The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-13
Ross [, Smith Submits Facts and Figures on Important
 Problem to Alabama
SOUTH IS NOT GETTING
 SHARE IF IMMIGRAN Is
Says State Should Take Hold of the Matter and Appoint a Commission So That Agents Could Be
 Sent to Europe.

Ross c. Smith, chairman of the immi- grafton committee of the Commercial club and commissioner of immigration for the state of Alabama, made his report in the shape of a letter to the club. He had expected to be present and make ths1 report in person, but was called out ofl the city last night
 The letter is as follows:
 Birmingham, Ala. June H. 1906. Mir T. II. Motion, President Commerciat
 Club. City.
 Dear Sir: I regret very much that | will be unable to attend the club meet ing on the evening of June F. l beg. therefore, to submit this as my report orF immigration:
 It gratifes me to say that greater ef- forts are being made by the railroad lines in Alabama and by individuals and indus- trial corporations In the matter of brings ing people to Alabama than those who have not given the matter study are ds- posed to accept The Alabama Great Southern railroad, through Maj. r. !. Anderson co col6nissioner, has located 5of families along the line of It's railroad in Alabama within the past seven months.
 r. IT. and industrial agent of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, reports that during the year 1905 the Louisville and Nash vile Railroad company located along It's various lines in the state Of Alabama 726 families, consisting of 2564 persons, who purchased and moved upon Az, i2l acres of farnlsfe lands. These people come from all the middle western states and some from foreign countries.
 This report is all the more gratifying in the light of the fact that during the same period the total number of immt- grants located in all the states served by the Louisville and Nashville was 1l6l families or 4l74 persons who purchased S2 421 acres of land. In other words, Ala bama received more than half Of the im- migration into these states I haven't the figures at hand showing what the South ern railway, the Seaboard. Atlantic Coast Line, Central of Georgia, Nashville. Chat tanooga and St Louis and the Frisco have done but l know from observation that they are intensely interested in tho question of bringing more people to Ala bama and to the Birmingham district, and their work for the past year has been most effective
 The association of railroads as repre- sented by me maintains an agent in New York whose duty it is to meet the new arrivals from European countries and present to them the advantages of Ala bama. In a recent report made by the. agent of this association on his work In New York, he says:
 Agents Report
 "I have shipped to Alabama since the 1st of December S25 men, Of this num- Der do not know how many remained on the work, but from investigations am sure very satisfactory percentage or them. It may be that some have deserted one employer to go to another, but never theless most of them are in the south on the lines of the several railroads.
 "One feature of the work that is very encouraging is that 1 have succeeded in sending people to more than a dozen counties In Alabama, and In that way built I'D a nucleus which will draw oth- CTS, and in fact Is drawing others In a gradual way. In this way each or these settlements constitutes Tn itself an imfni- grafton bureau. This is true not only In the industrial districts. but in the agri- cultural as we'll With the work that [ see before me. I believe that within tho next twelve months I can put some new people in practically every county In Alabama While 1t is true that there is a great scarcity of labor In Alabama, the same conditions exist in the east, and the demand for labor is unprecedented in tho history of the country. Men aro paid from s1.75 to S2.oo per day within five hours pun from New York city. California is offering $2 per day md free transportation to San Francisco; Ala- bama Is offering N.5o per day with s12.51 transportation to be deducted. The sum- rner months make an open. everyday season for the laborer In the east. and it is exceedingly difficult to induce them to leave the east or north unless they are fresh arrivals, because they become thoroughly saturated with the conditions in the east, and with the sight os the waters and sails before them, they ara loath to leave their first landing place for the interior. New York city is call- Ing loudly for laborers to tear down old buildings and erect now, and build new water works, submarine tunnels. urban transportation lines and additional con- duits for the new telephone and telegraph lines.
 "A prejudice exists among the consuls and foreign benevolent associations in New York oeainst the south, and these are not friendly to our movement in any sense. This prejudice is brought about by alleged i'll treatment of southern fore- men against white lsborers."
 Observations Correct.
 have quoted quite freely from this re- port for the reaeon that think that the observations contained therein are very correct. and are well worth the consid- eration of all who are interested in the immigration movement Of the 1,0o3,o75 immigrants who landed on our shores last year g per cent of this number To- cated in the states of New York. New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Massachusetts and Ohio. Of the remaining number Az DOT cent or 45. 0Oo. located south of the Ohio and Potomac rivers. This great differ ence in numbers between what the south received and New England and the mid- dle west. very naturally brings up the question as to what influences brought about this disparity? It Is explained in several ways. First. those sections which are now receiving such largo volume of foreign people have had no other labor