The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-09

next uVe years GS
 Rdnnm in c reasing t h (
 present quota re- strictions to admit many of refugee millions.
 Pressure from without to admit these millions is in direct propor- tion to resistance from within against lowering the bars. With the fear of postwar unemployment for perhaps five or 10 millions now citt- zens of the United States, there is natural reluctance to admit more millions if they would only increase the burdens.
 On the other hand, every humani- tartan impulse calls for giving every possible relief to the homeless war refugees in Europe. To them even unemployment in the United States is preferable to starvation and death in the countries which have been the battleheldS.
 Furthermore, the United States is in something of weak position if 1t attempts to urge other nations of the world to accept refugees with out accepting share of the burden itself.
 WAR-TORN NATIONS NEED
 LABOR, IT IS ARGUED
 Against the plea for admission of large numbers of immigrants to this country, however, there is the sound argument that when the war is over the countries of Europe and Asia will have a manpower shortage and a great need for labor to rebuild their economies, whereas the countries of the western hemisphere will have a manpower surplus. On that basis restricted immigration into the Uni ted States makes sense.
 Wartime manpower shortages in the United States can be attributed directly to restricted immigration if you are interested in making the best possible case in favor of in- creasing immigration on long term basis. Between 1905 and 1914 U. S. immigrants averaged million a year. After the first world war the Quota Act of 1921 restricted immi- gation to an average of 300,000 a year for the next 10 years, while from 1881 to 1941 the average was less than 50,000 a year. In 1922 the number dropped to 23,000 and in 1943 was 28,000.
 Because of this drop in irnmigra- tion and wartime unSkilled labor shortages, 1t has been necessary for the United States to bring in on temporary permits over 100000 workmen from Mexico and the Caribbean areas to harvest farm crops and maintain railroad lines.
 This temporary labor has been supplemented by Italian labor bat talions and German prisoners oi war. Little of it has been skilled labor, but all of this extra man power will be sent back to the coun- try of origin when the war is over as will the 1000 refugees from southern Europe, now in camp near Oswego, N. Y.
 The skilled labor shortage of to- day, as measured by the War Man. power Commissions recruiting drive for war workers, is approximately 90,000. but other less essential in- dustries could probably absorb 1( times that number.
 3,OOO, 900 FOREIGNERS
 HERE NOW
 How all this will shake down after the war is over no one can say. As result, there is considerable belief that there should be no immediate change in the present quota restric- tions, limiting annual immigration to 3 per cent of the number of na- tions of each foreign country al- ready in the United States.
 For 8 long-range immigration plan, there is growing interest ir proposals for Selective immigration under which quotas would be made up of skills for which there would be ready employment. If there were a shortage of farm labor. farmers would be admitted; of doctors doctors would be admitted. And SC on.
 That would do away with thu more democratic, unrestricted, first. applying -flrst-admitted type of i'm migration on which this country was built. but 1t is argued that Selec. tive immigration would be best fol this country and also best for the immigrant, even though it woulc close the doors on millions of un- fortunates deserving of a nev chance to start all over again in the