know is about these 300 cases that are here now. It does not work out properly for two reasons: First of all, because since many of these ladies married, a proclamation, or rather an instruction, came from the President of the United States, and I do not want to be understood as criticizing the President of the United States or finding fault with that order. I am merely telling you of a fact. The President of the United States has sent out certain instructions to consular officers, and those instructions were with regard to the public charge part and that created difficulty in the cases of these 300 women.

Mr. MILLARD. Do you approve of the order at this time?

Mr. BERNSTEIN. My opinion, Mr. Congressman, on this matter would not be legislation and is of no consequence.

Mr. MILLARD. I asked you for your opinion.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. We have got great unemployment in this country at this time.

The CHAIRMAN. You admit that you do not want to admit the riffraff of Europe, and we do not want people coming here taking jobs away from American people.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. Certainly. There is very little dissent from the President's order, but these women were caught between the time they married and the time that the order was issued, and it is for the relief of this complaint that they are here to-day.

Now, as I say, I believe that this bill, No. 5869, should be passed. I believe the women citizens, women of this country, should be put on par with the men citizens of this country.

I also believe that in these particular cases where the stricture of public charge proviso in the immigration law, something should be done to relax it in some way in these cases, and in the case of very close relatives, and especially in the case of husbands and wives.

I forget who it was stated here that our whole system of civilization was based on the family and on the home, and we ought to enact legislation and interpret and execute our laws in such a way that this foundation of civilized society should not be impaired. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. Now, Mr. Chairman

The CHAIRMAN. Does the committee desire to adjourn now?

That is your statement?

Mr. BERNSTEIN. There is just this statement.

study.

The CHAIRMAN. Anything further?

This is a statistical

Mr. BERNSTEIN. If the committee desires it, Mr. Chairman, there is one thing that I would like to call attention, the attention of this committee to.

The CHAIRMAN. I did not mean to interrupt you. I was just making an inquiry.

Mr. JENKINS. I think that you should put in that entire state

ment.

Mr. MILLARD. Submit the statement to the chairman.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. Yes; but I would like to call the attention of the committee to the following:

The CHAIRMAN. Go on.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, one of the things that makes the operation of the law at this time somewhat unfair, or perhaps does not give equal justice, is because of the acts of your consular officers in the European ports, not being subject to review.

For generations and generations all immigration matters decided by the officials of the Labor Department could be reviewed by the Secretary of Labor. You know that every alien arriving in the United States, if he was dissatisfied with the order of the immigration officials, always had a right, and still enjoys the right of appealing to the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Labor has established in his department a board of review, that goes over every one of these cases.

Mr. FREE. Mr. Chairman, I submit that that has nothing to do with this bill. I do not want to stop the witness, but I want to make this statement now. Mr. Chairman, that up to now it has been the habit of this committee to hold hearings, stay in session until away along in the afternoon. I do not want to go and ask that the order be revoked so that we can not meet. I am trying to work with you.

The CHAIRMAN. We are going to bring this to an immediate close. Mr. FREE. Are you going to give all of these people present a hearing?

The CHAIRMAN. Not this morning.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. There are two provisions in the bill, one with regard to public charge-I will confine myself to this bill. If it is passed it will not help the situation as it exists to-day if it provides for public charge provision, if that is going to be retained. Of course, it is not expected that this committee, or Congress, should do away with the public charge provision but it is only fair that a determination of the consul or agent abroad should be subject to review by the Labor Department which has very excellent machinery. Mr. FREE. Then, they would never get anywhere.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. These cases would not be handicapped.
Mr. HODGDON. Mr. Chairman, may I interrupt?

The CHAIRMAN. Let him get through, and then I will give you every opportunity. I will give you an opportunity.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. These cases will not happen if these things are referred to a board of review. In proper cases the board of review would exercise the proper judgment and give relief to cases of this sort. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much, and I am sorry if I provoked any discussion with my remarks.

The CHAIRMAN. The papers submitted by Mr. Bernstein will be considered by the committee and incorporated in the record with his remarks, and Mr. Bernstein will supply the additional data as suggested by Mr. Free and Mr. Jenkins.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. May I know just what it is that you want?
The CHAIRMAN. The names of these people.

Mr. PALMISANO. I did not understand that he was going to furnish the names of all of these people.

The CHAIRMAN. Those with reference to the memoranda which he furnished.

Mr. PALMISANO. That is all that he is asked to supply.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes; and the lady who is drawing $120 a week. Mr. PALMISANO. And the girl that had $5,000, I believe.

The CHAIRMAN. And the one that had $9,000.

Mr. MILLARD. Just one moment. You spoke of some of these marriages being the result of love and some as accidental. How many were accidental, as shown by your investigation?

Mr. BERNSTEIN. I did not make that statement.

Mr. MILLARD. I thought that you did.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. My statement was that a great majority of them were not accidental.

Mr. MILLARD. How many were accidental, if you know?

Mr. BERNSTEIN. I can not tell you that, but these people went abroad; these girls went abroad and met the men and fell in love with them and married them. There may have been a few of those cases accidental.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you Mr. Bernstein.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen. (The statistical tabulation submitted by Mr. Bernstein follows:)

Digest of affidavits presented by citizen wives' organization

Number of cases analyzed.......

Place of birth of women:

Austria...

165

1

4

1

1

3

3

2

127

9

Russia.

12

The greater number of women came during the years 1920-1923.

The greater part of the women were naturalized during the years 1927-1930. Thirty were naturalized by virtue of fathers' citizenship; two by virtue of a previous marriage.

Two women are unemployed (expectant mothers). Note that one is a physician. Four have own businesses.

Two not working; 1 earns $120 a week; 1 earns $70 a week; 5 earn $50 a week! only 13 earn under $25 per week; the greater part earn $30 and over a week.

Only 15 have under $1,000; 80 have $1,000-$2,000; 36 have $2,000-$3,000; 20 have $3,000-$4,000; 14 have over $4,000. A number of women have part of their savings invested in stock.

Women's investments in real estate, mortgages, etc.: Ninety-two shares stock. 20 shares Chrysler; 30 shares stock; $2,575 in shares of Trading Corporation;

$8,200 in Morris plan; $1,535 in loan association; $7,600 in mortgages; $3,200 in notes; $7,000 in business. Bank stock, bonds, etc. A number of women have insurance policies: One has a policy for $5,000; 1 has a policy for $1,500, which matures in 1932; 6 have policies for $1,000; 2 have policies for $2,000. The woman who has the $7,000 has $6,000 of it in bank in name of her husband and has sent him a check for $1,000.

Thirty cases where the marriages took place before 1930 have not yet received visas.