The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1907-01-11
FARM LABOR FROM BROAD

y
County ~ recent meeting appointed
COMMITTEES to report upon some
method for sllevisting the fsrn-saisr
stingency in the state. la the report
submitted the committee, alter declar.
ing tina, 1.-The prosperity Of the farmers
of Maryland, upon whom the prosptri
ty OF the state SO largely depends, is
endangered ty the great scarcity OF
satisfactory help; that this scarcity is
becoming. more serious year hy year
in the rural Districts directed atien.
ton TO the example set by tn. Safe
lm,aigrs'ion Buresu>uf y ,aih C.roliha
in securing directly solicited farm Ia
Dor from abroad. The report OF the
committee is in the !or IA uf letter all
dressed 10 the Governor al the state,
and the docsment concludes hy petit
tiuuing the G.,v<rnor to direct tie
State Bureau OF lmmiyratiun to or
ganiz- = similar seheme for securing
foreign farm labor a. that which is be,
ing operated by S 'uth Carolina. Gov
ernor Warfield has turaed this pesi.
ton, with it, preamble, ever to Super
intsndent Turpia, OF the Maryland
Immigration Bureau.
The recent ruling made hy Srsre,
tary Straus, of the United S stes De
partment of C,mmerce and Labor.
sustaining the contention that foreign
labor solicited for specific purpose BY
the State immigration Bureau oI
South Carolina Was net in violation OF
the national inauguration. laws, seems
to open the way to state bureaus for
the procurement OF farm labor abroad
to meet special needs. A. The Amer
lean suggested Immediately following
the rendering OF the decision by tn.
national government in the . nth
Carolina case, the plan adopted by the
Southern state has attracted wide at.
.tention. There will be an inquiry in.
stituted in nearly every state that
maintain an immigration bureau to
ascertain the powers and equipment
OF the state organization for the pro-
curement Of foreign farm labor.
The MAJ, land immigration Bureau
was orgsn'z d during tho legislative
session Of 1896, and its purpose, as
explained in the title clause, is ITO en-
courage immigration to this stale"
Ten thousand dollars was appropriate
ed by the last lie gislstare for annual
maintenance Of the Maryland bureau.
or this amount s., 500 is set apart Tor
salaries, the remainder beng for rent
of office in Baltimore and for general
contingent EXPENSE. In the forma-
tion Of the. Maryland Bureau there
was naturally no contemplation of i'm
porting labor for farm purpose. or any
other specified engagements, there be-
ing a generally prevailing belief st
that time that the National Immigra.
tion Law was prohibitive to solicited
labor. Instead the act providing for
the Maryland bureau diret IS that, 10
order to promote the otj let's cf the
bureau, the state superintendent nay
personally or through special agent
visit Canada, or sny OF the states, OF
the Union, for the purpose Of attract
ing or inducing TO this state such ion
migration as may be thought desira-
bic. The Maryland bureau has sp.
parentlr interpreted this clause as
meaning the bringing into the state Of
capitalist,e investors, and many such
seem To have been drought htle
through the agency Of the bureau.
Section 3 Of Ike Act ii 1896 does
provide. however, that "tts Board OF
Immigration Commissioners shall
have power to make contracts with
railroads, steamship lines, trsn.perts-
ton companies and masters of vessels.
securing low rate OF transportation
to immigrants, and to make the neces
sary arrangemen Mt for their reception
and temporary 2ecomm odstion upon
their arrival at Baltimore or al h.r
parts Of the state The MarylaId
bureau which con sists of three CON-
missioners, TWO OF whom serve without
pay; q secretary, who acts as inter.
prefer, and y stenegrspher, is scarcely
equipped for the procurement OF labor
abroad after the method adopted by
s puth Carolina. The passage money
of the first 800 immigrants delivered
in Charleston was paid in advance by
the South Carolina Bureau Agents
representing the South Carolina bu.
reau were sent abroad, and complete
arrangement with those who came
were made on the other side The
$40 600 appropriated for the uses Of
the Maryland bureau would no, be