Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-22
COMMON LABOR AND IMMIGRATION

Congress is beginning to take notice of the immigration sit
uation. The shortage of unskiled labor throughout the country
is being felt more and more and unless something is done to meet
the demand there is going to be a curtailment in production and
the nations prosperity is going to be seriously affected.
The present immigration law limits the number of immigrants
from each country to a small percentage of those already here of
that particular nationality. But the countries from whence come
the unskilled labor soon use up their quota, many of those admitted
are women and children. As no more can come from that particu-
lar country until next year the demand for labor is not met and
industry suffers. ......-.....
The need of common labor is being impressed upon congress
and Il Ia doubtful If the demand for action can be resisted. The
greatest opponent to any change in the present immigration law is
the American Federation of Labor. Organized labor opposes lift
ing the bars for immigrants because it is desired to keep labor
scarce and thereby maintain a higher standard of wages for those
who are employed.
But organized labor is taking a very s~hortsighted view Of the
matter. The hrcklayers must have bricks to lay; the iron moulder
must have the iron ore dug out of the ground and smelted before
hs can make the finished product; the carpenter must have his
lumber cut in the forest and sawed into boards if he is to con-
tfnue to work. Then there is the coal that must be mined in order
that the workers in the factories can be kept employed, and the
farmers must have laborers in the harvest fields if the skilled
mechanic ID to be fed.
But the skilled mechanic will not go into the clay pits and dig
siay; he viii not go down into the coal mines and mine the coal;
he refuses to do the low, mental work that is necessary in all
industry. Furthermore, the skilled mechanic does not want his
children to do such work. The American standard of living is
always higher and so we educate our children, even the children
of the immigrant are educated and trained to do greater things
than the commonest kind Of labor. The fact remains, however, that
this common labor has got to be done if our industries are to con-
tinue operating. And as business grows the demand for this class
of labor increases.
The industries here in Perth Amboy are handicapped today
because of the scarcity of skilled labor. This scarcity is felt all
along the line and it has its effect ON the skilled mechanic because
anything that is detrimental to his trade or the industry In which
he is working, is detrimental to him
There is a limit to what can be paid for unsklled labor. After
ALL it all goes into the price of the article. For organized labor
therefore, to limit the common labor market in order to increase
the wages of the laborer, is merely to increase the price Of goods
being made so that they become %prohibiwe.
If the cost of manufacturing bricks becomes too high, build
ing ceases and the mason who is opposed to letting in the COM
mon laborer suffers. He suffers in two ways. He finds his own
work falling off because people will not build and if he wants a
home of his own or any of his fellow members want to build, they
find the cost too high. This same thing applies to all lines of trade.
The common labor to supply the raw material has got to be found
il the skilled laborer is to have anything to work with.
Then there is the domestic problem that the women are I'D
against in the home. With immigration shut off the girls who want
TO come to America and who are glad of the opportunity to work
helpless. They all have demands for help far in excess Of the supply
iIt b mot o case of wages paid any moreit is a case of being able
- get help at any price.
There ought to be some regulation regarding immigration;
sAmsrican institutions must be preserved and the principles of the
republic upheld. Care must be taken that this nation is not
swamped with an undesirable element. But there ought to be a
way to take care of all of this and at the same time making it pos
Ehle for the manufacturer and the mine operators to secure the
common labor that is so essential if our prosperity is to continue.
Il II evident that the immigration law as it now stands is at fault.
President Harding has suggested a change that is worthy of the
utmost consideration. Congress cannot ignore the matter much
longer.