The New Way

Alexander Norman McKay, 21, born and bred in Pontypridd, Wales, able coal miner, sailed into New York harbor in the steerage of the White Star liner Homeric. There were 19 other immigrants abroad. These 19 were taken to Ellis Island for. examination. But Mr. McKay was landed on a pier in Manhattan and went about his business unimpeded.

Why was he favored as no other steerage immigrant has been favored in years? Because he was the first immigrant to come into the U. S. from Great Britain under the new immigration regulations. His papers showed that he had been found eligible for entrance into the U. S. when examined at Southampton, that a U. S. Public Health surgeon there had examined him on Aug. 4 and found him physically fit. In addition, he had been examined again on shipboard and finally passed. Such is the "new way."

Yet Henry H. Curran, Immigration Commissioner at Ellis Island, gave to the press a strong criticism of the new method, and of his superior W. W. Husband, until recently Commissioner General of Immigration, now promoted to be second Assistant Secretary of Labor in charge of Immigration.

Recently Mr. Husband averred:

"We want to bring about a condition that will enable the immigrant coming into our ports to walk right off ship and go about his business."

But Mr. Curran objected.

1) That the new way showed favoritism, since of all steerage immigrants only British and Irish can use it and escape Ellis Island.

2) That the new way does not properly protect the U. S. against immigrants with physical defects or diseases, since several weeks may elapse between the time of an immigrant's receiving his physical examination abroad and his sailing, and since the second examination on shipboard can not be thorough.

3) That it is disadvantageous to immigrants to allow them to land directly on the piers without going through Ellis Island, since in New York they may be "fleeced, swindled and worse," whereas at the immigration station arrangements are made for their going on to their destinations, relatives are notified, etc.

He went on to say that there was apparently a conspiracy among certain immigration officials, notably Mr. Husband, to do away with Ellis Island, on which the Government has spent many hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Husband refused to> comment. But the higher officials in the Department of Labor were reported to be incensed by Mr. Curran's criticism. They insisted that no favoritism was involved, that the new way was being tried out experimentally in Great Britain and Ireland to see if it would work, that other nations had objected to our establishing stations for examining immigrants in their ports,but that if the system worked, and consent were obtained, it would be extended to other countries. They maintained that the new way was established for the convenience of the immigrants, to save them hardships. They suggested that Mr. Curran was critical because he disliked the prospect of the importance of his post's being reduced.

-Sweden has just opened negotiations with a view to giving consent.