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The President's News Conference

May 15, 1931

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE

THE PRESIDENT. I have appointed Mr. Harvey H. Bundy, of Boston, as Assistant Secretary of State, to the vacancy created by the promotion of Under Secretary [William R.] Castle. We will give you a small statement about Mr. Bundy's antecedents to help fill up the columns if they need it.

IMMIGRATION

I have secured from the Acting Secretary of Labor a statement as to the movement of immigration during the last 3 months that I thought might be of some interest to you. You will recollect that last autumn I gave the direction that all immigrants who might in our present unemployment situation become public charges should be refused visas. That direction, of course, did not apply to the preferred classes. The result has been that the average of the first 3 months, that is, the 3 months of a year ago, were 12,605 per month. That has now been reversed to a net departure of 3,551 per month during the average of the last 3 months. So that the effect on unemployment is considerable. That would make a difference of somewhere in the neighborhood of 150,000--more than that--175,000 people in the United States looking for employment--with its operation over a year. However, the figures are here in detail and may be of some interest to you.

NATIONAL FORESTS

Something over a year and a half ago I suggested to the Secretary of Agriculture that the Bureau of Forests would contribute both to national conservation and at the same time to the commercial situation in the wood industries, if they would make no more important leases or if they would slacken down on leasing the national forests. I have given a renewed direction to the Secretary narrowing it even further than that which we had previously put into force so as to practically cease the use of the national forests except where leases are already extant, and except in the case of Alaska for pulpwood and small transactions not over $500. The latter in order to protect the farmers. I don't think it will have any gigantic effect on the timber industry, but at least it shows good will.

Otherwise than that I have nothing.

Note: President Hoover's one hundred and ninety-third news conference was held in the White House at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 15, 1931.

On the same day, the White House issued biographical data on Mr. Bundy and a text of the report to the President, dated May 14, on immigration by the Acting Secretary of Labor, which follows:
My dear Mr. President:

In response to your request for information as to the effect upon our unemployment situation of your order restricting immigrants who might become public charges, and for information upon the removal-from the country of those found to be unlawfully in the United States, I beg to submit the following figures and facts.

During the last three months of which our statistics are complete the number' of arrivals has been a total of 10,815 or 3,605 per month, as compared with a total of 56,619, or 18,873 per month, for the similar period a year ago.

The departures, including deportations, for the last three months have been a total of 21,468, or 7,156 per month, as compared with a total of 16,438, or 5,479 per month, for the similar period a year ago.

The actual figures over the twelve month period ending with March, 1931, were as follows:

______________________________________________________________________
Immigrant aliens Emigrant aliens
Month admitted departed and deported
_______________________________________________________________________

April 1930 22,261 6,620
May 1930 19,414 6,089
June 1930 14,944 6,095
July 1930 13,323 7,047
August 1930 14,816 7,300
September 1930 17,792 7,702
October 1930 13,942 8,021
November 1930 9,209 7,178
December 1930 6,439 7,691
January 1931 4,091 6,921
February 1931 3,147 6,985
March 1931 3,577 7,562

Total 142,955 85,211

_______________________________________________________________________

It will be noted that the net arrivals were 12,605 per month in the first three months of the period, which has been reversed to a net departure of 3,551 per. month during the past three months. The effect upon the unemployment situation is of large importance.

The term "Immigrant aliens" includes aliens whose permanent residence has been outside the United States and who have come here for permanent residence.

The term "Emigrant aliens" designated those whose permanent residence was in the United States and who have now departed for permanent residence abroad.

The number of unlawfully resident aliens deported and those who voluntarily departed when their attention was called to their infraction of the Immigration Laws during the twelve months ending with March, 1931, were as follows:

April 1930 2,673
May 1930 2,369
June 1930 1,775
July 1930 2,229
August 1930 2,055
September 1930 2,602
October 1930 2,669
November 1930 2, 227
December 1930 2,241
January 1931 2,524
February 1931 2,265
March 1931 2,869

Total 28, 498

The term "Aliens Deported" means those aliens illegitimately in the country who have been expelled under warrant proceedings.
Faithfully yours,
............................. ROBE CARL WHITE

Acting Secretary

[The President, The White House]

Herbert Hoover, The President's News Conference Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/212837

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