Speech #710302600

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. there are about 1.000.000 seamen coming to the ports of the United States every year. Deducting the licensed officers who do not desert. and taking away the petty officers who very rarely desert. you have still between 400.000 and 500.000 men who are possible deserters or who may come into the country for 60 days under the law and according to the rules. and the result has been for many years nowit began in 1920 to some extent. but in 1921. after the quota law was passed. it took final shape and it has gone on ever sincethat the vessels came here with men who claim to be able seamen and who claim to be ordinary seamen and who are shipped on the other side as seamen. but who as a real practical matter are Immigrants coming here in violation of the immigration laws. I first brought the matter to the attention of the then Secretary of Commerce. Mr. Alexander. in 1921. and he said that he thought they could make regulations dealing with it. but that after a while they found they would not be efficacious. and the fraudulent immigrants have continued to pour men in here ever since. Vessels have been coming here with 200 men and going away with 160. In one instance a vessel came in with over 300 men and went out with 250. those being Greek vessels. On the Atlantic it is constantly going on. especially vessels coming from Mediterranean ports. from French ports. from Belgium. Holland. and Germany. Up to the present time they have not been using this method of emigrating to the United States to any great extent from England nor from the Scandinavian countries. But as the pressure to get to the United States becomes stronger and stronger there is not any doubt as to what they are finally going to do.