The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-21
BY BASSETT STAINES.

while those coming to New York need
guidance to their destination and
while going there, protection from
sharps. crooks and dishonest runners,
and thereafter to have advice and en-
ployment."
The society over which Mr.. Norton
preSides is one of the most energetic
Of its kind. 1t needs to be, for Italy
contributes the largest total of immi
grants to America nowadays, and the
number is increasing every year. A
description of the working of this
powerful Italian society will give an
insight into that of the other national
organizations, which operate along
much the same lines.
Meets FriendIess Immigrants.
The society's agents wait at the i'm
migration stations for steamers carry
ing immigrants, for whom they imme-
dfately act as interpreters and friendly
advisers in their troubles with the i'm
migration officials With immigrants
who have friends waiting for them
the society's agents do not concern
themselves, for they have enough to
do for the others, who have
not the slightest idea whittier they are
going.
They tell such helpless creatures
how to communicate with their rela-
tives in the country, how to get food.
how to buy their railroad ticket, how
best to get to their destinations with
out losing time or money.
In short, they do for them, in Presi-
dent Norton's words, what travellers
in a strange country have always
wanted done for them since the begin
ming of the world"-and Italian immi-
grants, it must be remembered, are
the most ignorant and timid kind of
travellers.
Abuses Upon Immigrants.
Great abuses were formerly prac-
ticed upon immigrants in New York
city by boarding house runners" said
President Norton. These runners
would take an immigrant to a destina-
ton to which he did not want to CO.
where, on one pretext or another he
would be made to pay various sums of
money.
"As a preliminary fee for taking him
to his destination they would extort
two or three dollars, and sometimes
even go so far as to force him by COM
pulsion of one kind or another to pay
so-called immigration tax of a dol
lar. Then they would force a further
payment of from fifty cents to a dollar
for finally taking the immigrant where
he wanted to go.
These frauds used to be of daily
occurrence, and they were not con-
fined to the immigrants who landed
in New York. Italians were landed at
Boston by the Dominion Line every
week or so. and sent on to New York
by rail, arriving at the Grand Central
Station usually early in the morning.
There they were bounced upon by the
same body of runners who infested the
New York barge Office and were
robbed of their money in the manner
already described"
The society has changed all this by
establishing an escort service" which
takes the immigrants in hand and
guides them to their proper destina-
ton for a nominal fee. During the
first two years and a half of the
working of this escort service nearly
5000 friendless immigrants have been
provided for at an average cost of 80
cents apiece, as against at least "a
which immigrants were formerly
forced to pay by sharpers.
saves Thousands of Helpless Ones.
Immigrants bound for places in re-
mote. sections of the country frequently
land in New York with little or no
money, expecting to find at some bank
or postoffice, RENTED by their friends,
the sum necessary to take them where
they want to go. Sometimes they have
forgotten the name of the bank some
times the money is not there, connec-
tions having been missed. To such per-
sons as these the immigration relief So
cieties are invaluable. The loan of