Page images
PDF
EPUB

and employees of how to take the partly skilled man, how to take the unskilled man, and make him available for doing skilled work. That will be a part of our problem. The situation has been so intense that the State councils of defense, voluntarily organized by and with the approval of the executives of the various States, have taken up the subject matter of creating an employment service, a placement service within their respective States. They are not in a position to utilize the services of those institutions beyond State lines unless there is created some Federal division that can connect up the States into a common clearing house of information. We estimate that it will take $750,000 to extend the organization that we have to the point where it will be reasonably efficient and carry it through the current fiscal year.

The CHAIRMAN. This, in effect, creates a national employment bureau?

Secretary WILSON. That is what it does.

The CHAIRMAN. I notice that in the contemplated organization you provide for 21 directors in the field.

Secretary WILSON. Yes. That is because we feel that in addition to a central zone here at Washington there should be a number of zones established throughout the country so that the information gathered within those zones will result in the movement of the people within those zones, who can be moved, to fill the opportunities, and that when demands are made for workmen in excess of what can be supplied within that zone, then the central zone at Washington can get in touch with all of the other zones; when there are more workmen than can find employment within that zone, then the central zone at Washington can get in touch with all the other zones.

The CHAIRMAN. You have at present a Bureau of Information? Secretary WILSON. A Division of Information in the Bureau of Immigration.

The CHAIRMAN. What organization has that division?

Mr. WATSON. They have about 9 or 10 people.

The CHAIRMAN. I find from the legislative law that they have a chief at $3,500, an assistant chief at $2,500, two clerks of class 4, one of class 3, two of class 2, three of class 1, one at $900, and a messenger; in all, $19,340. Some other money was expended in connection with the work of the Division of Information, was it not?

Secretary WILSON. In connection with that we used the immigration fund, which was available for this purpose, for immigration inspectors in carrying on the placement work that we have thus far carried on.

The CHAIRMAN. My recollection is that you used $135,000?
Secretary WILSON. Approximately that.

The CHAIRMAN. You have that $135,000 yet, have you not?

Secretary WILSON. Yes; we have that $135,000 yet; and we propose, if this goes through, to take that organization over bodily wherever it exists throughout the country and make it a part of this common plant.

The CHAIRMAN. That would make for the fiscal year

Secretary WILSON (interposing). $135,000 plus $750,000.

Mr. WATSON. This $750,000 would be less a proportionate reduction for the balance of the year, because one-half of the month has already expired.

The CHAIRMAN. But you could not get this force at work inside of a month?

Mr. WATSON. It might be possible, because we have the agencies already established.

The CHAIRMAN. If you were given $750,000 with which to establish this kind of a service, you could not possibly get it all established in a month?

Mr. WATSON. Not in a month-no-but we could make more progress than we could with a new activity, because we have most of these agencies already in existence.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you ample quarters for any force you may employ in Washington?

Mr. WATSON. You mean under this item?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes.

Mr. WATSON. Not ample quarters, but we could provide space and get along.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you not get more space in your building than was anticipated?

Secretary WILSON. Yes; we got one more floor than we anticipated. The CHAIRMAN. Then you ought to have a lot more room.

Secretary WILSON. We have no more room than we should have, but we can place quite a number of people before we will be as badly crowded as we were in the other building.

The CHAIRMAN. So you would not need to spend any money for rent?

Secretary WILSON. Not immediately; we do not anticipate spending any money for rent immediately.

The CHAIRMAN. As a matter of fact, because of the conditions arising out of the war, could you not use a larger sum out of your immigration fund for this purpose?

Mr. WATSON. We have just had to increase the immigration force very materially because of the new law.

The CHAIRMAN. But you got a lot of additional employees because of the new immigration act which you do not need or can not use? Secretary WILSON. I have not been able to find them. Mr. Chairman. We let a great many of our men go, those who resigned and those who were dismissed for a period. However, we have had a clamor from along the Mexican border and the Canadian border for an increased force. Then, when we undertake to cut down the force, say. at Ellis Island or at Boston, we are met immediately with this statement, that while there are not as many immigrants coming in there are practically as many vessels coming in, and that those vessels have to be examined.

The CHAIRMAN. But you do not have as many immigrants?

Secretary WILSON. No; but you must have a force there in order to examine the vessels.

The CHAIRMAN. Does not the size of the force depend, to some extent, upon the number of immigrants?

Secretary WILSON. Yes; and we have not as large a force as we did have; we have cut it down quite considerably. As you recall, we voluntarily came up here and said, "You can take $200,000 off"; and I thought I had nothing else to do but say that there were not as many people coming in as there used to be and that we can get

along with fewer people and presto chango it would be done, but there are a great many objections, and some reasonable objections, in a way.

Mr. WATSON. The history of immigration has always been that with a reduction in immigration there was a corresponding increase in the rigor of inspection. For instance, years ago at New York, the first-cabin passengers were not inspected at all, and it is only in recent years that that has been done.

The CHAIRMAN. The number of persons coming from Europe has very greatly decreased, necessarily?

Secretary WILSON. That is true.

The CHAIRMAN. In the first place, instead of trying to get rid of them, they endeavor to keep them there.

Secretary WILSON. It has very materially reduced; it has been reduced from about a million and a quarter to less than a quarter of a million. However, we are getting a little from Russia yet; we are getting some from Mediterranean ports, and we are getting some from all along the western shores of Europe; we are also getting some from the Cape Verde Islands, and of those we got very few before.

IMPORTATION OF LABOR FROM MEXICO.

(See p. 200.)

The CHAIRMAN. In that connection, Mr. Secretary, if this bill gets into the House the action of the department in suspending the immigration law as far as it affects the bringing in of certain classes of labor from Mexico will no doubt be discussed, and I wish you would state what you have done or what the situation is.

