1-12 FR-13 loited experi zach, REPORT OF COMMISSIONER GENERAL OF IMMIGRATION. 9 in the past year over 14 years of age (760,750), 185,203, or 24.3 per cent, were illiterate The total amount of money shown to inspection officers by arriving aliens was $29,411,488, or an average of about $33 per person. There is no way of determining what portion of this consisted of money sent applicants by relatives or friends in this country. Of those admitted, 531,557 showed amounts of less than $50 each, whereas 121,125 were able to show $50 or over each, so that of those able to give ocular demonstration of the possession of money, namely, 652,682, about 82 per cent had in their possession less than $50 each. Of the aliens entering, 586,904 claimed to have paid their own passage, while 281,718 admitted that their passage had been paid by relatives and 9,965 admitted that their passage had been paid by persons other than relatives. Thus, even according to the not altogether reliable information on this subject furnished by applicants, it appears that over 333 per cent of the total number admitted were assisted to reach this country. In 1910 those assisted amounted to 25 per cent. With respect to emigrant aliens, Table VII A shows that a total of 295,666 (238,922 males and 56,744 females) departed during the past year. Concerning 49,080 of these it has been impossible to keep a record of the period they had lived in the United States, as they left across the Canadian border. It is shown, however, that 15,889 were less than 14, 248,021 were from 14 to 44, and 31,756 were 45 years of age or over; 201,294 had resided in the United States less than 5 years, 35,323 from 5 to 10 years, 4,990 from 10 to 15 years, 2,438 from 15 to 20 years, and 2,541 over 20 years. The series constituted by Tables XVII, XVII ▲, XVII в, and XVIII deals with aliens refused admission and returned from the ports and aliens apprehended within the country and deported on departmental warrants. They must be discussed in some detail. From Table XVII it will be seen that during the year there were turned back at the ports 22,349 aliens, or about 2.1 per cent of the total number applying for admission. The following comparative statement as to principal causes of rejection is inserted for convenience, carrying out a similar illustration that has been given in previous reports: Table XVII A furnishes a useful comparison, by causes of rejection, concerning aliens debarred during the years 1892 to 1911, inclusive. Table XVII B deals with a separate phase of the rejections caused by the necessity for sometimes refusing residents of foreign contiguous territory the privilege of entering for alleged temporary purposes. It will be noted that a total of 423 such rejections have occurred. The arrests and deportations of aliens are shown by Table XVIII. Those arrested and deported are segregated into the three general classes, "Deportation compulsory within 3 years," "Deportation compulsory without time limit," and "Public charges within 1 year after entry, from subsequent causes;" and under each general classification are shown the specific causes for deportation. The second general classification is now possible for the first time, resulting from the abolishment by Congress in the white-slave act of March 26, 1910, of the three-year limitation so far as aliens of the sexually immoral class are concerned. Deportations of this new class amounted to 71. The total number of warrants of deportation issued was 2,788, compared with 2,695 in the year 1910. All but 9 of these deported aliens were of the mandatorily excludable classes. The excepted 9 were deported by the aliens' consent, the cause of distress having arisen subsequent to entry. Of the 2,708 aliens falling under the first-mentioned heading, 1,151 were members of the excluded classes at time of entry, 857 had become public charges from certain specified causes existing prior to entry, 129 had become prostitutes after entry, and 555 had entered without inspection. Of those falling under the second heading, 52 were immoral women, 11 were procurers, and 8 were aliens supported by the proceeds of prostitution. It will be noted that so far the country has benefited to a limited extent only from the far-reaching provisions of this excellent piece of legislation, but it is apprehended that the benefits, both direct and indirect, will increase steadily with the lapse of time. The matter of appeals and applications for entry under bond is covered by Tables XIX and XIX a. Section 25 of the immigration act provides that "the decision of any two members of a board [of special inquiry] shall prevail, but either the alien or any dissenting member of the said board may appeal through the commissioner of immigration at the port of arrival and the Commissioner General of Immigration to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor." During the year 8,433 appeals from excluding decisions of boards were passed upon, 2,858 of the aliens being admitted outright and 1,368 on bond, while in 4,075 cases the decisions of the boards were affirmed. and 132 appeals remained open at the close of the year. There were 68 appeals taken by board members from admitting decisions, in 39 of which the aliens were admitted outright, in 4 they were admitted on bond, and 25 of these appeals were sustained and the aliens rejected; also, in 210 instances aliens applied for admission under bond (without taking appeal), 154 of the applications being granted and 56 denied. Table XX is a compilation of figures covering alien seamen reported by masters of vessels as having deserted. They are known to be very inaccurate. For the past three years it has been impossible to obtain from the steamship lines accurate information concerning deserters. The decision of the Supreme Court in the Taylor case (207 U. S., 120) and the fact that a suit in which it was attempted to enforce the payment of head tax on account of deserting seamen was decided adversely to the Government tend to encourage noncompliance with the provisions of rule 22 of the immigration regulations. The very serious nature of this matter is illustrated by the wholesale violations of law discovered in the case of the Hellenic Transatlantic Steam Navigation Co. In that case the immigration officers at New York, acting in conjunction with the United States attorney's office in Brooklyn, obtained very substantial results both as regards fines and imprisonments in connection with an investigation of the unlawful bringing to the port and landing of aliens placed upon the articles of the ship as employees, as set forth in the report of the commissioner at New York (p. 149). In addition to the showing of this table, it should be stated that during the year over 30,000 Chinese seamen have come into the ports of the United States on merchant vessels, and many desertions have occurred. Moreover, Table XXI shows 528 stowaways brought to United States ports during the past year as compared with 474 for the preceding year. A bill (H. R. 32441) was introduced at the last session of Congress which, if enacted into law, will go a long way toward the abatement of these grave evils, especially if it should be merged into the measure proposed by the Bureau last year and again presented as Appendix I hereto. (See the method of effecting the merger shown on pp. 184-185 and explained on p. 205.) The amount of head tax collected on account of aliens who entered during the year is shown by Table XXII. Of the aliens admitted, 913,880 were taxable, the sum collected being $3,655,513. The corresponding figures last year were 1,041,242 and $4,164,966. By referring to the financial statement (p. 166), it will be seen that of the appropriation of $2,575,000 made for conducting the service for the year, $2,277,311.78 was spent. Very distinctly has the immigration act become a revenue producer, the balance between the amount collected and the amount appropriated being $1,080,721. |