harbor line, and considerable time has been lost in an effort to exchange the lot acquired for another on the proposed new line. At San Francisco the new station on Angel Island has been fully installed, and appears to be complete and adequate to meet every reasonable demand. At Ellis Island the station is, generally speaking, in good condition, but owing to the concentration of immigration at that point it is really inadequate to the demand. If immigration increases, the question will have to be met whether very considerable improvements shall be made at Ellis Island or immigration shall be diverted to other ports by effective measures looking to that end. If the latter course is adopted, it may serve to promote the general distribution of immigrants, which is now recognized to be desirable. Even under existing conditions, substantial improvements must be made for the accommodation of immigrants.

In the same connection it must be admitted that at many other points very inadequate provision exists for the detention of immigrants and persons held for deportation. At Seattle, for instance, the rented quarters do not contain sufficient space for the separation of different classes of detained persons. This is a serious condition, and it is strongly urged that an appropriation be made for the erection of adequate quarters at that point.

At the smaller points the Immigration Service is frequently compelled to detain people in jail for lack of other quarters. It is apparent that such detention not only imposes great hardship upon people who may prove to be entirely innocent, but frequently results in inflicting lasting injury by the mere force of association.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO LAWS.

Perhaps the time is not appropriate to urge amendments, because the Immigration Commission is about to make its report as the result of an exhaustive examination. It is proper, however, to refer to a few suggestions offered by Commissioner Williams at Ellis Island. Attention is called to the fact that it is common practice to have alien employees of vessels go on shore without being subjected to the examination required by the immigration law, and that this privilege is not infrequently abused. Again, the commissioner recommends that the fine imposed upon steamship companies for bringing in persons afflicted with a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease should be increased from $100 to $200. Not only is the presence of immigrants so afflicted dangerous after their arrival, but it is calculated to subject all immigrants upon the vessel to the danger of contagion. Furthermore, those who are subject to these diseases are put to useless expense and hardship and the entire service. suffers an unnecessary cost and burden. Again, the commissioner

recommends that a competent immigrant inspector, and perhaps also a surgeon, be placed on board every vessel which brings large numbers of immigrants to our shores. The opportunity for careful observation, and for the detection of ailments which it is sometimes difficult to ascertain by one examination, would certainly prove of very great value to the service.

Finally, I wish to call attention to one phase of the administration of the immigration law which works great hardship and frequently puts upon the service a great burden. I refer to the separation of families, which so frequently results from an enforcement of the law as it now stands. It will probably be impossible to relieve the situation altogether, but no doubt a more equitable system could be adopted. It may be accepted that it is the purpose of the law to keep families together and not to separate them. In other words, the parent should be given an opportunity to fulfill his obligation to support and to bring up the members of his family. If an entire family arrives, some of whom must be excluded under the law, it may be subject to doubt whether those of its members who may be admissible as individuals ought not in certain cases to be rejected with the rest. The mere circumstance that those who are sound are willing to abandon those who are unsound seems in itself to furnish persuasive ground for their rejection. This can perhaps be regulated by the administrative officers without modification of the law. On the other hand, when only a representative member, as, for illustration, a father, asks to be admitted, it would seem that his case ought not to be determined upon his examination alone. He comes as the pioneer, and as a rule he will very soon be followed by the dependent members of his family. Having acquired the privilege to be here, sometimes by means of naturalization, at other times without it, he has a status which makes it extremely difficult to deny the admission of members of his family, however unfit they may be under the law. It appears to me that, having been admitted, some weight must be given to his right to support and to protect those who are necessarily dependent upon him. And in view of this right so acquired I suggest that some inquiry into the character of his family ought to be made at the time of his entry. If he comes alone, he ought to be prepared, by some method to be provided, to satisfy the authorities of the character and condition of those whom we may be subsequently asked to admit, and whose cases will necessarily be strengthened by the fact of his admission. In other words, experience with the cases that are presented upon appeal impresses me with the fact that the unit of the family ought to be more regarded than the letter of the law seems now to admit of, and that there ought to be a broader inquiry into the status of the whole family and a more general application of the rule of the law to the family as such.

DIVISION OF NATURALIZATION.

During the year there have been filed in the clerks' offices of the various courts exercising naturalization jurisdiction a total of 222,264 papers, consisting of 167,226 declarations of intention and 55,038 petitions for naturalization. This represents an increase, as compared with the number of declarations filed during the next preceding year, of 21,432, and a corresponding increase in the number of petitions of 11,877. For the same period 39,206 certificates of naturalization were issued, or 834 more than in the fiscal year 1909. The courts denied 7,781 petitions for various reasons, the majority for failure to comply with provisions of the law, but 159 because of immoral character, 1,634 for failure to produce competent evidence, 440 for ignorance of American institutions, 349 for insufficient residence, and others for miscellaneous reasons. The denials exceeded those of last year by 1,440.

