The courier., 1902-11-29


The number of arrivals at this port
for the months OF July. August, Septem-
ber and October has been a little more
than twice as great as in the same period
of last year. The proportion OF diseased
and generally inadmissible persons re-
mains the same. When it is considered
that the number of aliens classified as
Canadian immigrants solely for the pur-
pose Of cOncealing their intention OF en-
tering the United States furnishes more
diseased and inadmissible subjects than
all the American ports of entry COM
bined, including Quebec, st. John and
Halifax, 1t will be seen what a task Is
imposed upon the border officers. The
proportion Of rejected cases is l per cent
declared immigrants landing here, to 65
per cent who come as Canadians and
afterward try to slip across the harbor.
or course, by far the greater number
of those who landed at Quebec as Cana
dian settlers have taken up farms in
the Canadian Northwest and the New
Ontario district. Some of the best citi-
zens this country can desire come over
yearly and settle in Canada, or go to
the North, West, or Southwest or the
United States to settle on farms. That
class is a gain to the whole continent.
The crowd that the immigration in
spectOrs have to watch, however. are
not of the same kind at all. Nine-tenths
or even ninety-nine hundredths of them
would not touch plough or any other
instrument Of industry. They head for
the large cities, and the official figures
prove that Of those who seek to obtain
certificates as residents of Canada 80
per cent are bound for Boston, Phila-
delphia, New York, Baltimore and Chi
cago.
The reason for their anxiety to enter
the United States was explained by one
of the immigration officials here a short
time ago, as q desire to reach a place
where q poOrhouse system existed. which
would enable them to be cared for and
where the sick could obtain free attend
ance. While some Of the Canadian
provinces have poorhouses, those insti-
tutions are not by any means so nu-
merous as similar places are in the
United States. The conditions of admis-
sion, too, are much more severe than
they appear to be on the American side.
For all those reasons, with many of the
diseased, infirm and sometimes lazy or
insane, it Is a case of the United States
or nothing as soon as they land on this
side Of the Atlantic.
1t has often been a source Of wonder
to those who observed the course of i'm
migration to the United States through
Canadian channels where these persons
get the amounts of money which they
pay to professional smugglers, who fleece
them regularly. The only plausible ex-
PLANTATION is that those who have had to
care for them on the other side are SO
ole 70 of haf hnv
willing to pay large sums to be relieved
for good Of the responsibility of looking
after them. With the system lately
adopted the United States can feel sure
that the meshes are being closed grad
ually over the tribe of professional
smugglers who work from Quebec and
Montreal, as well as those who have
their people cross at Brockville or Pres
colt and the st. Clair river at Detroit.
The methods adopted by these profess
sional immigrant helpers are as varied
as their number was great up to few
months ago. Now their number has
grown beautifully less, and only last
week one of them was brought to task.
Three strapping young men applied
few weeks ago to the inspectors at Mon
treal for admission to the United States.
They were Italians, and had landed here
a few days previously. Mr.. Watchorn
decided, in accordance with the report
hpf DR.. Barclay, that they could not be
admitted, as they were suffering from
contagious disease. They were such fine
looking specimens Of humanity, however,
that he took an interest in their case.
Dr. Barclay said that, with a few weeks
care and hospital treatment, they would
recover, and there would be nothing to
prevent them from obtaining certificates