Speech #680070997

I think that is true. I think that is why they want to see wage earners emigrate. leaving relatives behind. because it is to the interest of their whole people to have remittances coming in from their immigrants to the United States. A word about the whole situation as it affects this country. In my judgment. we have the greatest opportunity il our whole history to take in a reasonable addition to our population and have it of the very best immigrant quality. We have a golden opportunity now because all the world wants to come to the United States. and if we shall not get the best possible quality of immigration it will be our fault. The country ought to be strengthened from much of this inflow of new blood. and it will be so strengthened if we establish it proper system of selection and do not allow the whole immigration volume to be absorbed by one or two countries to the exclusion of all the others. Now. I wish to say a word about how the present immigration quota law has been working. As I have said. the quotas aggregate 357.000 persons a year. and the act of 1921 provides that 20 per cent of that annual quota may come in In one month. It Is obvious that without any further system of regulation a ship that arrives at one of our ports on the fourth or fifth day of the month may find that other ships which have come in on the first two or three days of the month have entirely absorbed the quota. Consequently. It is arranged that all ships carrying immigrants shall arrive at our ports on the first day of the month. if it is possible so to schedule them. and. as the quotas come nearer and nearer to exhaustion. it becomes more and more likely that a ship will have to take its cargo of lmmigrants back to Europe at the expense of the ship. So the incentive to get here In a hurry is increased. and that combination of circumstances has led to what is known as the "racing" at the beginning of each month. until it is not an unconmmon sight to see sometimes 15 liners racing for New York Harbor to try to get there at 1 minute past 12 oclock. each trying to get ahead of all the others. -each of them wanting to be first because It is known that the one to arrive first Is mort likely to have the immigrants it carries get in under the quota. and also it will have to maintain the immigrants in the harbor awaiting examination a shorter time than if it arrived after a dozen other vessels. At first the goal was the quarantine station on Staten Island. and we actually had the spectacle of great ocean liners racing each other neck and neck through the Ambrose Channel in the effort to get to the quarantine station each ahead of the other. It was obvious that if they kept that up there was going to be a pretty bad wreck sooner or later. and so the commissioner of immigration In New York announced that the goal hereafter would be the lightship at the entrance of the harbor. that when they got to that point their order of examination would be determined. and they did not need to race within New York Harbor. But there is still th4s phenomenon of racing at the beginning of each of the first five months of the fiscal year. and It Is entirely unintelligent and it is entirely unfair to the immigrant who is excluded. It Is not at all his fault that his boat loses in the race. and yet. as the result of it. he is apt to be deported and barred out frbm return for nearly a year. We have got to correct that situation . it has been a bad condition of affairs.