selves. The United States shipping commissioner wrote the fish concerns on two occasions requesting them to have the seamen appear at his office for the purpose of signing the articles. No attention was paid to this request, with the result that the alien deep-sea fishermen sailing out of Boston are not articled or examined by immigration officials. The passport regulations which went into effect on September 15, 1918, provided that immigration officials furnish seamen's identification cards (Form L) to all alien deep-sea fishermen, and that customs officials furnish the cards (Form K) to all American deep-sea fishermen. The customs officials, acting under the instructions issued by the Treasury Department, assumed full control of and issued seamen's coastwise identification cards to all deep-sea fishermen sailing out of Boston. This practice was discontinued last fall. The new immigration bill now pending before Congress has included deep-sea fishermen in the definition of the term "seamen," and to have these aliens regularly examined under the immigration laws and regulations it will be necessary to have them sign the articles. In view of the satisfactory results obtained at Gloucester, Mass., the opinion is expressed that, in order to prevent the unlawful entry of a large number of illiterate aliens who have been rejected at the seaports of Canada it will be necessary to have the aliens articled and the matter again brought to the attention of the Department of Commerce, with a request that instructions be issued to the United States shipping commissioners to article all deep-sea fishermen. The statistical data given below represents the number of seamen examined by our officials at the various seaports, the number of seamen's identification cards issued, and the number of seamen certified for loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases: A glance at the foregoing statistical table will convince any person who is at all familiar with the situation of the magnitude of the task involved in examining 810,097 alien seamen, to 261,551 of whom identification cards were furnished; and that, notwithstanding the decrease in immigration, the service has been performing during the past year as much inspection work as ever before in its history. Of the above number, 4,053 were certified as being afflicted with a 139446-19 -18 loathsome or dangerous contagious disease and were removed to hospitals for treatment. This action was taken in order to prevent the diseased seamen from coming ashore, mingling with the public, and spreading contagion. At no other time in the history of the bureau has the work in connection with alien seamen shown such satisfactory and valuable results. The results accomplished have been of positive benefit to the seamen, to the public, and to the shipping interests. (1) The health of the seamen has been protected by the removal from ships of diseased members of the crews who themselves have been assured of necessary medical treatment. Seamen are no longer antagonistic to the inspection process, but are desirous of availing themselves of the practical benefits accruing from a full enforcement of the rule. (2) The health of the community has been protected against the invasion of numbers of diseased seamen on shore leave. (3) The masters, agents, and owners of vessels are coming to look with favor upon the successful efforts of this service to improve sanitary and health conditions aboard ship. It is estimated that the examination of a seaman incidental to the issuance of an identification card consumes more time than is ordinarily required in the inspection of an immigrant passenger. The rigid medical examination conducted by the surgeons of the Public Health Service has resulted in a notable decrease of venereal disease among ships' crews. Masters of vessels in many instances have expressed their appreciation of the results accomplished. This occasion is taken to express appreciation of the very valuable cooperation of the officials in charge of the ports visited during the past year. Special mention is justly made of the assistance rendered by Surg. Gen. Blue and Asst. Surg. Gen. Creel, of the Public Health Service. Without the aid of these officials, which was always given in a most cordial and sympathetic spirit, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to carry out the important work of preventing the entry into this country of a large number of aliens afflicted with loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases. JEREMIAH J. HURLEY, Special Representative on Seamen's Work. APPENDIX IV. REPORT OF SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON CHINESE PRACTICE. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, In addition to the assignment as inspector in charge of the Chinese branch of the immigration service at New York, the writer was designated on August 1, 1918, to act as special representative of the bureau in the field, personally to supervise matters relating to the enforcement of the Chinese-exclusion laws and of those provisions of the immigration act which relate to the exclusion of aliens as distinguished from the regulation of immigration. After a conference with the bureau concerning his duties, the special representative went to the Pacific coast, and after visiting en route several of the most important immigration stations, made a careful survey of conditions at the San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle offices. At these ports hearings were attended in Chinese cases conducted separately by practically all the officers; their methods of questioning were observed, advice given, and suggestions made tending to the establishment of a better and more uniform practice throughout the service. Conferences were held at the various stations and instructions issued relative to the enforcement of the provisions of the President's proclamation of August 8, 1918, concerning foreign travel. In March last, in consequence of a decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Quan Hing Sun et al. v. White), the bureau was enabled to amend the Chinese regulations by requiring that all Chinese seeking entry to the United States, unless landed on primary inspection, be examined by a board of special inquiry in the manner long in vogue in the cases of other aliens. The special representative was present at the conference at which this change was adopted, and thereafter, by direction of the bureau, again visited the Pacific coast ports which handle almost all cases of Chinese seeking admission, for the purpose of inaugurating the new system. He found that while boards had been organized and hearings conducted in a number of cases prior to his arrival no instructions had been issued outlining exactly the procedure to be followed, and also that there was no thorough understanding as to the proper interpretation of the rules. After studying the situation in San Francisco and a conference with the commissioner and the officers assigned to Chinese work, a memorandum was issued explaining in detail the manner in which the bureau desired the work to be conducted. Subsequently, by attending several board hearings, it was ascertained that the offcers had a reasonable working knowledge of the rules. Like instructions were issued at Seattle and, after returning to the bureau, each port of entry for Chinese which had not been visited |