Evening star., 1925-03-25
BY GEORGE {. BRIGGS.

DalN News.
HAVANA, Cuba. March 25.-Curi-
ously enough, the United States Gov
ernment provides no adequate method
of checking the influx Of immigrants
smuggled through from Cuba. This.
despite the fact that in the eight
months since the present irnmi grafton
law went into effect Cuba has at
tracted from all quarters Of the globe
thousands who come with the sole
purpose of using this island as a
springboard to land them IN the
United States.
The extent of the immigration In
Cuba and the divers nationalities it
represents is shown by statistics com
piled by Cuban immi grafton officials
Many Of the newcomers are from cold
countries and have great difficulty In
becoming acclimated in this semi
tropical island. Russians are con-
spicuous in this category.
Still, the United States is only a
short distance away and not inacces-
sible to an immi grant who will nav
$3.50 to $3.50 and take chance. Many
do. Some are women. Usually thev
are landed under cover of darkness
along the west coast Of Florida and
are piloted northward, 10 be lost
among the cosmopolitan throngs Of
Americas great cities, where no
questions Of antecedents are asked
Of non English-speaki people
Would Require Registration.
Consular officials at posts like Ha-
vana are agreed that the only wav
immigration regulations can be ef-
fectually enforced is by requiring the
registration of aliens who have q
legal right to live in the United States
and providing them with identifca-
ra yrri+
eligible would soon be brought to
light.
By the immigration law effective
since last July the number Of aliens
who could be admitted to the States
from Cuba legally is about 1000 for
the eight months. Only $50 have gone
through on quota numbers" The
rule which gives quota control agents
in foreign countries power to issue
30 per cent of the country's quota
at the control point allows only 10
per cent for the same nationals
throughout the rest of the worll
For example, Spaius allotment. con-
trolled by the American consul gem
eral at Barcelona, is 131 Only u Of
that number are subject TO the call
OF consulates for the whole world
outside Of Spain.
Begin FIocking to Cuba.
Tabulations showing the recorded
arrivals of Immigrants in Cuba in
dlcate that the number in 1928 was
nearly three times as great as in 1922
The ratio of increase over the 1922
figure continued almost as large
throughout 1924.
1t was in 1928 and the first siv
months of last year that aliens flock
ing TO the United States began 10
encounter great difficulty in gettine
in. The immigration bars were raised
more and more effectuallv. There
were spectacles of Atlantic liners
racing TO New York and Boston
crowded with proverty- ty-strfcken and
war-broken families from Europe, all
clamoring for admission to the land
of opportunity. Ellis Island and other
immigration stations were filled 10
oYerfiowing. Thousands Were turned
back, some because their ships had
tailed in the race to reach port soon
enough, others because they were
manifestly disqualified to become
American citizens
During this difficult period aliens
began turning TO Cuba as a con
Venient avenue of approach TO
America. That is plainly shown in
computations of the immigrant ar
rivals in Havana during the period
under consideration. In 1922 there
were 1854; in 1928 there were 55,5g4
and in 1924 there were 54,926
In the entire island of Cuba the
number coming in during 1922 was
1888, against 75,461 the following
year-when the difficulties of entering
the United States through regular
channels Increased and the menace of
even more rigid immigration regula-
tions was impending
During the last uuarfar - 1000
1928 landed at Havana In the cor
responding period the following year
the figures reached 25,I16. The total
recorded for the three months ended
December 81 last (after the new i'm
migra ton law went m effecD was 2l.-
4S2. This last total included zoos not
classified as to nationality and the
1S,364; Turkish, 191: Syrian, Al:
Polish, 115; Czechoslovakian, Al:
Portuguese, los; Libanian, 1I2; Eng
llsh, 124; Rumanian, 172: South
American, as; PaleStinian, 104: Ameri-
can, ia, and Italian, 3S4
a most Illuminating comparison is
found in balancing figures for the
months of July, August and Septem-
ber in 1928 against those for the
corresponding months of 1924. These
indicate that Immediately after Amer
ica's present immigration law Went
into force aliens came to Cuba in
greater number from countries of
southern Europe (except Spain) than
in the corresponding quarter of the
year before The number of Turks in
creased from 2S5 to AS, Portuguese
from rs to 109, Italians from $50 to
34S, Poles from 2SS to 29S, Syrians
from 15S to 2S7 AMI Greeks from 80
to 23l.
SpaniardS Settle in Cuba.
The number coming in from Spain
was lower than in the same quarter
of the preceding year. But the move
ment of Spaniards to Cuba is no
barometer of the alien trend toward
the United States. Spain and Syria
are considered to be the only south
European countries whose nationals
generally come to Cuba for the pur-
pose of settling.
Immi igration statistics fail to indi-
cate the number of Chinese arriving
in Cuba. Theoretically, they are not
allowed to enter except as tourists
unless it can be proved that they
come as students or merchants. New
ertheless, Havana has many Chinese
of the coolie type and the number in
creases constantly The purpose of
many of them in coming here un-
questionably is TO slip across the
Florida Straits into the United States.
One observer estimates that of
1000 aliens who steal into the States
through Cuba fully one-third are
Chinese.
CThe next article I'm this series will
be published tomorrow