Mr. Chairman. I might very readily give a descriptive story of this structure and picture in detail all the objections to the building and the reasons for a new One. but it seems to me that inasmuch as the suggestion is for a new station and the bill has been indorsed by the hiterested authorities. including the committee in charge of immigration and naturalization. that would be unnecessary. We find that our immigration in Philadelphia has been increlsing during the last ten years. I have taken the trouble to secure the statistics. which would readily answer the inquiry of the gentleman from Alabama a moment ago. In 1898 the immigrants landing at that port were 11.99). in 1899. 12.338. The rest of the staistics I shall omit at this moment. but each year the numb.!r of immigrants has increased. with one or two exceptions. until 1907. when the total number of people lauding at that port was 39.955. There has been a slight decrease during the last few months. but the normal increase is likely to continue from year to year. and the necessities of the port are becoming constantly greater. It is most unfortunate that for a number of year� the officials of the Government of the United States have been compelled to do the business connected with this immigration at that port by courtesy of private corporations. They have not had an office of their own. except in the central part of the city. The headquarters in the immigration station have been maintained by courtesy of the railroad company. which owns the ground and the building. and of the steamship company. which leases the ground and the building. It seems to me that it is high time that the Government should step in. in its proper and dignified way. and assumne entire control of the situation. that it should not only own the ground. but it should own the building. and that that building should comport with all the modern requirements of a station of this kind.
Keywords matched
immigrants immigration naturalization