The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-02
WILL SETTLE THE STATE.
The Big Colonization Scheme
Wendell Easton Is Working
in London.
An Exhibit of California Products
in London and Agencies All
Over Europe.

The largest, and what now appears to be
! the most promising California; immigra-
| ton enterprise ever organized is being
pulled into working shape by Wendell
| Easton, who has been in London for several
weeks.
The syndicate, corporation, or whatever
| it may turn out to be, in which Mr.. Easton
| is interested, is by far the largest and
| strongest one in capital and influence
which has ever been organized to bring
! European colonies to California lands. In
/ one of his private letters from London Mr..
Easton has recently expressed his opinions
! of future success in glowing terms, and said
that he believed that 10000 well-to-do peo-
pie of Europe can be settled in California
within twenty-four months.
i If Mr.. Easton's expectations are half
realized, the work will be the most notable
and valuable colonization enterprise Cali
fornia has seen, and it will do much to add
to the development, population and wealth
of the State.
The promoters and hackers of this col
onization enterprise have been working
| quietly and saying nothing. Those inter
ested in it here will not yet say much about
the business details of the scheme. 1t is
| learned that a new corporation has been
formed here to hand lie large tracts of Cali
fornia lands mainly by selling them to
Europeans that have some money who can
| be induced 10 settle in California. 81.
| Francis, an Englishman who belongs to an
| influential London family and who has
! become quite well known in the CaIifor-
MIA business world during the last few
| - -
the project, as are Easton, Eldridge Co.,
! the real estate people. Other people in
California and London are interested.
Mr.. Francis recently returned from Lon
don and Mr.. Easton will return soon, when
George Easton will go there and keep
things moving.
George Easton and Mr.. Francis say that
all arrangements for the working of the
project will not be completed before Sep
TENDER 1, by which time large plans for
inducing immigration from Europe, es-
pecially from Great Britain and the coun-
tries of Scandinavia, will be in operation.
The corporation will have large tracts all
over the State, which will be offered TO
immigrants who will be of a class able to
make the first payment and furnish sufi-
cient guarantees. Besides the well-known
people who will manage the enterprise
there will be concerned the Wilson Steam
ship Company. This is said to be the
wealthiest steamship company of Great
Britain, owning over fifty steamers, but its
business, which extends over all the world
mainly consists of immigrant traffic. This
company has long established immigration
: agents all over Europe, and as the connec-
ton of this company with the California
enterprise will be in the nature of a part
nership, it's agents will become agents for
California lands. The California people
| will keep an able representative in London,
the steamship and other English people
interested will keep an agent here, and
altogether there is to be an influential
broad-gauge and permanent agency for
! bringing desirable immigrants from Europe
to California.
That is the gist of what George Easton
and Mr.. Francis said yesterday about the
scope and plans of the enterprise. which
they would not speak of in detail. English
capital and Englishmen are being inter-
ested, and various negotiations here and
abroad are pending
zone thing l am free to say" said
| George Easton yesterday, sis that only the
better class of people will be brought here.
Land will be sold, subject to four pay
ments, and the first payment must be
made on the other side. One difference
between this and other colonization
! schemes of the kind is that every
purchaser will have a reliable guarantee
| that the land he buys and the conditions
he will find are exactly as represented.
! Inc men interested DOlQ There anu mere
are of such standing that the guarantee
will mean something. Since leaving here
| in April my brother, Wendell Easton, has
! been pretty well over Europe and the
pending negotiations are about comp leted.
! Ny brother writes that from his observa-
| ton he believes that 10, 900 desirable people
| can be brought here within the next two
years, but if we are half as successful as
| that we will be doing wonders. He writes
| that he is visited at his hotel in London
by an immense number of inquirers about
California, and many of them are people
of money and influence. Here is an origi
nal note he sent me, which arranges an
interview with Lord Herrick, who wants
to come here with 10000.
eve have a NUM- Der of large tracts all
over the State. which we will try to settle.
One is the L. ]. Rose estate in Los Angeles
County. Then we have the Mitchell estate
of $4,000 acres near Modesto, tract OF
10000 acres near Sacramento, belonging to
q syndicate, and large tract In Salinas
County, which will be especially desirable
to Scandinavians.
eve have others and will acquire others.
The lands will range III price from SIS up
ward and will be adapted to variety OF
crops and tastes. An especial effort will
be made to bring out large colonies of
people, who will settle together. We will
establish and maintain an exhibit OF Cali
fornia products in London, and | am just
now negotiating for the purchase of the
exhibit which at Chicago was sold to the
Land of Sunshine Company. found that
it had been sold to another company and
taken te Kansas City, where it is now.
We will move that to London soon if we
can get it and REINFORCE it. 1t would not
be wise to say much about our plans in
detail now, but everything will be ready
for operation within two months, am
confident"