Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-10-27
HOME SEEKE RS.
NORTH COAST LINES HANDLE
IMMENSE NUMBER.
Seventy Thousand the Estimate fOl
the Three North Coast Lines.
Canadian Pacific Carried More
But States Have the Advantage
as to Desirability.

OF the number OF hOmeseekers handled
by the three north coast lines of rail-
roads to the Northwest during the
present season places it at about 20 900.
OF this number the Great Northern ia
credited with about 40, 900, the North
ern Pacific with about 10000, and the
Burlington with about 10000.
In an official statement issued few
days since, the Canadian Pacific places
the number of the same class of travel
handled to the Canadian Northwest
provinces at l2O, 900, all of whom have
been distributed west of Winnipeg, in
the provinces of Assinniboia, Alberta,
Saskatchewan and British Columbia,
although there have not been many,
it is said, sent to the latter district.
While the figures show that the
Canadian Pacific has handled almost
double the number of settlers to the
districts than have the American lines,
yet in the results to be attained, the
American lines, railroad men say, have
the better of their competitor.
Among the railroad men visiting in
the city yesterday was A. P. Furth,
travelling passenger agent of the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul rail-
road, who arrived with his family from
Vancouver. For the past month he
has been visiting in the Western Cana
da on vacation. In speaking of the
homeseeker business and the classes
found on both side of the boundary
line, he said:
II am very much afriad that the
figures given out by the Canadian
Pacific railroad, as to the number of
homeseekers carried will have to be
revised. However, admitting that they
represent the business done by the line
into Western Canada, SO far as the two
countries are concerned, the North
western states, with their 10000 new
corners, are much better off than Cana
da with it's 10000.
"The reason for this is that they are
of different class. The shomeseekers
who come to the state of Washington,
as we see and handle them through St.
Paul, are men who have been crowded
out of the middle states. Usually they
want to find homes in Minnesota or the
Dakotas. that being very far west,
according to their conception of the
distance. They displace farmers in
these districts and therefore they, who
have been accustomed to Western
farming, come to Washington and
Oregon, where they are soon the back
bone of the country. This is the class
of homeseekers this part of the North
west has been receiving for the past
four years.
ION the other hand, take the Cana.
dian immigration. In the main it con-
sists of colonization. During the past
season the Canadian Pacific railroad has
handled through Montreal to the Cana
dian Northwest upward of %, 900 Hun
garians and Finlanders. They have
added nearly 10000 to their Russian
colonies. and should say. making q
rough estimate, they have handled
3d. 900 to 10000 of other foreigners, all
of whom have been colonized.
"Now these people are of the poorest
class, and very few of them have
enough money when they arrive here to
supply farm in the most meager way.
While was travelling through Canada
for the past month was much impress
ed with this. The Canadian govern
ment is helping them out to the extent
of loaning them farm implements,
which they can afterwarsd buy, but
they have no stock. Some of these
foreign colonies who have been in the
Canadian Northwest for the past FIVE
years are IN little better condition than
they were at the time they landed in
this country.
1.-THE class of settlers the Canadian
line is handling, in the main, is class
the American lines will not bid for, and
the Northwestern states have advanced
in this direction much more than
Canada.
"Our line has done large share Of
the homeseeker business this year from
Chicago weslt. By FAR greater num-
Der of those who have been carried have
been ticketed to Washington and there
fore this state, believe, has done more
in the way of settlement than all the
others in the Northwest combined"
TWENTY MILLION DAYS.