Speech #600023347

The Senator is mistaken. It enlarges the space very much over that required under existing law. Last year there was an amendment to the immigration act enlarging the space. and using the phraseology of our old passenger act. The amendment was very hastily drawn in the closing days of the session. and two years were given to the steamship companies to comply with the provisions of section 42 of the immigration act. It was found. as it became necessary to put the law in force. that the definition of "main deck" was a definition on which agreement was almost impossible with respect to modern ships. The officers in the port of New York. to whom this matter was referred. were divided in opinion as to what constituted the main deck of the modern steamship. If you took the definition that it was the first deck flush from stem to stern. all the company was obliged to do was to make a break in that deck and drop the main deck still lower. and there was therefore no proper limitation to the deck upon which steerage passengers could be carried. It became absolutely essential that there should be a proper definition in the law. so as to prevent steerage passengers being carried below the waterline deck. That is the first thing in the act of last year which makes necessary action at the present time. The other point was the air space. We enlarged the air space very greatly last year. We carried it not only beyond the act of 1882. but we carried it beyond the air space required under the English law. which was the standard law at that time. We omitted what is in the British regulations. a provision for what is known as "promenade space "-that is. space for dining room and smoking room and space for immigrants to move about. Under the law. as it stood in section 42. it would have been entirely possible for the steamship companies. at the crowded season of the year. to have taken all the promenade space. which is what exists in all the best ships now. and to have converted it into berth space. Our law simply limited the berth space. Under this proposed act. although the air space is very largely increased over the law of 1882 now in existence. and over any air space that we have ever given before. it is not quite so large as that provided in the section of the act of last year. but if you add to it the space in what is known as the " promenade space." and which. under the existing law. could all be absorbed for berth space. you increase the total accommodations for the immigrant. It is simply a somewhat different distribution of the air space. At the time section 42 was passed last year the British Parliament had appointed a special board of experts to revise entirely the regulations in regard to steerage passengers. and those regulations were not completed until just at the beginning of the present session. They provided. as I have already said. for the promenade space. and the act was drawn with great care. It applies not only to all British ships. but it applies to all foreign ships which touch for steerage passengers at British ports. It is of great importance in an international sense that our arrangements should conform. as far as possible. to the British regulations. which are undoubtedly the best for the modern carrying of steerage passengers. If our arrangements and theirs conform it practically compels all other ships to conform also. I will just read what the result of this bill is In air space. taking 100 cubic feet as the standard.