re e11Unerative busl-
ress, il is probable that more ships VII
be built snd put into the busiress, but
the iBcreaseTn the immigrant stream, which
viii result from this, VIII be SLOW
PICK TIE BEsF.
The situation, therefore, as Mr.. Wallis
sees il. is that out Of ten million asien
who want TO come 20 the J'rited States IN
q gwen year. only one millioI car come By
reason Of the limItat rons Of the carriers
He argues that our manifest duty Is 70
choose this million with the utmost care
to see that the 10 per cent Of the profered
reputation which We take Is the best 10
per cent and not the worst OF middlng
He points out that a considerable part Of
the immigration now coming in consists
Of large, strong, healthy people with
enough money 60 take care Of them for
some time. Others are sickly, undersiEed
paupers. He argues that legislation should
be drafted which will insure that this
large healthy. thrifty type oct in and that
the sickly paupers be kept out. Since
we cannot take them alI anyway, why not
take the best? Mr. Wallis does not sug-
gest the nature OF the regulations by which
this selective process might be accom-
plshed; he puts that up TO Congress. He
does suggest that the present laws are in
adequate, especially the literacy test.
He points out that man may be able
to read 40 words and yet be q very poor
specimen of the human race.
CHOOSE IN EURoPE.
NJ UaTfa F,,Y4har beIavas "a ~ the