Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-14
PAID BY EM|GRANTS
Going From Europe to the
United States.
MILLIONS LAST YEAR
DUE TO ACTIVITY OF TRANsPoR-
TATION AGENTS.
Steamship Companies Enabled to Pay
Big Dividends on Account
of This Traffic.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star


81 LONDON, May 6, 1904
Fifty million dollars was the sum paid
to the steamship companies of the world
in the past twelve, months by emigrants
going to the United States. If it had not
been for the efforts of these transportation
companies, probably not over half of the
emigrants would have left their homes. 1t
is due largely to the abnormal activity of
transportation agents and their wonderful
system of business that the emigration
movement has increased rapidly and
reached the enormous proportions Of to-
day. - ~ -
A large part of the income derived from
this business is paid out in commissions to
railroad companies and for the expense of
handling this humans freight, but the net
profit must certainly represent large per-
centage Of the income from which the
foreign steamship lines are now paying
handsome dividends. One line whose emil
grant business is largely with Naples de-
clared a dividend last year of 20 per cent
upon the total investment and reserved
handsome fund to add to the first and to
take care of it's borrowings. So profitable
has this business become and SO apparent
ly inexhaustible are the sources of supply
that new steamers are constantly being
built and added to the facilities of the ports
of Europe from which the emigrants depart.
What Subsidy Has Done.
A subsidy for mail carrying often means
a subsidy for the emigration business, for
only one country has had the frankness and
assurance to directly subsidize the bust
ness of carrying away it's own citizens from
their native land The agreement between
the Acknowledgements government and
the Cunard lines, whereby new and direct
route was to be established between the
Adriatic ports of Austria and the ports of
America was bold and open violation of
the spirit of the American immigration
laws, which discourage any assistance TO
those desiring to come to the United States
This agreement was hailed in England
with delight, for the Cunard line is pet of
the English public, and it was presumed
that through the creation of this new and
easy point of departure at a southern port
some Of the business which had previously
gone 70 the German line sailing from north
ern ana western Europe would be diverted
to the English ships. 1t was also freely pre-
dicted that the opening up of this new line
would stimulate the movement from Aus
tria Hungary to America and thus create
new business as we'll.
The steamship companies themselves dis
claim any connection With the thousands of
people who are drumming Europe for the
sale of passages 10 America. General agen-
cies are established If the principal cities
and at the greatest ports of emba rka ton,
and to these agencies are left the details of
securing the business. AS the payment for
services is generally based upon a liberal
commission the larger the emigration the
more profitable the agency becomes, and the
origin al commission paid by the company is
finally subdivided many times among SUBJ
agents when the ticket is sold
Steamship Agents.
These steamship agents abroad are gener-
ally Trims of important standing in their
own countries and engage In other business
ers, forwarders~ and buyers of the native
produce. TheyaAaye strong hold upon
their own comrnnnities, generally establish
branches in every important interior town,
and are always fully informed as to local
conditions. Thet,ar able through these To-
cal branches, Ilifough religious and educa-
tional agents, and in many other ways not
only 70 secure all the business which would
naturally come 10 them, but to stimulate it
to q remarkable degree
Priests, school, feachers, pedders, mission
aries, fotel kerpers and railway station
agents ere all on the lookout for the chance
to sell ticket ITO America, and systematic
up an emigration fever which shall be con-
tagious. Local police authorities are more
than Wiling that troublesome characters
shall lie got rid of in this manner. and the
departure of minor criminals and profess
sional raupers is assisted in every possible
way With the exception of those who come
under the latter characterization there is no
object III setting these people in motion ex-
cept the commission which is offered by
those Interested in TIL. sale of transporta-
ton. Hence while the steamship companies
! may prove most positively that they have
| 10 come elton with this sort of business and
are not even eoiynzant thereof, the respon-
sibilities must lie at their door inasmuch as
the business finally comes to them through
the payment of commission directly to
their regularly appointed agents but indi-
rectly TO hundreds of others who really Sc
cure THU; business
Europe presents vast field for operations
of this kind, and In the present distribu-
ton of the material fer emigration it rem
| resents a great deposit which has been
| mined from the most accessible points,
leaving vast areas still unworked The
proposed establishment of line from Aus
| tria to the United States was but the OPEN
| ing up of o. new entry for tapping the IN
terror of central Europe. from which many
! thousand people have already gone to the