were playing on the vessel authorities. On the contrary, it was a deliberately planned scheme, which possibly had worked without detection on previous occasions, to assist (undoubtedly for a satisfactory consideration) 73 of their countrymen to gain surreptitious and unlawful admission to the United States. Measures the purpose of which was to effectually stop practices of this character have been taken.

A noteworthy increase in the numbers of Chinese arriving at our ports and seeking the privilege of transit across United States territory also occurred. In this connection the figures show that the privilege of transit under bond was granted on behalf of 17,907 Chinese. Of this number, 8,269 were admitted at San Francisco, with destinations (principally) Cuba and Mexico; and 6,677 were admitted at Montreal, across the land border, with destinations Cuba, Mexico, South America, etc.

Some months ago the Government of Mexico announced that the further admission of Chinese transits to that country would be prohibited. This announcement had the immediate, effect of stopping the transit movement of Chinese to that country via United States ports. Since that time the bulk of Chinese transits have gone. to Cuba. This heavy transit of Chinese coolie laborers to that country had its origin during the war period, when their services were utilized very largely in the raising of sugar cane and in the sugar industry. It is understood that for the past two years or more

there has been no demand for the services of Chinese laborers in Cuba, that there is nothing for them to do, and that there are now thousands there virtually idle, with no work in prospect. Yet the transit movement there continues has even shown an increase during the past year. The return transit movement from Cuba for the past year has been rather inconsequential. Unfortunately the exact figures are not readily available.

It is interesting to speculate as to just what the motive which impels these Chinese laborers to proceed to Cuba in such large numbers may be. It is equally interesting to speculate as to what eventually becomes of them. Some have been detected in endeavors to smuggle into this country at points on the Atlantic coast. Others have been apprehended after having successfully smuggled, or been smuggled, ashore. Doubtless many others have gained entry in this manner and their presence here has not been discovered.

As the matter of granting transit to Chinese aliens is a privilege to be exercised in the discretion of the department, rather than a requirement, the bureau has recently given serious consideration to the question of stopping it so far as those with destination to Cuba is concerned. It will be appreciated, however, that the Chinese affected could still reach their destination by sailing direct to Habana, through the Panama Canal.

The number of Japanese aliens admitted to continental United States decreased from 12,868 in the fiscal year 1920 to 10,675 for the present year. There was a slight increase in the present year in the number of Japanese aliens admitted in Hawaii, the figures showing the admission there of 3,599, as compared with 3,306 in 1920. The Korean alien admissions in Hawaii for the past year totaled 56.

In past years a considerable number of women of the Japanese race were admitted at continental ports, destined to husbands whom they

had married in accordance with the so-called "picture," or "proxy,' system. In its last report the bureau called attention to the fact that, after due consideration of the subject, the Japanese Government fixed by decree the 29th day of February, 1920, as the last day upon which passports would issue to so-called "proxy" brides, and announced that September 1, 1920, would be the last day that passports so issued would be considered valid. This decree of the Imperial Government of Japan has had the effect of stopping the coming to mainland ports of the United States of "proxy" brides.

There have been some desertions from arriving vessels of Japanese crew members; but apparently the number who have thus deserted and remained in the United States has not been large.

SEAMEN.

More alien seamen have been accorded examination (immigration and medical) in ports of the United States during the present year than during any other year since the examination of such seamen was made compulsory. That the examination of arriving alien seamen imposes upon the Immigration Service a huge volume of work will be made readily apparent by an inspection of the figures. The number of vessels boarded by the immigration officials and representative of the Public Health Service is reported as 26,470; 1,139,339 inspections were conducted on board of said vessels; 118,967 seamen's identification cards were issued; 6,331 seamen were certified to be afflicted with loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases (most of them venereal); and 4,878 of this number were removed to hospital for treatment at the expense of the vessels' interests, pursuant to the authority of the immigration act approved December 26, 1920.

