Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-06-04
By Nercboid Noyes, yr.
Final OF q Series OF Three Articles ]

The people who want to do something about
Europes displaced persons are generally a
mild sort who do not throw their weight around
very hard. Those who object are inclined to
talk more loudly. This is one reason why 1t
is so hard to work out a solution to the DIP
problem.
The difference Of approach doubtless will be
clearly discernible in the hearings on the
Stratton bill. H. r. 2910 opening today before
subcommittee of the House Judiciary COM
mittee The bill would make 1t possible for
100000 DPS to come to the United States during
the next four years.
1t is worth examining the substance of the
opposition to legislation of this kind
In the first place, there is the vague feeling
that by lowering immigration quota barriers
for 100000 DPS we would be opening up the
country to a real influx of "foreigners"-the
feeling, in other words, that 100000 people is
a lot of people
OF course it is not lot of people, viewed in
perspective against the size of this Nation.
The DPS, permitted to come in under the STRAIT
ton bill, would represent slightly more than
quarter of one per cent of our population.
We should consider this as a question of
proportion rather than of numbers. Our inimi-
grafton laws, for example, are VIGOROUSLY re-
strictive On the books, we allow $4,000 people
to come here each year to live Actually, owing
to the way the quotas are rugged only about
10000 year come in. Even If, therefore,
full contingent of 100000 stratton bill DPS
were admitted during each of the next four
years, the total number of immigrants is most
unlikely to rise above the $4,000 which, under
cur present strict legislation, we theoretically
allow ourselves
What Would They Do Here?
Nevertheless, opposition witnesses at the
hearings are bound to argue that the United
States cannot take on 100000 extra Immigrants
at this stage. How, it will be asked, can we
house them? How can they find jobs without
throwing some Americans out of work?
The answer is that our housing program is
big program, and our economy is big econ
omy. Neither is likely to be wrecked If 100000
homeless people find a home here
Many of the DPS would be housed with rela-
tives-few would be settled where they would
have to compete for new homes. The Federal
Housing Administration has assured Mr.. STRAIT
ton that passage of his bill would not affect
the Nations housing problem appreciably, one
way or the other.
And jobs? No one has ever proved immigra-
ton creates unemployment. No reputable econ
omist believes 1t does. Significantly, the
Stratton bill is backed both by the AFL and
the CLIO.
The public, at the same time, might take
profitable note of the fact that surprisingly
many of the DPS are trained in fields in which
there are labor shortages here. UNRRA, sur
veying some $4,000 of the employable DPS last
fall, found $1,000 agricultural workers, 10000
domestic workers. 81 900 construction and main
tenance workers, 5000 school teachers and
$4,000 in the field of health and sanitation. in
Guiding physicians surgeons, dentists and
nurses. We could use all of these and then
some