Daily News from New York, New York • 9

SUNDAY NEWS, NOVEMBER 13, 1921. CONDITIONS AT ELLIS ISLAND IMPROVED SINCE OUR EXPOSURE; ACCORDING TO ARRIVING EMIGRANTS Newcomers, Miserably Quartered, Tell of Petty Tyranny by Overbearing Officials By INVESTIGATOR. Conditions on Ellis Island have commenced to improve, it would appear from the reports of immigrants who have This is How Uncle Sam Greeted One Little Girl from Far-off Hungary. "It wasn't nice at all on the ship. Cut I was well treated on Ellis Island." So spoke eighteen-year-old Berta Friedman from Dombrad, Hungary, who had just set foot in New York at the Battery and was going to her relatives at 3766 Park Avenue.

"On the boat they crowded us all together, and it was hard to keep clean. We didn't eat very well, either. I didn't like that. But when we came to the American immigration quarters things were better. "The men weren't a bit polite, but then they were not rough, either.

The food was clean and all right. "We had to go through all kinds of funny inspections and things. I was afraid of the doctors, but they didn't hurt me. I was afraid of the inspector, who asked me a lot of questions. But I showed him I knew how to read, and then everything was all right.

And then they let me come ashore." just arrived. As a result of the trip of investigation made by Miss Genevieve Forbes and her consequent articles in THE NEWS and the Chicago "Tribune" there is already a notable change in the attitude cf many officials in handling the immigrants. On Ellis Island the newcomers to America have good food, sanitary quarters and adequate sleeping arrangements. Though many officials are still intolerant and overbearing, the official brutality and uniformed savagery with which Miss Forbes reported she had to deal seem to be being brought under control. lierta Friedman.

"Big Men Shouted at Me; I Was Scared." "I was afraid until the nice lady took me to play with the other chil "Too Many Inspections; Glad to Be Here." "Ellis Island was not so bad. There wds a. special kitchen for the "Had Enough to Eat and Good Place to Sleep." "I think everything in America is fine. I didn't see anything 'wrong with duty in maintaining the Jaw, but also to weed out the sneering type whose method of working with the immigrants, as described by Miss Forbes, was "to treat 'em rough." Much of the inefficiency on the island at present and inefficiency in some departments certainly exists-seems to be due to an inadequate staff in point of numbers and in some cases one lacking in sense of duty or ability. The medical inspection is a farce.

The mental tests are too perfunctory. Boring Routine. Neither the army doctors nor the civilian "inspectors appear to have sufficient regard for the vital Jews, and the food was cooked clean and all right. But I didn't like so many inspections. I suppose are neces-s a y.

I was glad to do any-t hinc to iret to lulls island. Iso-body struck me, nobody talked rouerh to me. I had enough to eat and a good place to sleep. "I didn't mind the ship, either. I had enough to eat there, too." Rochina Mar-, tina had iust 1 I I I V- 1 I a1 i dren.

Then it was fine." Little Maria Nieze from Sicily was telling of her experiences in the hands of the American immigration authorities. "The big men weren't -so nice. They shouted at me. And I was scared. But I had a good place to sleep, and good things to eat and drink, so it was all right.

"It was better here an the Freda Zorn America. We are all glad to come here." This statement was made by Rochina Mart'na Freda Zorn, a Polish Jewess from Galicia, who was going to Massa-j chusetts to live. "They Gave Me Bad Food land Bad Place to Sleep." 11 arrived from Leonarda, Italy, and was en route to Pennsylvania. "Ellis Island Bad Place; Brooklyn Better?" Isaac Bloch, a Jew from Whito Russia, had many complaints on the way he had Though the state of affairs on Ellis Island is better, the immigrants are still miserably quartered and claim to be inhumanely handled aboard many of the steamships. These facts were gleaned from interviews with a large number of immigrants of different races and a trip of investigation to Ellis Island.

The improvement of conditions on the island is due in part to the thorough and energetic investigation report on immigration made by Miss Forbes, who was sent disguised as an Irish immigrant girl from Ireland to New York. She reported intolerable conditions. She found that the quarters aboard the ships were crowded and bad, and that personal cleanliness was impossible. SEe told of the roughness of the stewardesses toward the steerage passengers. On Ellis Island Miss Forbe3 declared she found the immigrants were badly handled by brutal, profane and insulting officials.

Storm of Indignation. When Miss Forbes's series of articles were published there was a storm' of indignation. Commissioner General of Immigration W. W. Husband and Secretary of Labor Davis announced an attack on the reported evils.

A Congressional investigation was promised. A special expert was sent from Washington to look into conditions on the island. The new Commissioner of- Ellis Island, Robert E. Tod, has begun to make things hum there. Much of the improvement is due to his energy and attitude.

