Speech #710175361

The Secretary of Labor has heretofore favored the enactment of a quota law for the Western Henisphere but not as strict a law for our neighbor nations as for European countries. In his annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30. 1929. the Secretary of Labor expresses his views upon that question: In a previous report I expressed the opinion that the whole problem of Immigration from New World countries could be satisfactorily solved by extending a modified quota system to countries of the natives of which are now free to come to the United States in unlimited numbers. I suggested that more liberal quotas and an increased minimum quota be allotted to New World countries than in the case of others and pointed out that such action could not well be objected to as discriminatory in view of the fact that we already accord the privilege of open immigration to our neighbors of North. Central. and South America and at the same time impose quota restrictions on other countries. To my mind the modified quota system I have suggested would be less discriminatory than the present one. That. in practical effect. would amount to an indorsement by Secretary Davis of the bill introduced in the House of Representatives by the Representative from Washington . which does grant more liberal quotas to countries of the Western Hemisphere than does the bill introduced by the Senator from Georgia . which imposes the same quota upon the countries of the Western Hemisphere as is applied to European countries.