Speech #820200456

I cannot justify an extension of the existing system of rigid national quotas because. as the record has shown. the principle underlying the nationalorigins theory simply does not work. The major reason. of course. is the fact that quotas of all countries have been so largely unused during most of. the years of its application. The historical picture of American immigration since 1925 illustrates how large blocks of unused quota numbers have influenced American immigration. largely as a result of the fact that the nationalorigins principle had the effect of reducing quotas from southern and eastern Europe to only 14 percent of the total for all countries. while increasing the percentage from northern and western Europe to 84 percentremaining 2 percent going to Africa and Asia. The British quota. for example. was raised to 65.721 annually. and Britain and Ireland received more than 50 percent of all quota allotments. The fact that the number of persons admitted under the British quota has at no time since 1931 exceeded 7 percent. and that Irish quotas have not exceeded 10 percent of the total is a major reason for a large block of unfilled quotas each year in one areanorthern and western Europe---at the same time that quotas from southern and western Europe are now heavily oversubscribed. In the 25 years from 1924 until 1950. only twofifths of quota numbers have been filled. and only 1.500.000 immigrants have entered this country under quotas. while approximately 2.500.000 quota numbees were unised. Between 1930 and 1949. only 836.085 quota immigrants were admitted. and it has been estimated that 2.240.169 quota numbers available during that period were lost. It is true. of course. that outside factors influenced this result. A substantial drop in immigration during the 1930s. for example. was influenced by the depression and the consequent inability of United States residents to bring their relatives here. together with a strict interpretation of the 1917 provision excluding persons likely to become a public charge. Similarly. wartime conditions in the 1940s resulted in a substantial reduction of normal immigration. But the operation of the "national origins" principle in weighting annual quotas in favor of certain countries. has also had a marked effect. especially as small quotas have generally applied in the countries where the greatest demand for visas prevails. In its provisions for mortgaging future quotas to admit displaced persons. the Congress has further limited the quotas of those countries of southern and eastern Europe where the demand for visas is heaviest. As of December 10. 1951. the future quotas of 17 countries were mortgaged for a period ranging up to over a century. Just for a moment I would like to call your attention to the effect this legislation has had on the quotas of three countries which are extremely important to us at this time. namely.