CHINESE. During the past fiscal year no Chinese departed through this port, but the following cases were preinvestigated by this office for departure through other ports: Following are the items of most interest given in the report of the commissioner of immigration at Philadelphia, whose office and station is located at Gloucester City, N. J.: Fifty-two thousand and forty-six persons from foreign ports arrived at the port of Philadelphia and were examined and inspected as required by the several acts of Congress. This number includes cabin as well as steerage passengers, and is itemized as follows: First-cabin arrivals, 519; second-cabin arrivals, 7,592, and steerage arrivals, 43,935. This number includes 3,983 United States citizens, 475 aliens in transit, 34 tourists, 116 citizens of Canada, 2 citizens of Cuba, 2 citizens of Mexico, 211 returning cattlemen, 21 birdmen, 6 diplomatic officers, and 92 persons who arrived as passengers for the purpose of reshipping outbound as members of crews. It includes also 285 aliens who were excluded on arrival and deported. However, in addition to this total number, there were 879 alien seamen who deserted at this port, not including United States citizens. DEPARTING ALIENS. During the fiscal year 9,591 emigrant aliens, 3,063 nonemigrant aliens, and 4,820 United States citizens departed from this port, making a total of 17,474. I desire to call especial attention to the low cost of operation, which has practically remained stationary for the last three years, having increased only 0.9 per cent in the past year, notwithstanding the additional expense accrued and necessitated, due to the removal to, and preparation of, the Gloucester Station for active service. I would also call attention to the fact that the increase of business and expenditures were about the same (as compared with the previous year), namely, 7 per cent. While the increase of expenditures for 1912, as compared with the figures for 1904, used as a basis of comparison, was but 91 per cent, the increase of business was 385 per cent, or a net percentage increase of business over expenditures of 294 per cent, while the personnel of the force for the same period was increased but 75 per cent. It is apparent from the above that the increased business proportionately exceeded, by a considerable margin, the additional personnel allotted this district. BOARDS OF SPECIAL INQUIRY. The boards of special inquiry at this port have considered the cases of 6,330 persons, and, in addition to that number, 5,731 were temporarily detained for minor causes, making a total of 12,061. FINES. Forty-four fines in the sum of $100 each, amounting to $4,400, were imposed upon the steamship companies for bringing in mentally or physically afflicted aliens (idiocy, 2; tuberculosis, 3; syphilis, 1; trachoma, 38) when the disease or disability might have been detected by competent medical examination at the port of foreign embarkation, and so certified by the United States Public-Health surgeon; and 19 aliens were accorded hospital treatment on arrival.1 A complete record of all deserting and discharged seamen was kept by this office, which shows that 933 deserted during the fiscal year. In addition to this number, 336 discharged seamen were inspected, each person being examined under oath and given a medical examination by a Public-Health surgeon before being released, 28of them desiring to remain in the country and 308 stating that they intended to reship. VESSELS BOARDED. One thousand three hundred and ninety-three steam and 85 sailing vessels were boarded and examined in this district during the fiscal year. CATTLEMEN. Certificates were issued by this office for 380 cattlemen leaving this port, and 198 returning cattlemen were examined and passed. A great many of the cattlemen leaving do not return to the United States, and some enter at ports other than Philadelphia. MEDICAL INSPECTION OF ARRIVING ALIENS. Of the total number of aliens examined on arrival, also seamen examined either for the purpose of landing to reship or for the purpose of remaining in the United States (the Public-Health surgeon on duty at this station keeping no separate record of seamen examined), 1,255 were certified for or noted as having physical or mental defects, 112 of whom were deported. WHITE-SLAVE TRAFFIC, PROSTITUTES, PROCURERS, AND GENERAL INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS. Our records show a great increase in the number of cases investigated during the last fiscal year over that of the preceding year, the number of prostitutes and immorality cases this year alone equaling the total number of cases of all kinds investigated the previous year. In regard to the number of prostitute and immorality cases, it should be noted with satisfaction that, owing to the cooperation between this office and the