The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-12-28
COMMISSIONER WATsON's REPORT.
WORK OF IMMIGRATION b.
REAU DURING YEAR.
Foreign Agencies Established, Colon
les Planned and Extensive Drain :.
age System Projected for Sea-
coast Region.
BY w H. McCaw.


widespread interest which has been
manifested Throughout the country
in the new movement to bring about
change in agricultural and COM
mercial conditions in the south by
means OF immigration lends import
ance to the first annual report to the
South Carolina legislature Of Immi-
grafton Commissioner Watson, head
of the first strictly immigration de-
partment established by any State.
Mr.. Watson took charge of the de-
partment on the 18th of March, and
from the beginning there has been
the livliest interest manifested from
the congested centers of the East and
in fact from all parts of the country
in the aim, scope and purpose Of the
new work, if letters which have been
coming into the office daily from
these sources are to be taken as an
indication.
The report goes fully into the diff
ficulties surrounding the Inauguration
Of a work Of this kind 1000 miles re-
moved from the centers Of immigra-
ton and without literature. 1t was the
1st of August before the first man
was landed here from a foreign
shore, but since then the department
claims to have gotten the tide started
and the report points out that the
showing made in the number Of for
eign born people brought here be-
tween the 1st of August and the goth
of December is better than that made
by the Maryland department, which
is recognized as the best, for the 1S
months prior to June 80, 1902, since
which time the, Maryland department
has been put on a much better basis.
The South Carolina department was
directed to give preference to SCOTS,
and in spite of the fact that these
people migrate in the smallest num-
bers almost all Of the immigrants
that have been brought here are
Scots, though the report points cut
that there have been a few Beers,
Frenchmen, German, Canadians, Po-
landers and West Indians to come
in.
Arrangements, the report says,
have been concluded for the estab-
lishment of branch Office in New
York and agencies in Stafford, Eng
land, Paris, Liverpool and Leeds, Bel
GUM. There are active agents in Ger
many and in GLASGOW. All Of this has
been accomplished with a total ex-
pense account Of $4,000.
The colonization end Of the busi-
ness has been taken up with experts
who have been successful in populat-
ing the Northwestern States, with the
result that agency contracts have
been signed for he planting Of colo
nies in Aiken, Kershaw and Lexing-
ton counties, and there is an option
out for $4,000 acre tract in Chester
field county. The report holds out
that there are half a dozen other col
onization schemes under considera-
ton which will be brought to sue
cessful conclusions early in the
spring.
The report goes into an analysis Of
he forcign-born and other population
conditions in this State and stresses
that in the small commonwealth of
Connecticut there are more foreign
born people than in the nine South
ern States south of Virginia and
M
river, these nine States getting 1.s OF
the immigrants brought to this coun-
try from 1890 to 1900. South Caro-
lima, like Kentucky, Tennessee and
Alabama, actually decreased in for
eign-born population in that period.
Up to 1900 5000 people have moved
into the State and a quarter Of a mil
lion have left.
An important subject which the re-
port handles is hat touching the
drainage Of the thousands Of acres
on the coast, which Civil Engineer
Marsden Manson, in charge of the
drainage and orrigation systems OF
Northern California and Oregon, has
found as fertile as the region OF the
Nile. Several million acres Of land
the expert says, can be reclaimed at
comparatively small cost, and a bill
will be introduced in the legislature
next month for that purpose. The bill
will be fashioned after the Indiana
laws along this line, which have run
the full gamut Of the courts, the re-
port says. The new scheme provides
for the drainage of the entire coast
country without cost from the State,
the cost being met by small contin-
ing tax against the land itself
| on petition from owners within the
units, which will in some cases be as
small as so square miles
In handling agriculture the depart
ment has done so from the standpoint
| of the commercial value Of diversified
crops and with a view to better meth
DDS Of marketing. With the scientific
and experimental side of agriculture