BRING JAP LABOR FOR RAILROAD

Commissioner of Immigration Says Large Numbers Are Taken to Hawaii, Thence to Northwestern States.

Many Devices Employed by Chinese to Evade Exclusion Law -- They Also Aid Importation of Immoral Women

By Associated Press, Special by Leased Wire.

WASHINGTON, Monday, Jan. 7. -- The fiscal year ended June 30, 1906, produced a record eclipsing all former figures on the subject of immigration, according to the annual report of Frank Sargent, commissioner general of immigration. In that period, the report says, the population of the United States was increased by the admission of 1,100,735 immigrant aliens and 65,618 non-immigrant aliens entered at its ports, making a total admission of 1,166,353. The increase over last year's record of 1,059,755 was 106,598.

In the fiscal year 1905 the department rejected 11,480 aliens and in the past year 12,432 of the immigrant aliens: that is, those who intended settling in the United States.

"Without exception," the report says, "the countries from which we obtained the greater part of our foreign population and which are inhabited by races akin to our own have supplied us with smaller numbers during the past year than 1905 -- Ireland, 17,950; England, 15,318; Sweden, 3,281; Germany, 3,010; Denmark, 1,229, and Scotland, 1,111 less. On the other hand, the four most considerable gains are; Italy, 51,641; Russia, 30,768; Greece, 8,974, and Turkey, 5,165.

"The immigration from Austria-Hungary amounted to 265,665; China, 1,544; Japan, 13,835, and the West Indies, 13,656."

The immigration from Southern and Eastern European countries, the commissioner says, is a result of general unrest existing among the laboring classes. The commissioner says drastic measures are required to effect a discontinuance of these steamship practices.

That the physical and mental quality of the aliens now coming to America is much below those coming in former years, he says, is evident. The North Atlantic and North Central States together received 90 per cent, of the entire immigration of 1906, the South 4 per cent.

Japs First Go to Hawaii.

The report refers to what the commissioner believes to have been extensive schemes to secure foreign labor brought to light in the past year and now being investigated. The evidence is already at hand, the report says, to show that some individual or corporation is engaged in importing numbers of Japanese laborers to work on the railroads of the Northwest.

These Japanese come to Hawaii destined to "hotels" kept by labor agents, and claim that they are merely seeking labor that may be secured in the islands. They are admitted to the islands, and after remaining a few days or weeks there, they ship for Northwestern mainland ports.

Having been admitted at the Hawaiian ports, their voyage thence is "coastwise," and they cannot be examined on arrival at the mainland ports under the alien labor contract or any other provision of the immigration laws. Japanese immigration direct to San Francisco dropped during the year to very small figures, doubtless, the report says, from causes similar to those just referred to.

The immigration commissioner at San Francisco reports that Japanese have been arriving there coastwise from Honolulu and from Canadian ports at the rate of from 1,000 to 3,000 per month.

The report says that several thousand laborers have been imported under this evasion of the law is not doubted.

Accommodations at Ellis Island, according to the report, are entirely inadequate for the inspection work.

Evasion of Chinese Exclusion Law.

The Chinese exclusion law and the main difficulties attending stationing officers in China to investigate and approve certificates issued by the Chinese government to members of the exempt classes, such plan to supersede that of having the investigation made by the United States consular officers. Greatly improved conditions resulted from the President's orders of last spring instructing consular officers as to their duties concerning these certificates.

Various methods are pointed out in the report by which the Chinese seek to enter the country in violation of the law under the guise of domiciled merchants, etc. Complete and detailed registration of all Chinese in the United States is again recommended. Any Chinese laborer found in the United States a year after the registration act who has not a residence certificate and is found to be unlawfully here should, the report says, be deported.

The commissioner reports that on the Mexican border Chinese coolies are constantly being smuggled into this country from Mexico.

The commissioner again recommends increasing the penalties on steamship companies for bringing aliens afflicted with dangerous or loathsome diseases. The President's suggestions for closing the Mexican border to all aliens except citizens of Mexico is also urged.

Early in the year, the report says, the "white slave" traffic was extensively revived. Many of the girls and women imported for immoral purposes were brought through Mexico and obtained a right to citizenship by marrying Chinese born in this country.