local office of the Bureau of Investigations of the Department of Justice in the enforcement of the "white-slave traffic act" of June 25, 1910, coupled with the changed conditions in the city administration since the last fiscal year, not many real "white-slave" cases have developed since the last annual report. This is most gratifying, in that it shows that the object of recent legislation for the suppression of this traffic is being achieved. Every case that offered sufficient ground for prosecution has in the past been carried to court, and this practice will be continued. During the last fiscal year two importers were prosecuted and sentenced to imprisonment. There were 56 prostitute and immorality cases investigated, as a result of which 22 warrants of arrests were issued and deportation eventually ordered in 8 cases. There were also investigated the cases of 7 criminals, 39 cases of aliens detained at other ports on arrival in response to requests of our officers there, and 59 miscellaneous cases. During the fiscal year there were instituted at this station 7 prosecutions in connection with immigration cases, exclusive of Chinese cases. 1 For details regarding these 19 cases, see table on pp. 7-8. CONTRACT LABOR. There were 35 cases of violations of the alien contract-labor laws investigated in this district, in which 101 aliens were involved. Twenty warrants of deportation were issued, 13 of which were canceled on the recommendation of the inspector, 7 aliens being actually deported. Two convictions under section 5440, Revised Statutes, were secured, pursuant to which fines in the amount of $500 were collected. There were also collected fines in the amount of $3,000 for violations of the alien contract-labor laws. PITTSBURGH SUBSTATION. The report of the operations of this substation, which is an inland station and the work of which consists mainly of conducting investigations on various phases of the immigration, fall into two general classes-(1) investigations prior to the admission of aliens and (2) investigations subsequent to the admission of aliens. (1) There were 179 investigations prior to the admission of aliens, which cases usually originate at the various ports of entry, and are conducted with a view to ascertaining whether the aliens applying for admission are desirable immigrants, and whether if admitted they will be self-supporting and not become public charges, etc. (2) There were 249 investigations subsequent to the admission of aliens-129 cases of illegal entry and 120 public-charge or hospital cases. There were 97 deportations effected during the year for the following causes: Members of excluded classes at time of entry, 32; public charges, 59; entered without inspection, 1; prostitutes, 5. This number includes 1 alien landed for hospital treatment for favus and later deported. In addition there were 4 American-born children taken with parents, making a total of 104 persons delivered for deportation. Of this number, 69 were delivered at New York, 16 at Baltimore, 13 at Philadelphia, and 3 to Canada. DETENTION QUARTERS. * * It is very gratifying to be able to state that, owing to the efforts of all interested parties, the new detention house is approaching_completion and will shortly be occupied. This will enable this office to care for all detained immigrants, instead of permitting the continuance of the use of the detention house maintained by the steamship companies at 830 South Second Street, Philadelphia, Pa. * When completed, all aliens who are excluded or who must be detained temporarily pending investigation after inspection at the respective piers of the trans-Atlantic steamship lines, which are located on the Pennsylvania side, will be delivered by the steamship companies at the new detention house at this station, using special ferryboat to Gloucester Ferry and suitable busses from the ferry to this station. * * In all respects, save actual hospital accommodations, the aliens will in future be cared for at the Gloucester Station in the same manner as at Ellis Island, New York Harbor. * CHINESE. Regarding the enforcement of the Chinese-exclusion laws in this district, the following are the most important and interesting items of information: Departing Chinese merchants investigated.. Returning Chinese merchants investigated.. Departing Chinese laborers investigated.. Minor sons investigated.. Appeals investigated.. Merchants' wives investigated.. Native-born citizens investigated.. Students investigated... Duplicate certificates of residence investigated. Pending in United States courts... Chinese seamen transferred (from one vessel to another). Ships with Chinese in crew inspected on arrival and lists secured and checked Chinese seamen inspected on arrival and checked on departure. at the time of sailing... Chinese landed under bond.. Cases 24 |