Secretary WILSON. The law places in the hands of the SecretaryI do not recall the section now

The CHAIRMAN (interposing). Will you put that provision in the record, please?

Secretary WILSON. Yes. It places in the hands of the Secretary the discretion to admit temporarily, under such regulations as he may prescribe, aliens who are seeking admission into the United States. It is possible that Congress did not intend that that discretion should be used in the manner in which it has been used, but the authority, in my judgment, is clear in the language of the act itself. We found this condition existing: That in Texas, in southern California, and in parts of Arizona they had been dependent, to a very great extent, for their seasonal labor, in carrying on farming operations, on labor from Mexico.

The CHAIRMAN. That came in temporarily and then went back? Secretary WILSON. Yes. With the coming of the war there were large numbers of Mexicans who were residents of the United States and who had been permanently residents of the United States and who feared they would be drafted; therefore they returned to Mexico to avoid that draft and that intensified the labor situation along the border. Application was made to the department to find out whether or not there was some method by which relief could be obtained. The governor of the State of Texas was one of those who asked that some method of relief be devised. We utilized

this section of the law, to which I have referred, and which places this discretion in the hands of the Secretary, to permit Mexicans to come in temporarily for agricultural purposes, in order to meet the emergency then existing. We felt this way in connection with it: That the question of balancing labor, the number that would go into one kind of employment and the number that would go into another kind of employment, would continue at all periods during the year except in seasonal occupations; that in agriculture, unless you got a man prepared in season, the seed sown in season, and the crop harvested in season, you lost it entirely, and that you could not wait for the slow processes of the readjustment of wages and conditions. in order to get the labor supply, if you wanted to get the fullest possible results of your agriculture, and in order to meet that situation we exercised our discretion under that provision of the law to admit these people temporarily, under regulations that provided for their registration, a photograph being taken of them and held in duplicate, one held by the Immigration Service, in order that we could locate them, and with a provision

The CHAIRMAN (interposing). Is this the provision, Mr. Secretary:

Provided further, That the Commissioner General of Immigration, with the approval of the Secretary of Labor, shall issue rules and prescribe conditions, including exaction of such bonds as may be necessary, to control and regulate the admission and return of otherwise inadmissible aliens applying for temporary admission.

Secretary WILSON. We utilize that proviso of law for the purpose of admitting temporarily men who are coming for agricultural

purposes.

Mr. CANNON. That does not confine it to agricultural purposes? Secretary WILSON. No. It places in the discretion of the Secretary what the conditions shall be. In exercising that discretion. I came to the conclusion that in continuous occupations the readjustment would be going on continuously, in season and out of season, but that in agricultural pursuits unless you got the workman at the moment when the season was on it would be valueless and the readjustment could not go on continuously.

Mr. CANNON. Under the law that gives you that power; you could let them in for any purpose whatever?

Secretary WILSON. For any purpose within the discretion of the Secretary; temporarily and under such regulations as he may prescribe. I think that is all I care to say. What was in my mind was helping out the situation with regard to agriculture, because that was seasonal and had to be cared for at the moment or it could not be cared for during the season.

Mr. CANNON. Do you use that discretion in mining and in the textile factories?

Secretary WILSON. No; not for anything except agricultural purposes. That has been one of the conditions laid down under which they could come in.

Mr. CANNON. The law does not say "For agricultural purposes"? Secretary WILSON. No; but it says within the discretion of the Secretary.

Mr. CANNON. Precisely.

Secretary WILSON. The Secretary has used that discretion in that way; he has said that they may come in temporarily for agricultural purposes.

Mr. CANNON. What you claim under that law for agricultural purposes you could do for mining purposes or for textile purposes? Secretary WILSON. Precisely; if it was in the discretion of the Secretary, why, he could do so.

The CHAIRMAN. Temporarily?
Secretary WILSON. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the time fixed in these permits?

Secretary WILSON. They are to be returned at the discretion of the Secretary, but not longer than the conclusion of the war. Mr. CANNON. The conclusion of the war?

Secretary WILSON. Yes, sir.

Mr. CANNON. Would it be temporary if the war lasted two or three years?

Secretary WILSON. They might still be admitted for agricultural purposes, unless the Secretary, in his discretion, in the meantime changed it.

Mr. CANNON. In the meantime they need not go back to Mexico. Secretary WILSON. No, sir.

NATURALIZATION SERVICE.

INCREASED NUMBER OF DECLARATIONS, ETC.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is "Naturalization Service," and the appropriation is $275,000 and you are asking for $150,000 additional.

Mr. CRIST. That estimate was made in April upon a carefully considered survey of the naturalization work. At that time we were in receipt of an appropriation of $275,000, of which $214,000 in round numbers was available for the naturalization field force, the naturalization examiners, and around $60,000 was expended for clerical assistance to naturalization clerks. That estimate was based upon an increase of over 100 per cent in the filing of naturalization papers all over the United States. The increase in money in percentage is far below the actual increase in the work.

The usual number of naturalization papers coming into the bureau during the past year has averaged each month about 17,000 in declarations of intention, and about 9,000 in petitions for naturalization. Commencing in February, the naturalization business increased so that there were in round numbers about 43,000 declarations taken out. In April about the same number. In May and June, we received over 80,000 declarations each month.

Mr. BYRNS. An increase from what?

Mr. CRIST. From about 17,000 a month. The total number of naturalization papers filed from February to May, inclusive, has been 251,000 that is, declarations of intention-while last year there were 207,000 filed during the whole year. There were 108,000 petitions filed last year, and from February to May, inclusive, four months, there were over 62,000 petitions filed. The increase in naturalization has been over 100 per cent and we ask for $150,000.

« PreviousContinue »