House Immigration Committee May Propose Relative Exemption

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

Another effort to secure relative exemption relief by Congress action before its adjournment will be made at a special meeting of the House Immigration Committee this morning when Congressmen Dickstein and Jacobstein will each submit new proposals.

Congressman Dickstein’s plan would admit forty thousand wives and children of declarants under a novel system whereby the authority for issuing visas would in effect be transferred from Consuls abroad to the Secretary of Labor, to whom application would have to be made by the husband residing in this country, a certificate would then be issued to the husband by the Secretary of Labor, who would also recommend to the State Department the issuance of a visa if the application is approved. The State Department, in turn, would instruct the Consul to issue the visa.

Congressman Jacobstein’s plan provides for limiting the number admissible to thirty thousand, based upon the nationality of the total number of citizens naturalized since July, 1924. Congressman Jacobstein’s plan is intended to meet the objection of those who opposed the Perlman Bill because they alleged it would discriminate in favor of East European immigrants. Under Jacobstein’s plan both Russia and Poland would each be entitled to about seventeen percent of the total quota of thirty thousand.

Congressman Dickstein said that despite the generally unfavorable outlook and proximity to adjournment of Congress, he hoped that the committee, as a result of its meeting today will adopt some plan to grant some relative exemption relief, even if it does not accept his or Jacobstein’s plan.