Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-14
people who take advantage of such accom-
modations do not object

people. who take advantage Of such accom-
modations do not object.
Land Guides.
There are agents in charge OF all such
buildings at the various stations. snd the
land guides go with the settlers and aid
them in selecting their homesteads. Such
guides serve without charge, although the
settler pays the livery bills Even after
the man has taken up his homestead the
government asks that he complain II any
thing goes wrong. and the immigration bu-
reau will stand between him and the rail-
ROADS and others in case of oppression. AS
a rule, however, the railroads are glad to
help the settlers. They carry Immigrants
from the Atlantic ocean TO the Northwest
for one cent per mile, and IL they go back
for their families the return trim Is al the
same rate.
Talk With Immigration Commissioner
have met the chief officials OF the Ca
madam government who are carrying on
this movement. They are all under the
secretary OF the Interior and more esre-
cially the deputy secretary, w. w. Corey.
They have offices at Ottawa and In the
various parts of the United States. as well
as large bureau here in charge of Mr J.
Obed Smith, who is the commissioner OF
immigration and who has control of all
Ihe NoIh IN the northwest. Mr.. Smith has
been with the movement from it's start
when he was private secretary of the Hon.
Cnnord Sifton. He had something to do
with 1t as railway commissioner OF Mani
toha, and he now controls all Of it's ma
chinery between Lake Superior and the
Rocky mountains
In my talk asked the commissioner how
the Canadian government could afford TO
He replied:
Our government does not expect 10 make
money out OF such things except through
the development of the country. We are
charging nothing for the land, but we want
Canada prosperous and believe she will be-
come more SO more land is brought
under cultivation. With more people there
Will be more business for our factories
There will be more importations through
the custom houses, and as most of our
revenues come from tariff duties, the gov
eminent VIII have greater receipts"
About how fast are you settling the new
CanadaT / asked
I'VE have about 10000 new homesteaders
every year. This is in addition to men who
come to buy land Each OF these home
steaders takes up leo acres. and that afro
gether means 10000 new farms annually. If
you figure the families at three members n
means a new population of $1,000 possible
taxpayers ana consumers"
New Railroads.
Another important feature OF this move
ment is its effect upon the railroads and
railroad building. Thirty thousand home
steads means a new farming area of 1900
square miles. If that were in one solid
block on two sides Of a railroad. reaching
back for ten miles on each side the strip
would be 375 miles long. The government,
however. allots only the alternate sections
as homesteads. so you must double the ter
ritory over which the homesteads are
planted. and your tract is 80 miles long
Such a tract would reach from New York
to Fort Wayne and beyond. 1t would mean
a continuous line of farms covering a strIp
ten miles wide from Philadelphia to Detroit
or thereabouts: and railroads have to be
built to accommodate those farmers The
settlement Of such a tract is part of what
Is now going on here in one year. II is true
that our lands are not in a solid block They
are scattered all over the country, and the
homesteads are here and there and every
where. The railroad building goes on all
the same.
"All these new settlers are new custom
ers for stores and our factories They
add to the value of the lands belonging TO
the government near which they settle and
to the general wealth of our country They
mean everything to our future and we feel
that the money used to bring them here Is
among our best expenditures"
Canada Wants United States Citizens.
There is one thing should like to say"
continued Mr.. Smith. land that is, we want
your people 10 come here to settle. Our
American immigrants are about the best ele-
ment of the new Canada. They are good
men. and the most OF them bring Ia good
money. That is what we need more than
anything else. We have enormous resources,
but we require capital and push to develop
them and we would rather have that from
America than anywhere else. Your people
of the west and our people of the west are
much the same They assimilate easily: and
as time goes on / believe the two countries
Will in sympathy be closer together than
ever before" FRANK G. CARPENTER