Evening star., 1923-08-19
ALIENS IN BRITAIN
OFFER NO PROBLEM
Geddes Report on Ellis Is
land Condition Offers No
Contrast at Home.

By Cable to The Star and New York Tribune.
LONDON, August 1S.-The report of
Sir Auckland Geddes, British ambassa-
dor to the United States. on conditions
at Ellis Island has aroused considerable
interest here as TO the manner in which
Great Britain meets it's own immediate
problems.
There is a temptation to say that the
problem is not met because it does not
exist"-and in the larger sense this is
true. Britain, however, does not entire
ly escape the necessity of regulating
admissions to this country, and the
problem is dealt with in three sections.
Separate provisions are made for
seamen and for aliens wishing to get
work here. The number of those who
fall into the first category is com
paratiVely small, due to the opera
tion of the American quota. law, but
1t gives rise to the nearest approach
on this side of the Atlantic to an
Ellis lsland-Atlantic Park-which is
near Southampton and Is where ship
ping companies at their own expense
house aliens waiting 40 cross the At
lantic.
Atlantic Park is about five miles
from Southampton and was formerly
used as a camp by the American air
force. 1t is now being reconstructed
by shipping companies at an approx
mate cost Of 100000 pounds. 1t can
best be compared with Ellis Island
by saying that it has sleeping ac-
commodations for 1,400 persons and
that seldom is its capacity anywhere
near taxed.
Maintained by Ship Lines.
In the maintenance of this station
the entire responsibility is placed
upon the shipping companies. There
is no examination of aliens waiting
they confined to the limits of At
lantic Park. Theoretically, the aliens
could wander to any part of England
but the responsibility rests with
the company having them in charge.
All investigators have agreed that
Atlantic Park is clean and comfort
able. but as one home office official
pointed out. the shipping companies
see TO IL that undesirablSS 40 not
reach there"
When such questions ar" raised as.
What happens to the peppI. COM
ing 10 England in search OF work -
one is tempted 10 gcn"raliZ" the an
Swer by stating. they don't COM. =
The admission Of aliens 10 England
is regulated under an act OF parlia-
nent which empowers the home secr--
tary 70 have passed by the privy
council virtually any restrictions he
" lNHtS SO long as tntN 90 not con
fiict with The original act. The result
* that the British authorities have
far more elastic power than those in
the United States and that u great
deal is left to the discretion of ;mmi-
grafton oiiiC trS i'll various ports
bar Work Seekers.
No one can come to l.ngland &c
work without the consent Of the min
istry of labor and that is never eX-
tended to individuals
In the broad sense of the word
there is no immigration into England
inasmuch as the few aliens VINO try
to enter come from continental ports
and are deported the same day they
arrive.
Where this is impossible the steam
ship companies that carried them
must maintain them at boarding
houses until they can be sent away.
The ministry of labor issues per
mits for the employment of aliens
only TO those employers who can
prove they are unable TO find Brit
ishers for the jobs they have open
As the number of unemployed in
England is invariably high. there is
but small chance for the importation
of labor. and IT rarely happens eX-
cept in highly specialized trades.
immigration officials here are in
clined to syInpathize with the efforts
of Americans to cope with the prob
lem at Ellis Island. and they make
two suggestions in regard to it: First
that until the American law leaves Il
the discretion of the officials ac-
tually handling immigrants the mat
ter Of their admittanCe cases OF
hardship are bound 10 crop up; sec
ond, that provision should he made
for the examination of immi grants IN
Europe before they board ships bound
for America.
The British port authorities say
they are quite willing to cooperate
with America in seeing that no immi-
grant should leave that country until
il is virtually assured that he will be
admitted by the United states.