more than one or two at a time. This naturally has caused a material increase in the remuneration demanded from the Chinese when smuggled in and consequently has attracted to this nefarious traffic a more ingenious class of criminals than those with whom the service previously had to contend.

By increasing the speed and cruising radius (through the installation of more efficient power plants) of the two patrol boats (the Ellington and Azalea) operating along the southern California-Mexican coast, these vessels have been the means of practically suppressing the former practice of smuggling Chinese coolies in large numbers into the United States by water from Mexico, and their continued operation, either by this service or the Navy Department, will prevent the resumption, to any great extent at least, of that traffic.

The taking over and operating of these patrol boats by the Navy Department has enabled the officers in southern California to give more time and attention to the smuggling work along the land border in order to prevent the surreptitious entry not only of Chinese coolies but of other inadmissible aliens who, as the result of conditions in the interior of Mexico, have congregated in large numbers along the international boundary for the avowed purpose of gaining illegal entry into the United States.

Recommendations have been made for the establishing of a water patrol along the South Atlantic coast for the purpose of suppressing the illegal entry of Chinese laborers from the adjoining islands, to which they have gone in large numbers during the past fiscal year, as well as the surreptitious entry of a large class of other aliens made inadmissible through the additional restrictions contained in the new immigration law.

During the year just ended many Chinese laborers came to points in eastern Canada, near the international boundary, to work in munition and other factories. As many of these Chinese soon became dissatisfied with and abandoned such employment and are known to be negotiating for their illegal entry into the United States, and as other aliens unable to meet the requirements of the new immigration law also are seeking to gain illegal entry, it has become necessary to augment the bureau's force, particularly the water patrol, at strategic points along the northern border for the purpose of preventing the surreptitious entry of both classes.

Although as above stated the campaign against the smuggling of Chinese into this country has been vigorously and effectively prosecuted, yet, because of the financial inducements involved and the remarkable ingenuity possessed by those who engage in this notorious practice, its suppression can be maintained only by the continued vigilance of the officers assigned to this work.

ADMINISTRATIVE FINES.

One of the most useful and salutary provisions of the immigration act of 1903 was that assessing a fine, administratively, against any transportation company that might bring to a port of the United States an alien afflicted with a loathsome or with a dangerous contagious disease. Said provision was incorporated in that law in pursuance of a suggestion made by the Bureau of Immigration. It was

repeated in section 9 of the immigration act of 1907 and extended to include the bringing of an alien afflicted with tuberculosis or with idiocy, imbecility, or epilepsy. In section 9 of the new law it has been extended again very materially, so that it now covers the bringing to a port of this country of "any alien afflicted with idiocy, insanity, imbecility, feeble-mindedness, epilepsy, constitutional psychopathic inferiority, chronic alcoholism, tuberculosis in any form, or a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease." The amount of the fine as specified in the acts of 1903 and 1907 was $100; it has been increased in the new law to $200. Section 9 of the new law contains also these new provisions: One assessing a fine of $200 against any transportation company that may bring to a port of the United States any alien excluded by the illiteracy clause or by the geographical clause of section 3; one assessing a fine of $25 for bringing to a port of the United States any alien afflicted with a mental defect of a less serious nature than those specified in the amended original provision, or with a physical defect of a nature to affect earning capacity; and several requiring that in every case in which a steamship company is assessed either the $200 or the $25 fine prescribed by said section the company in addition shall pay to the collector of customs "a sum equal to that paid by such alien for his transportation from the initial point of departure, indicated in his ticket, to the port of arrival, * such latter sum to be delivered by the collector of customs to the alien on whose account assessed."

* *

The propriety, constitutionality, and validity of the administrative fine as originally prescribed in section 9 of the act of 1903 was upheld in an exhaustive and unanimous opinion of the Supreme Court in June, 1909 (Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. v. Stranahan, 214 U. S., 320). The purpose of that fine, as disclosed by the act, by the committee reports on the legislation, and by the decision of the Supreme Court mentioned, was to prevent, not the entry to the United States, but the taking on board and conveying, along with other aliens who might be landed here, of persons so afflicted as to make them a menace to the health, immediately or in the future, of those with whom they might come in contact. It will be observed that in the act of 1907 and in the new law, while the original purpose is still intended in certain classes of cases, obviously new or additional purposes are also involved. These purposes are of a dual nature: (1) The protection of the population of the country from the introduction through immigration of strains of mental deficiency or of persons so afflicted physically as to be unable to care for themselves; and (2) the prevention of the hardships and inhumanities that result from the bringing to United States ports of persons who can not be admitted under the law and who therefore must be returned to the country of origin, and the related humane object of remunerating to some extent aliens who, although obviously inadmissible, may be persuaded by steamship agents and runners to attempt to get into the country.

But in the new law the administrative fine, which had been found so useful in the administration of section 9 of the previous acts, has been put to still further advantageous uses than those above mentioned. Those additional uses may be described as follows:

By section 7 of the new law an administrative fine of $400 is assessed in any case in which the owner, master, officer, or agent of a

vessel may bring or cause to be brought to a port of the United States any alien who has been solicited, invited, or encouraged by such party to come to this country in violation of the section mentioned.

