Speech #720153525

I indorse the remarks made by the gentleman from Alabama to the effect that the Appropriation Committee has kept up well with appropriations necessary for the deporting of aliens unlawfully here. Much progress has been made along that line. thanks to the law. the Department of Labor. and the committee. But there is need for additional law to take care of desertions of alien seamen from ships coming to our ports. I doubt if we have a proper system of fines to cover those cases. We do not desire to amend the La Follette Seamans Act of 1915. which has accomplished so much in behalf of sailors generally. Efforts are being made by the House Committee on Immigration. with the help of the chairman of the committee . to perfect a .bill that will be effective as to the desertion of seamen. The trouble is that the bill that has come over from the Senate has another provision. which undertakes to regulate the racial type of seamen on ships of various nationalities. Many members of the Committee on Immigration have been inclined to think that phase to be the province of the Committee on Merchant Marine. Radio. and Fisheries. It is hoped that during the summer we can split the bill now before the Immigration Committee and perfect a bill that will deal with the illegal entry of seamen and stop a great hole there. In this work I feel sure we will have the help of Andrew Furuseth. president of the seamans union. who is well known to most members and who knows the subject as an expert.