The Garland globe. [volume] (Garland, Utah) 1906-191?, 1906-06-23

IMMIGRANTS AT GALVESTON.
(Busy Scene After Arrival OF European
steamer.)
Outstanding of the country's needs,
immigration through the port Of Gal.
weston, II present plans are carried out,
means not so much an immigration
for the dollars and cents there may be
in 1t for the transportation companies
as It does the rapid development Of
the fertile and unoccupied lands tribu-
tary to the gulf ports. To the home
colonization is now to be added the
foreign colonization.
In this undertaking the government
is lending a willing hand, and the
three agencies combined should result
in accomplishment worthy Of . good
cause.
II was the government, In fact, that
first directed the attention Of the rail.
roads and OF the steamship company
to the possibilities that lie In the port
OF Galveston In the way Of home build
ing in the Southwest. Yearly the
hordes which seek entry to the United
States through the port Of New York
are increasing. so that the problem Of
hauling them becomes continually
more difficult Of solution. Further
more thousands of those who come In
by the way Of New York never get be-
yond the confines of that and other
large cities, congesting these popula.
lions with a class which is undesir.
able.
More than year ago the govern
ment limited to the railroads and to the
steamship people that 1t would be a
good idea to try to divert a large por-
ton Of the immigration through one
Of the southwestern ports. Galveston.
as being nearest the source of land
supply, was selected, and the railroads
and the steamship line Joined hands
in the undertaking.
The first movement Of immigrants
through Galveston really began in 1904,
when but 800 were brought In. Prior
to that the North German Lloyd, al.
though having a line between Europe
and Galveston, had not made any eff.
fort in the immigration line. BY the
beginning of 1906 the bureau had got
to work In earnest and the result was
3,400 immigrants.
Immigrants coming through this
port are distributed all over the West
but statistics show that fully so per
cent Of them remain in Texas and pre-,
sumably make that state their perma.
nent home. Many Of them go to Col
orado and California, and not a few
into Missouri, some seeking the big
cities like st. Louis. Upon an aver,
age, 33 1.3 per cent are unticketed
when they reached these shores and
between 30 and 40 per cent are what
are termed homeseekers. That is to
say, they have come over here without
a definite destintion, but with the ex.
press purpose Of finding permanent
homes In the agricultural districts.
Present facilities for landing immi.
grants through Galveston are totally
inadequate and fully $4,000 will have
to be spent in this direction. Although
r. 8. Sargent, chief of the immigration
department, has recommended and Is
trying to direct immigration through
Galveston, the government is not
ready to spend all the money necessary
to provide adequate facilities. The
steamship company is unwilling to
make the appropriation. and the rail.
roads do not feel that they should be
called upon to do II all.
The city of Galveston is not disposed
to assume all the burden, and so for
the time being immigrants have to be
herded into inadequate pens, where
they are compelled to spend hours and
even a day or two without the slight.
est accommodations. Il. b. Holman.
chief inspector of the port, stated that
the hardships suffered on this account
were often great, but that he felt GER,
tain the government, the steamship
company, the railroads and the city
would soon get together and construct
new immigration docks. At present a
portion OF the freight docks are
utilized.