As compared with the number of courts exercising naturalization jurisdiction in 1909, there was an increase of 70 state and 10 federal courts, making the totals of each 2,247 and 227, respectively. The proportions in which the naturalization business was handled by those two classes of courts are represented by the following figures: Declarations filed in state courts, 106,836; in federal courts, 60,390; petitions filed in state courts, 39,977; in federal courts, 15,061; certificates issued by state courts, 28,126; by federal courts, 11,080.

For various reasons, 397 certificates of naturalization were canceled by the courts upon proceedings instituted by the Department of Justice. At the close of last year 292 such cases were pending and during the year 295 were reported to the United States attorneys, 5 were dismissed by the courts, and 324 are still pending.

Nearly one-half of the entire naturalization business of the United States was transacted in the courts of six States-Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvaniaand between one-fifth and one-fourth in the courts of New York City and Brooklyn. The bulk of the increase in naturalization as compared with that of last year occurred in the federal and state courts in New York City and Brooklyn during the last two quarters, and was due in a measure to the allowances made to the clerks of those courts for additional clerical assistants. The cost of additional assistants aggregated $8,598.92, and the apparent resulting increase in fees transmitted to the Government was $23,708. The statutory limitations on the granting of allowances from the specific appropriation made it impossible, however, to afford sufficient relief to completely silence the complaint that many persons who desire to file naturalization papers in those courts are subjected to delay and the necessity

of making repeated visits to the clerks' offices. As only some six or eight courts would be affected by such a change, this difficulty could probably be most effectively met by removing the limitations now prescribed in the law and permitting clerks of courts to retain onehalf of the entire amount of fees collected, the amount so retained being made chargeable with all expenses incurred by them in discharging the various duties imposed upon them by the law.

The clerical force in the Division of Naturalization and the examiners in the field service must be increased to dispose promptly and effectively of the large addition to the papers filed and cases maturing for investigation and hearing.

The total expenditures on account of the Naturalization Service, consisting of $46,121.04 for the Division, $108,606.76 for the field service, $8,598.92 for assistants to clerks of courts, and $13,089.26 for printing for the courts, aggregated $176,415.98. There was received from the fees collected the sum of $221,766.38. Thus the Government was fully reimbursed for its expenditures on this account and received besides the sum of $45,350.40.

Recommendation is again made for legislation that will provide for a review by appeal or writ of error of the decisions of the courts of original jurisdiction, so that conflicts necessarily arising may be reconciled.

BUREAU OF CORPORATIONS.

REPORTS PUBLISHED.

During the past fiscal year the Bureau of Corporations has continued to secure and publish information on industrial corporations for the use of the President and Congress, and the public.

In July, 1909, the Bureau published Part II of its Report on Transportation by Water in the United States. Part I, previously published, had described the physical characteristics of the waterways of the United States and the floating equipment. Part II set forth the facts of domestic water-borne traffic, stated certain conclusions therefrom, and pointed out lines of possible waterway improvement. These reports have been in constant demand, especially among the numerous associations interested in waterways.

In December, 1909, the Bureau published Parts IV and V of its Report on Cotton Exchanges, concluding therewith the work on that subject. These parts dealt with the effect of future contracts and of producers' organizations on prices of cotton. This entire report was largely used in the congressional debates and hearings on numerous bills relating to the regulation of speculation in farm products.

On July 6, 1910, the Bureau published Part II of its Report on Taxation of Corporations. This part dealt with the Middle Atlantic States-New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland-and also with the District of Columbia. Its arrangement was

uniform with that of Part I, on the New England States, previously published, thus allowing the comparison of various state systems. The demand for this report has been very large and of a character that indicates its wide public and private usefulness, as is shown by a resolution adopted by the International Tax Association Conference of 1909, urging the continuance of the work. Reports on other sections of the country are now being prepared, and it is hoped ultimately to cover the majority, if not all, of the States, concluding the series with a comparative summary of state corporate taxation and the general principles involved, and conclusions to be drawn therefrom. The question of taxation is now so active that such a series of studies assembled in concise form, readily available to the public and state officials, will evidently be of much value.

PENDING INVESTIGATIONS.

At the end of the fiscal year the Bureau had on hand, as work still pending, investigations into the lumber, steel, and tobacco