The Probert Encyclopaedia of General Information

IMMIGRATION

The question of immigration or properly alien immigration, has been a topic of controversy since at least the 19th century. In various countries certain classes of aliens have long been prohibited from gaining admission. In the 19th century and start of the 20th century, the United States, for instance, refused admission to such persons as idiots, epileptics, persons suffering from loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases, paupers, criminals (but not political criminals), beggars, anarchists, etc. Chinese labourers as a whole were excluded, and even any persons coming to America under a definite agreement to engage in any kind of labour or service. Similar laws were in force in Australia, where there was a test that a person proposing to settle in the country must be able to write fifty words of a European language.

In the later part of the 19th century the great influx of foreigners into Britain, and into London in particular, drew public attention to the matter. A select committee appointed in 1888 reported in favour of the exclusion of destitute aliens, in 1894 a bill was introduced into the House of Lords, while in 1898 a bill to regulate the immigration of aliens was passed in the Lords, but made no farther progress. In 1902 a royal commission was appointed, and drew up a report, published in 1903, containing valuable information and various recommendations. Among these were the establishment of an immigration department, and the granting of powers to deport criminals, prostitutes, and other undesirable aliens, and to prevent the landing of persons mentally unfit or suffering from infectious or loathsome diseases. In 1904 an Aliens Immigration Bill was introduced and read a second time in the House of Commons. It was based on the recommendations of the commission, and in its favour it was argued that a large amount of British labour had been displaced by aliens, in London especially, that the prevalence of crime among aliens was out of proportion to their numbers, that many of them were paupers, criminals convicted in their own country, or other undesirables. In 1905 another bill on the subject was introduced by the government, which succeeded in passing it in the beginning of August, so that the matter could be dealt with.

In 1905 writers complained about the absence of hitherto strict methods of ascertaining the number of aliens that entered the country and settled, stating that there were no means of checking their numbers year by year. At the census of 1901 the whole alien population in Britain was set down at 286,925, as against 219,523 in 1891. After 1901 there was a further large influx of foreign immigrants into Britain, by far the largest number consisting of Russian and Polish Jews. In 1905 writers were concerned at the number of alien criminals in Britain, citing that in 1900, 3130 aliens were received into British prisons and in 1904 the number was 4774.
Research Immigration