Speech #670282938

I sincerely hope the rule will be adopted. and I hope that thereafter the Memhers will pay close attention to some statements that will be made by those who have made an intensive study as to the situation which creates the actual necessity for the creation of this position. This bill comes to this body from the Senate. where it was reported after a hearing held by Senator BORAH and others. and it comes to this House from the Committee on Labor. But inasmuch as the situation largely hangs around the question of immigration. and inasmuch as immigration creates 75 or 80 per cent of the business of the Department of Labor. the members of the Committee on Immigration of the House have given the problem much attention. and since the bill was reported myself and other members of the Immigration Committee have gone to the department. have learned the exact situation. which we hope to discuss when the bill is up for consideration. Those of you who have been here for some. time remember that we had an acrimonious debate over the right of review of appeal cases by the then AsSistant Secretary of Labor over the then Commissioner General of Immigration that resulted in a change of plan but not a change of law. Now. it is true that we have fewer immigrants than we had. and yet we are in a worse jam on account of the right of review. When we had 1.400.000 immigrants annually. we only had 2 per cent of the cases up on appeal for final review. In the old days the Commissioner General of Immigration took the report of the chief of the board of inquiry. wrote an opinion. followed by the word "approved" or "disapproved." and this went up ostensibly to the Secretary of Labor. as required by law. but really to the Assistant Secretary of Labor who was supposed to accept the opinion and sign his name. Assistant Secretary Post refused to do that. The row which followedand I am sorry for my part of that phase of itenabled Mr.