Evening star., 1937-09-19
immigration and the
Labor Problem
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

StSSioh Ol tOIBISSS Is Lnat presented DV
Americans now engaged in
active business life, who went to school
twenty or even ten years ago. are still
under the impression that the United
States is a country to which streams os
constantly come. That Is,
they are unless they keep up TO date on
national changes. The fact is that for
several years more people have left the
United States than have entered. This
is a net export country so far as human
beings are concerned.
The reason this impression was so gen.
eral and still exists is that there was
period, not long ago, when the United
States experienced more immigration
than any country ever had before in his
tory. AT its height it exceeded 100000
year Indeed, throughout its entire
history not only as an independent ma
ton, but as colonial domain. America
was the destination of enaigrants from
other lands. Not until the beginning of
the present decade did the tide change.
When condition has existed as to a
country and its population for a matter
of three centuries, it is not surprising
that the people fail to realize 1t when
the condition has been reversed.
The chief reason that the subject Is
expected to come up for serious discus
sion is that certain implications concern
ing labor are involved. From among the
immigrant tide. the American people we're
accustomed to obtain their lowest type of
labor. This statement should not be
taken to mean that immigrants consti-
tuted the lowest type. On the contrary,
some OF the highest and most skilled
types were to be found among the immi-
grants, The fact is that individuals rep
resenting both poles of type came into
the country.
Large numbers of the immigrants. in
deed most of them, came here because
they found conditions inhospitable at
home. They had been accustomed to
the most menial work in the old coun-
tries and often to persecution. too, and
so were glad to take any kind of work
IN the New World, work of a nature which
notive-born Americans. even though of
fairly recent stock themselves, did not
choose to perform.
Now the country finds itself in situa-
tion where it has too few of this type of
immigrant. 1t always has been the ex-
perience that the undesirable, heavy. un-
skilled labor has been performed by the
newcomers. When they have been here
while. and almost invariably in the Sec
ond generation, they want something
better and are able to command it. So
it is inevitable that when the flow stops,
when there are no more newcomers, a
shortage exists in this type of labor.
A matter which is overlooked by most
persons save labor engineers is that
every one cannot belong to the higher
labor classes. The same individual who
starts down the scale may and often does
rise to the top, but there always must be
some one at the bottom. The labor struc-
ture is like a building. There must be a
foundation. Much of the work of the
most highly skilled workers cannot be
performed unless there is low-paid, un-
skilled group at the bottom.
In the current situation, few people
are willing to undertake these bottom
stratum jobs-most certainly they are
unwilling If they can go on relief. Ma
chimes have been devised to do a vast
number of things which formerly were
done by hand, but always there must
be workers tending the machines, and
there must be workers to clear away the
dross created by the machines In the
course of their operation.
1t is foregone conclusion that organ
lied labor will oppose any letting down
OF the immigration bars. although the
bars most effectively exclude workers of
the very type most needed. Immigrants
frc-- Seyeral countries, notably England
and France, fall far short of filling their
quota. The French were never much
given to emigration, and while for a
thousand years the English were contin-
uous emlgrants and continuous immi-
grants to this land, in their case there
mas oeen direct reversal of the tide and
more people are entering the British
Isles than are leaving them.
AS to some peoples. they are prevented
from coming not only by the American
barriers erected against them, but by
their own governments Such dictators
as Mussolini and Hitler have both offered
bounties on babies in the hope of increas-
Ing the birth rate. The birth rate of
both countries is declining in spite of the
bounties, so it can readily be understood
that emigration of bodied workers
OF any class is not permitted.
Orientals would be glad to come To the
United States and would do so in hordes
were it not for the law known COM
monty as the Chinese exclusion act. but
Whlch, IN TACT, bars all Orientals The
Japanese explain their encroachments ON
tne mainland of Asia by stating that
thelr own island archipelago is over
crowded and the people must have land.
To be sure, the Japanese people have not
gone to Korea and Manchukuo to any
extent, but the reason for that is the
country is inhospitable and bitterly cold
IN Winter. But were the fair fields of
America open to the Japanese they
would come like a plague of locusts.
Inc ERECT OF restricted immigration
or OF complete stoppage of net immi-
grafton. as experienced here, will result in
a stronger labor party and even suggests
that before long there will actually be a
Labor party in capital letters which will
be strong enough to elect a government.
Labor groups remain relatively weak no.
when there is a steady recruit.
ment to labor numbers of newcomers
VINO are not Immediately recruited to
organized labor ranks. The very fact
OF an unrestricted immigration is to cre-
ate situation in which the organized
members of labor's ranks are in tb,
minority.
NO labor group in the United States
ever has controlled presidential cleo
tlOn. In sharp contrast ap,eorr A.