Numerous vessels engaged in the freight business have tied up in United States ports during the past year, and, of course, a majority of the seamen employed thereon have been paid off and discharged. The vast number of destitute and virtually destitute alien seamen now in our principal seaports seeking an opportunity to reship foreign or to obtain passage to their home countries has created a situation as embarrassing to the Government as it is to the local municipal and charitable authorities and the seamen themselves. In the very nature of things, employment of the character these men are accustomed to can not be had until such time as the period of enforced idleness of the boats which brought them thither is over with. In the meantime, thousands of these aliens, who have never been legally admitted to the United States, are crowding our seaports, without means, and without immediate prospect of obtaining employment. Some of the foreign Governments are now giving earnest consideration to the question of ways and means of repatriating their subjects who are here in the status of stranded seamen.

The seamen work has continued to be under the general supervision of the bureau's special representative, designated for this particular duty, Inspector J. J. Hurley, and attention is called to his report on the subject, which forms Appendix II hereto.

SMUGGLING AND SURREPTITIOUS ENTRY OF ALIENS.

In its annual report for last year the bureau called attention to an organization which had been established and was operating for the purpose of preventing the smuggling and surreptitious entry of aliens into the United States. This organization has not operated as a unit during the present fiscal year, but the work has been handled by the various immigration districts affected, both singly and in cooperation, one with the other. The results have been all that could be expected with the limited number of officers who could be assigned to smuggling-prevention work. There has been a number of prosecutions, particularly along the land boundaries, for entry in violation of the passport-control regulations and for unlawfully bringing aliens into the United States in violation of the immigration and Chinese exclusion acts. In a great many instances where the smuggler was not apprehended, the alien has merely been arrested in deportation proceedings and deported, usually to the country of his nativity, whether such country was foreign contiguous or in a remote quarter of the globe.

Within the past year the restrictions of the visa system have begun to be felt in certain of the European countries from which a comparatively large immigration has been received in past years, the result being that hundreds of aliens-who, for one reason or another (usually because of some inherent disability on their part), have been unable to obtain consular visas entitling them to come to the United States have gone to either Canada or Mexico with the purpose firmly in view of ultimately gaining surreptitious entry to the United States across the land borders, in violation of both the passport-control regulations and the immigration laws. A majority of these aliens have sailed for ports in Mexico (either Vera Cruz or Tampico), due, doubtless, to the restrictions which Canada imposes upon aliens desirous of entering that country. It is not a matter of great difficulty at the present time for aliens of this class to obtain admission to Mexico, where economic conditions are such as to offer a sufficient guaranty that they will not remain there and that that country was not their actual destination when they sailed therefor. Several hundred European aliens of the class referred to have been arrested on this side of the line by our immigration authorities, and in most of these cases the department has issued its warrants directing their deportation from the country. All of these aliens entered the United States in a surreptitious manner, usually with the aid of professional smugglers, and it has been only by the exercise of extreme patience and eternal vigilance that our officers have been able to detect their presence here.

While the stories related by these arrested aliens have varied as to the reasons which impelled them to come to the United States in this roundabout way at a very considerable cost and to steal into the country, with the aid of professional smugglers, the conclusion may well be reached from the circumstances and from their stories, collectively, that they either knew or had good reason for believing that they would not and could not be admitted if they applied in regular manner. Some of these aliens have been found to be afflicted with loathsome and dangerous contagious diseases, others to be illiterate, and all either without passports or consular visas entitling them to

Some representations have been made to the effect that this movement has been fostered and encouraged by unscrupulous steamship agencies abroad and by representatives of alleged "welfare" societies. How much truth these reports may have for their foundation the bureau does not know. It does know, however, that this movement is on the increase and that it has reached such a stage as to occasion alarm. There will soon be added to the numbers of European aliens not able, for one reason or another, to obtain passports or consular visas countless aliens in certain of the European countries not able to come to the United States because of the restrictive features of the emergency legislation recently passed by Congress, which received the approval of the President under date of May 19, 1921, and became operative on the third day of this month. Judging from the numbers of immigrants of certain nationalities which have crowded over during the present month, it is altogether apparent that the countries of which they are nationals will very soon have exhausted the quotas allotted to them, after which time further immigration therefrom for the fiscal year 1922 will not be permissible.

