50 
THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM 
people came from Europe, their home countries paying 
the expenses of their shipment in order to rid them 
selves of the burden of their support, our present regu 
lations excluding those who are liable to become a 
public charge have practically stopt the immigration 
of this undesirable class. The Immigration Commis 
sion, with the assistance of the Associated Charities in 
forty-three cities, including practically all the large 
immigrant centers excepting New York, reached the 
conclusion that only a very small percentage of the 
immigrants now arriving applied for relief. 
In this statistical investigation,* covering 31,374 
cases actually receiving assistance and reporting cause, 
it was found that 28.7 per cent, had applied for as 
sistance because of the death or disability of the bread 
winner of the family; 18.9 per cent, on account of the 
death or disability of another member of the family; 
59 per cent, from lack of employment or insufficient 
earnings; 18.7 per cent, on account of neglect or bad 
habits of the bread-winner; 6.2 per cent, on account 
of old age; and 10 per cent, from other causes. 
It will be noted that because more than one reason 
was given in some cases, this total amounts to more 
than 100 per cent., but the relative proportions of the 
cases under the different classes is probably substan 
tially accurate. If we attempt to discriminate among 
the different races, it appears that it is among the 
immigrants of the earlier period or those coming from 
Northern Europe that we find apparently the largest 
number of cases of neglect or bad habits of the bread 
winner. For example, among the South Italians, only 
8.7 per cent, give this cause, whereas the Irish give 
20.9 per cent., the English 14 per cent., the German 
* Reports of Immigration Commission, Vol. 1.