His intention to make the machinery of the island run smoothly and efficiently is already evident. He is making a real effort not only to see that the officials do their full "They kept me from Saturday until Monday, and they Rave me been handled by the immigration authorities. "The atten point as to whether, they are permitting to enter into the United States persons who will make bad citizens, through either physical or mental defects. Many seem to carry out their inspection duties as matters of boring routine. It is possible' that both these departments are handicapped through lack of personnel.

On Ellis Island itself, outside of the, harsh attitude and ways of some of the officials and the manner in which the law is carried out by others, there can be very little complaint by the immigrant. An investigation revealed the following conditions: The dining room was clean. Each table had a clean white paper put on it before each meal for a Covers ing. The food was well cooked in an immaculate kitchen, and was sufficient and of good quality. Special food was served to the Jews, who, due to religious views, wished specially prepared dishes.

The sleeping quarters were washed out and disinfected. The toilets were clean and sanitary. There were large porches on which the immigrants were permitted to exercise. bad food and a bad place to sleep," said Brigati Desolina of Parma, Italy, who will live at 586 Waverly Place, in speaking of the Ellis Island authorities. "The only nice thing on the isl- island than on 'eze the boat.

I wasn't hungry or sick." "I Think Ellis Island -Is a Terrible Place." "They pushed me around. They shouted at me. They were rough and bad, those dants shoved me along. The were very rough to me," he said. 'T think Ellis Island is a bad place.

I'm triad Isaac Blorh Brigati Desolina men in uniforms. I wasn't doing them any harm. I wanted to do sverything right, but they screamed and shoved me so I didn't know what to do. I think Ellis Isl- land was that thev gave me milk for baby." This was a strong statement from Mrs. Desolina, who spoke modestly and "diJ not appear to be of a complaining type.

"Place to Sleep Too Little and Too Hard." I am here in New York, but I am going to 15 Eldridge Street, Brooklyn, to live. Brooklyn is better than here, no?" "Any Part of America Better Than Europe." "We have lived in America a long time before. We know how to speak English, We spoke nicely fr iha flnf.fnra iirwi thf insnpf-tnrsi Mrs. lied wig Espenkair Ellis "The worst thing about Island was the bad place I had to sleep. It was and thov spoke right with us.

too little and too can teil you any part of America What the Arriving Immigrants Have to Say of Their Treatment 4 and is a terrible place." Mrs. Hedwig Espenkair, from Altenburg, Germany; was glad to be free from the clutches of the immigration authorities and to be on her way to Stone Ridge, N. where she will have an American home. "Everything as Good or Better Than Home." "Everything was as good, or better than at home," said Mrs. Sal hard.

But even the bed was clean. Nobody pushed me or treated me roughly, and I had good food." Miss 1 a Pie i a a Rabbi Declares He Was Well Treated. Rabbi Lienen, who objected to havinfr his picture taken on re "Enough of Everything to Eat Why Complain?" "Why should I complain? There was enough of everything to eat, Fela I'lewinska German Jewess i from Danzig, made this statement ligious grounds, said he was treated well, and had no complaints to make. The rabbi has come from Galicia to make his home in New York. is better than most parts of Europe now." just before going to Philadelphia.

"Anyhow it 1s good to get away from so many regulations," she said. "I hope I am free now." a blanket to cover me at night and nobody wanted to hit me." Sohn Zorn from Poland, seemed- Tjuite satisfied with his treatment on the island. George and Mary uepner were coming irom Kumania to mason 'Ship Terrible; Better is Island. on El Rabbi Lienen Sohn Zorn "The ship was just terrible. We had toj live like pigs, and every body was im- City, Iowa.

"Had to Pay 50 Cents for Potatoes." "Fifty cents I had to give tot two potatoes, because I couldn't eat the food for the Christians," said "More Like Hell Than With the Angels." "It was more like being in hell than with the angels." vador Jn from Italy, who was going to live with her husband in West She was referring to her treatment 'on Ellis Island. "We had white bread to eat here, and meat, too. We don't always get white bread and meat at home. I couldn't understand much what I was to do, but I just moved when the man shouted. I went the same way as every-.

Had to Sleep on Straw Without Blanket. Dora Friedman, from Hungary, said that she had to sleep on straw on Ellis Island The food i was bad, too. But when we 1 came to Ellis (Island things were better. I Such was the graphic description given of life on Ellis Island from the viewpoint of an immigrant by haven't a single complaintto i make about any- r. thing that has Nathan Fish-man, a Polish Jew from Warsaw, who has come" to live in New York.

"No, I wasn't treated so bad. But I had to give the half dollar for two potatoes on Ellis Island." and that the authorities did not give her a blanket. "i didn't like the food very much, either," she said. "Some men in oniform shouted at all of us sometimes." V1- 1 zr happened to me in America." So spoke Bila Bila Knasta John Szabo of Czech o-Slova-kia, who, with his brother, Frank, has come Knasta, a Polish Jewess from Novowod, in Poland. Her new Mrs.

Salvador Nieze John Szabo body else, and then -nobody was angry at me. to New York to live. Dora Friedman Nathan Fikaua home will be New lork..