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Release : 2015-08-05
Genre : Reference
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Book Synopsis Annual Report of the Commissioner General of Immigration to the Secretary of Labor by :
Download or read book Annual Report of the Commissioner General of Immigration to the Secretary of Labor written by . This book was released on 2015-08-05. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Annual Report of the Commissioner General of Immigration to the Secretary of Labor: Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1914 The immigration act of 1907, like all previous immigration laws, contemplated that the funds collected as head tax on aliens should be kept intact and used in the enforcement of the law. In Ime with this policy - adherence to which is recommended - moneys collected from immigrants have by direction of the legislative branch of the Federal Government been employed in enforcing Chinese and other exclusion laws and agreements. Formerly, however, Congress made annual appropriations up to$500, 000 for the enforcement of the Chinese-exclusion laws, but it later concluded that those expenses should be drawn from the immigrant fund, and still later, when that fund was abolished, the annual appropriation for the general support of the Immigration Service was drawn upon and still continues to meet this expense. The consequence is that the Chinese and other exclusion laws and agreements, as well as the general immigration act, are not being enforced to the extent they should be in order to accomplish the objects in view when the same were enacted and agreed upon by the law-making power. There may be no objection, of course, to the payment of the expenses of enforcing the exclusion laws out of the immigration appropriation, but the one appropriation should be made large enough to meet the purposes in view from the standpoint of all the laws governing this bureau in order to fully meet all conditions that may arise. Sufficient flexibility should exist in such appropriation laws to allow the bureau to meet emergencies constantly arising and to use its funds to the best and most economical ends. As to the effectiveness of the law in selecting immigrants, it should be observed that the bureau was able, even with the equipment at hand, to exclude from the country 33, 041 aliens, which was 2.3 percent of the number(1, 436, 122) applying for admission; in other words, the debarments are 66 2/3 percent greater for 1914 than for 1913. These were excluded mainly on the following grounds: Likely to become a public charge, 15,745; afflicted with physical or mental defects affecting ability to earn a living, 6,537; afflicted with tuberculosis or with contagious diseases, 3,257; afflicted with serious mental defects, 1,274; and contract laborers, 2,793. To do the work represented by the results above briefly indicated and shown in more detail hereinafter, and in addition enforce the Chinese and other exclusion laws, which without doubt are among the most difficult statutes to enforce with even a reasonable degree of effectiveness, the bureau was allowed appropriations aggregating $2,645,000. It has been possible to accomplish so much as has been done only because the employees of the bureau at Washington and throughout the country have been working constantly and earnestly for the thorough administration of the bureaus affairs. The strain to which a large number of our officers have been subjected, with hard work and long hours, has been so great at timer, as to be almost unbearable, service extending with many officers quite often on an average of 12 to 14 hours and on some occasions even more per day, and it is only a question of a short time, if present conditions continue, when the service will suffer the great loss that must result from the breaking down of its force. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