By section 14 the fine that has long been assessed for failure to manifest or improperly manifesting aliens is made administrative, its collection being enforced, like other similar administrative fines, by refusal of clearance.

By section 18 an administrative fine of $300 is assessed against any master, purser, person in charge, agent, owner, or consignee of any vessel who refuses to receive back on board thereof or on board any other vessel owned or operated by the same interests, any alien refused admission to the United States, or who fails to detain such alien aboard, or refuses or fails to return him as required by law, or to pay the cost of his maintenance while on land, or who makes any charge for the return of an excluded alien, or takes any security for the payment of such charge, or who takes any consideration to be returned in case an alien is landed, or who knowingly brings to the United States at any time within one year from the date of deportation any alien rejected or arrested and deported under any provision of the act unless prior to reembarkation the Secretary of Labor has consented that such alien shall reapply.

Sections 31 to 36 of the new law, constituting a novelty in immigration legislation, relate to aliens who are employed on board vessels entering ports of the United States. To this new phase of immigration control also the administrative-fine method of preventing violations has been adapted. Provision is made in section 35 for the imposition of a fine of $50 in cases in which aliens afflicted with idiocy, imbecility, insanity, epilepsy, tuberculosis in any form, or a loathsome or a dangerous contagious disease are brought to a port of the United States as employees of vessels. In this instance, but in no other, discretion is given the Secretary of Labor to remit or mitigate the fine. Section 36 makes provision for the assessment of an administrative fine of $10 on account of each alien employee of a vessel with respect to whom certain information, deemed necessary to a proper enforcement of the seamen's sections, is not furnished when vessels enter and leave ports, respectively. It will be observed that the fine with respect to diseased seamen is similar in purpose to the fine imposed by section 9 with respect to diseased alien passengers, but smaller in amount; and that the fine imposed by section. 36 for improper or insufficient furnishing of information is similar and like in amount to that imposed by section 14 with respect to alien passengers.

This subject of administrative fines is so interesting and of such importance to a proper enforcement of the law that the bureau deems it advisable to furnish a special table showing what fines have been assessed during the past year, for what reasons, and the amounts collected with respect to each. It is necessary, of course, to show separately the fines collected under the act of 1907-that is, prior to May 1, 1917-as they were much more limited both in purpose and in amount than those collected under the new law commencing with the date stated.

For details with regard to this feature of the bureau's work reference should be had to the report of the Chief of the Division of Information, which constitutes the second appendix. The war, of course, is having a very material effect upon this work, creating greater necessity and greater opportunities for the activity of the Federal Government in mobilizing and distributing labor. The

growth in the number of Zone organizations as well as in that of the States cooperating with the Department of Labor in employment matters, considered with the success of the service as indicated by the placements for the last fiscal year-aggregating 283,799, an increase over those of the previous year of 208,643-makes it clear that it can further serve the needs of the Government during the war. Plans now being formulated, involving not only the normal work of the system but also such as can be done during the war, will be submitted at an early date to the department for its consideration. The bureau urges the creation out of the activities of said division of a Bureau of Employment in the department.

THE "IMMIGRANT FUND."

On this subject I wish to repeat the following from my report for the fiscal year 1915:

The principal ground upon which the Supreme Court supported the constitutionality of the provision of law authorizing collection of head tax from transportation companies on account of aliens brought by them to ports of the United States was that the so-called tax was a contribution, the purpose of levying which was to mitigate the evils incident to immigration from abroad, and was not a tax in the sense of the Constitution and subject to the limitations imposed by that instrument on the general taxing power of Congress. There can be no question that the intent of Congress, not only originally but upon every occasion when the matter has been before it for consideration in connection with the increase of the amount of the head tax from time to time, was not to raise revenue for the general purposes of the Government, but to constitute a fund from which the expense of satisfactorily regulating and controlling our immigration problem might be paid, the purpose of the several increases in the amount being to afford a larger fund for the maintenance of the service. Since the law providing for the collection of a head tax has been in force up to the end of this fiscal year there has been collected over $9,000,000 in excess of expenditures. The suggestion was made in the last report for the assignment of a portion of this surplus for the purpose of aiding "in the direction and protection of the immigrants after landing and in the effort to relieve industrial centers by securing employment for the surplus labor found therein, either native or foreign, either on farms or in other rural occupations or in settling people on the lands," and the establishment of "a permanent revolving farm-loan fund of the Department of Labor for aiding people applying for labor on farms, in acquiring lands for the establishment of homes, and carrying on farm occupations thereon." The bureau now adds to such suggestion the following: That from and after the 1st day of July, 1916, all the proceeds arising from the head tax be set aside by suitable legislation for the above-mentioned purposes.

IMMIGRATION STATIONS.

During the past year no progress has been made toward the construction of the new station at the port of Boston, for which an appropriation was made several years ago. This project is under the direction of the Treasury Department, but it appears that congressional authority for increasing the original limit of cost has not been forthcoming, and this situation leaves the Immigration Service in the unfortunate position of continuing to occupy a rented building which has long since been found unsuitable from the standpoint of sanitation and safety from fire. The embarrassing condition at this port found additional emphasis upon the entrance of the United States into the war, as several hundred interned aliens at Boston were then placed in custody of the immigration authorities and considerable difficulty attended the effort to place these people temporarily, the present station being wholly inadequate to care