Speech #620269453

We ask no assistance to take care of them. and if the people of the rest of the country would take a broader view of this important subject and do their part they would not only be happier. but more prosperous. If their communities were like our great city. they would develop more rapidly. The following is an interesting table of the population in the. city of New York. furnished me by the Census Bureau. showing the native and foreign born of that city. You will observe the foreign born in 1880 was about 33 per cent and that in 1910 it has only increased to about 38 per cent. in spite of the immigration of the last 30 years: -cw York City. Boroughs. Total. Foreign Total. Foreign born. born. New York ........................ 1.2W.299 478.670 1.515.301 639.943 Kings ............................ 599.495 188.312 838.547 272.895 Queens ........................... 90.574 22.001 12.11 059 85.146 Iichmond ....................... 38.991 10.961 51.693 14.779 Grand total ................ 1.935. 59 699.944 2.533.600 962.763 Boroughs. Total. Foreign Total. Foreign born. born. Now York ........................ 2.050. 600 850.8S4 2.762.522 1.265.904 Kings ............................ 1.166.582 355. 697 1.634.351 574.730 Queens. P ......................... 152.999 44.812 284.041 79.329 Richmnond ....................... 67.021 18.687 85.969 24.394 Grand total ................ 3.437.202 1.270.080 4.766.883 1.914.357 My second reason for opposing this legislation is that it is economically wrong. The recent immigration has not displaced the native American wage earner and the earlier immigrant. but has only covered the shortage of labor resulting from the excess of the demand over the domestic supply. I am competent. I believe. to discuss this question. I have studied it from every phase as affecting the business interests of New York City and the wage earning of the American workman. neither has it increased the hours of labor of the socalled skilled American workman. The real fact in the matter that can be demonstrated clearly is that this immigration has tended to actually decrease the hours of labor and increase the wages of the skilled American workman. I am enraged in the building business in New York City. and from my own observation have noted in the past 25 years first a reduction of the hours of labor of men engaged in that industry from 10 to 8 hours and an actual increase in compensation for every branch of labor of from 30 to 100 per cent. The following are a few of the trades 81.3 picked out at random showing how much the compensation has increased during the time above indicated: Common laborer. with pick and shovel. from $1.25 to $2.25 per diem.