PROPORTION OF ALIENS DEBARRED, EXPRESSED IN PERCENTAGES OF IMMIGRANTS ADMITTED, 1892–1912 ════════╤══════╤══════╤══════╤══════╤══════╤══════╤══════ YEAR │=1892=│=1893=│=1894=│=1895=│=1896=│=1897=│=1898= ────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── Per cent│ .37│ .24│ .49│ .94│ .62│ .70│ 1.32 ────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── YEAR │=1899=│=1900=│=1901=│=1902=│=1903=│=1904=│=1905= ────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── Per cent│ 1.22│ .95│ .72│ .76│ 1.02│ .98│ 1.15 ────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── YEAR │=1906=│=1907=│=1908=│=1909=│=1910=│=1911=│=1912= ────────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼────── Per cent│ 1.12│ 1.02│ 1.18│ 1.09│ 2.33│ 2.54│ 1.92 ════════╧══════╧══════╧══════╧══════╧══════╧══════╧══════ In the years 1892 to 1912, 169,132 aliens were refused admission to the United States. Of these, 58.2 per cent were debarred on the grounds of pauperism or likelihood of becoming a public charge, 15.8 per cent were afflicted with loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases, and 12.7 per cent were contract laborers. These three leading causes account for 86.7 per cent of all the debarments. The other classes of debarred aliens specified in the reports are as follows: idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded, epileptics, insane, tuberculosis (non-contagious), professional beggars, mental or physical defects likely to affect ability to earn a living, accompanying aliens, under sixteen years of age unaccompanied by parent, assisted aliens, criminals, polygamists, anarchists, prostitutes, etc., aliens who procure prostitutes, etc., under passport provision, Section 1, under provisions Chinese exclusion act, supported by proceeds of prostitution. There has been a change in the relative importance of the three leading causes of debarment since 1892. In that year almost all the debarred aliens were paupers or likely to become a public charge or contract laborers. The first of these classes has held its own down to the present, and still stands far in advance of any other cause as regards the number refused. The contract labor class has declined in relative importance. Loathsome and dangerous contagious diseases were comparatively unimportant until 1898, when they sprang into prominence, and have since outstripped contract laborers. This was due to the classification, in 1897, of trachoma as a dangerous contagious disease. It has since led the list of diseases by a large margin. In 1910 there were 2618 cases of trachoma out of a total of 3123 loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases. Favus comes next with 111 cases, tuberculosis next with 90, and others 304. The proportions were about the same in 1908 and 1909. In 1912 the proportion of trachoma was even greater.