The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-02-01
ONLY THE BEST
OF IMMIGRANTS
Selected for Georgia By Special
Agent in the Orient.
ARE SCOTS AND SWEDES
State immigration Society is Actively
at Work and Urgent Calls for Help
Will Soon Be Answered,

VIVA
The Georgia immigration Associa-
ton, through the chairman of its exc
cutive committee, Mr.. John A. Bette.
man, of Albany, announces that he is
comforting with the representatives of
the principal steamship lines relative
to bringing in Immediately few hun.
dred Scots and Swedes to relieve the
very urgent call for help in some
quarters.
The result of this conference will
be given to Commissioner 7. G. I'D
son with a request that the stats do
what is needful at this juncture. 1t
is hoped to have immigrants in tran
sit for the port of Savannah within
the next three weeks. The greatest
care has been taken in giving infor-
nation about Georgia to only such
people in Europe as will make de-
sirable citizens. There is ready in
Savannah at any time a cargo Of
freight for the returning vessel Sal
vannah, it will be recalled, supplied
two-thirds of the cargo for the re-
turn trip of the "Wittekind" With
the heavy freights accessible to Sa-
vannah, there is no port on the At
lantic coast which can provide re-
turn cargo as easily as she can. This,
in large measure, reduces the COM
mercial side of a line Of immigrant
steamers to Georgia in securing the
immigrants from Europe.
Mr. Betjeman, in discussing recent
statements by prominent Georgians
and by the state press on this very
vital subject, said:
Il know of no better way to re-
assure any man who doubts the wis
dom of the work outlined by the Geor-
gia immigration Association than to
state again that the work is under the
direction of eighteen Of the best far
mers, lumber-men, fruit growers, man.
ufacturers, mill men and professional
men in active business in the state
of Georgia today. These men have
held repeated conferences since the
nineteenth of October, and have con.
sidered not only the federal and state
laws ON the subject, but have given
more time and more serious thought
than perhaps any others to the effect
ON the state of Georgia of the intro
duction of new blood from Europe.
They have been investigating the
character of available people in Scot
land, in the north of Germany and
in Sweden. No man in Georgia has
his states welfare more at heart than
the members of this directorate who
are giving their time and thought
to this subject from a purely patriotic
motive. Over 80 per cent Of the
tillable land in the state of Georgia
is lying idle for want of sufficient
help to cultivate it. A little calcula-
ton reveals the fact that on an ex-
ceedingly rough estimate the land
owners are not only losing the in
terest on the value Of 1,770,000 acres
IF land which for the sake of this
calculation is estimated at fifteen dol
lars per acre, but on a tax rate Of
per cent are paying $2G5,OOO in taxes,
the burden of which is being carried
by other lands. The need for help
in the homes through the cities and in
the Industries is even more striking,
it being estimated that very nearly
every fifth family In the state has
room for one or more domestics, and
that nearly Is per cent Of the ma
chinery in our industries is either
lying idle or is turning out less than
one-half of its capacity because there
are not enough people to do the
work
1T is proposed to lay the details
Of our plan before the convention to
be held in Macon on February 18Th
and goth"