As the restrictive measures of this act begin to be felt it may be expected that there will be a large increase in the exodus of admissible European and other aliens for Mexican ports, the ultimate destination of whom will be the United States. Without a special border patrol composed of a sufficient number of mounted officers to be really effective, it can not be expected that a complete check can be put upon the surreptitious crossing of this anticipated horde of aliens determined to effect entry. In this connection it should be borne in mind that there is some 2,000 miles of border line to guard, that settlements are comparatively few and far between, and that, with the limited force of officers available, the Immigration Service is able to maintain stations at only about twenty places along the line. Aliens desirous of entering surreptitiously quite naturally avoid endeavoring to cross in the immediate vicinity of one of our stations, the line on each side of which for as great a distance as possible is guarded as closely as the circumstances will permit.

The Immigration Service has been allotted such a small appropriation for the coming fiscal year as to preclude the appointment of additional officers on either border. Therefore it would seem to be essential, if any endeavor whatever is to be made to cope with the situation above described, to devise some means of making it as unprofitable as possible to the smuggler, the smuggled, and the surreptitious entrant. The smuggler, when he actually crosses the line and is captured, can be prosecuted either under the passport-control regulations or the immigration act, or both, the penalties prescribed in these acts being quite severe. The aliens themselves, when apprehended, will be subject to prosecution for a violation of the passport-control regulations, but the punishment usually meted out in cases in which convictions occur is generally insufficient to deter others of this class from taking a chance and entering in like manner. It would seem to be of the utmost importance, in this connection, for the department to do all that it can to discourage the unlawful coming of this class of aliens. It is believed that this can best be done by deporting the offending aliens with as much celerity as is possible, not to Mexico, where they doubtless would rather go in order to be in an advantageous position to repeat the performance, but to the European

country whence they embarked on their irregular journey to the United States.

The majority of the aliens who have been arrested in deportation proceedings after having entered in the manner indicated were of the Hebrew race, although there was a sprinkling of other races and nationalities among the arrested. But so far few of these aliens have been actually deported from the country, although arrangements to carry a considerable number of them to the seaboard for return to Europe have been perfected. It is hoped that nothing will transpire to interfere with the prompt execution of the warrants for the deportation to Europe of these aliens.

HEAD TAX COLLECTED AND ADMINISTRATIVE FINES

IMPOSED.

Section 2 of the act of February 5, 1917, provides that a head tax of $8 shall be collected on every alien, including alien seamen regularly admitted for the purpose of residence, entering the United States. Children under 16 years of age, traveling with a parent, are not subject to the payment of the head tax, and certain other classes are exempted.

Under this provision of law there was levied and collected during the year the sum of $5,697,528, which was covered into the general funds of the Treasury. Formerly these collections were credited to a special fund which was utilized for the conduct of the Immigration Service-administering the laws committed to it for enforcement, etc. The law authorizing the establishment of this fund was repealed by the act of March 4, 1909, since which time yearly estimates of the costs of operating the service have been submitted to Congress and appropriations made in the usual manner.

Administrative fines have been assessed against transportation companies or the masters, owners, or agents of vessels entering United States seaports, in the sum of $324,340. This is by far the the largest sum ever collected in any one year as administrative fines for infractions of the immigration laws by transportation companies, exceeding the amount collected in the fiscal year 1920 (the second largest amount thus collected in the history of the Immigration Service) by $170,130. Other collections in the fiscal year totaled $46,528.

The entire cost of operating the Immigration Service for the fiscal year 1921, including the payment of salaries, maintenance and repair of immigration stations, etc., was $4,011,233. The net revenue to the Government for the year, on account of the enforcement of the immigration laws was, therefore, $2,057,163. The sum of $3,000,000 has been appropriated by Congress for the conduct of the Immigration Service and the administration of the various laws pertaining to immigration for the fiscal year 1922. As the act approved May 19, 1921, which limits the admission of aliens of any nationality to 3 per cent of the number of foreign-born persons of such nationality esident in the United States when the 1910 census was taken, will be n operation throughout the entire fiscal year 1922, there is every eason to believe that the expenditures for the year will exceed the ollections by a considerable sum. The official computation shows hat the permissible immigration for the year from the countries. ffected by the act will not exceed 360,000.