The Washington times., 1922-08-14
| FINANCE
AND
|RUSINESS
BY b. @. FORBES.

The real wealth Of a nation con-
sists OF:
First--Its people.
Second-Its resources. ....
Is America, by restricting the
growth of it's wealth by drastically
cutting down the inflow of able
bodied immigrants. acting wisely or
shortsightedly?
II will be pertinent to ask right at
the start: Does America need more
workers? ...
In my opinion the prosperity we
are moving toward will be seriously
hampered by two things; namely,
congestion and scarcity of workers.
especially common laborers.
Consider these facts:
During the five years ending in
1914 we received an average OF
/ ,034, $40 each year.
After deducting all who left the
country, the net addition to our
population was three-quarters Of q
million annually.
In the following five years, end
ing in 1919, the net gain averaged
roughly 10000 each year.
Since then, instead OF doing any
thing to restore immigration. Con-
eress passed a law which limited
year ended June 80 last TO 356, 1916
and during the current fiscal year
to 357.s03.
And the restrictions are such that
nothing like these numbers can be
al a Tri n Ef
fiscal year were only 243,953, con-
trasted with sos, ,22S in the preceding
year.
The probability is that the out
flow of foreign-born workers will
this year fall not very short Of the
inflow.
Can we imagine Canada or Ar
gentina or Australia or South Africa
or any other partially-develop
nder-populated, progressive coun-
try shutting the door in the face
OF healthy. sturdy, wiliing.to-work
white toilers?,
What would not Canada be eager
to give for the acquisition OF a third
OF q million industrious, broad-shoul-
dered, horny-handed workers a
year?
Have you ever paused to con-
slider how much of the manual
labor in American industry is done
by immigrants? Some idea Of how
much we depend upon them for
our subsistence you may gather
from these census Q910 figures:
Three-fifths of our bituminous
coal, IS per cent of our copper,
more than half of our iron ore,
three-quarters OF our construction
work. three-fifths of our slaughter
ing and meat packing. IS per cent
OF our sugar refining, between 60
and 70 per cent of our woolen and
cotton goods, nearly three-quarters
of our clothing. more than half of
our iron and steel and 81 per cent
OF our leather were produced with
the labor of foreign-born wage
earners.
Also our railroad and highway
building and other construction re-
quiring unskilled labor has been
done largely by immigrant workers.
In view of all these facts and
figures, are you also not inclined
to conclude that we are likely 10
be handicapped and embarrassed by
scarcity OF laborers when bust
ness tries TO get under full swing?
or course. immigration begets
problems and difficulties. All cx-
pansion does. II we could get
along nicely and comfortably and
profitably and prosperously without
workers from other countries to do
our chores, our rough work, our
back-straining jobs, why, every
body would back up Congress In
passing legislation to keep them
out. But every thoughtful citizen
knows that there are not half
enough native-born Americans to
perform these uncongenial tasks
and as education progresses the
number becomes fewer and fewer.
II we were to attempt to depend
upon home-born Americans to do
the common work incident to our
industries, we would be completely
licked in competing for the inter
national markets now more than
ever necessary for our national
prosperity.
In a very clear. fair prcsenta-
ton and discussion of this subject,
the Guaranty Trust Company Of
New York says:
1T is said that steel mills are
competing for common labor, that
lumber camps and sawmills are
finding the present supply insuffici.
ent, and that the automobile indus.
try requires more workers. The re.
ported scarcity seems to be among
common as well as skilled and semi.
skilled workers, nor will the com.
ing OF the harvest season with its
requirements for extra help alleviate
matters, assuming that the reports
represent reasonably accurate
view Of the situation.
"In consistently opposing the
policy of unrestricted immigration,
organized labor has held that 1t in.
tensifies unemployment and that
manufacturers use foreign workers
to defeat the unions. On the other
side are the entrepreneurs who, In
striving to maintain low production
costs look to cheap labor as a prin.
cipal means to that end.
Clearly this is a problem that
cannot properly be solved by the
application of class motives.