Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-21

| failed. The only chance was to convince
the steamship world of the availability of
the harbor for large passenger steamers
| and that they would find cargoes and
passenger business awaiting them. The
support given me by the manufacturers
was based largely on this desire to
| open the south to the commerce of the
world. and there was no objection on their
part to my making use of the crying need
for immigration. In this regard the ex-
pertinent has been far more of a success
than I had anticipated. and but for alb
normal shipping conditions and the re-
cent financial panic a permanent line OF
steamships would at this moment be in
operation bringing passengers and i'm
ports to Charleston and sending direct to
Europe raw cotton and cotton manufac-
tured products. The very success of the
| undertaking in this regard caused Con-
gress to appropriate so. 600 for the estab-
llshment of permanent immigration sta
tion at Charleston, and the work on this
station Is now being vigorously prosecut-
ed"
Are you going to bring over more i'm
migrants?'
To Bring More Immigrants.
Eyes. we will bring in more. but not
of the kind that are pouring into this
country through the eastern ports. We
are now bringing English-speaking and
Scandinavian people almost exclusively
for farming purposes. They are coming
as the result of well-directed advertising.
and no promises have been made them of
anything other than the advice and care
of this department. Some have as much
as $4,000 each. with which to buy lands
and establish themselves in farming OPP
erations. One man with that much much
money brings his wife and ten grown
children. 1t is possible also. that before
summer comes we will bring large num-
her of people from Saxony on steamer
direct to Charleston, and that regular sail
to ~ sy,1v> ,t,atn 10
! that before the year is ended Charleston
will have direct service from Scandl-
navia and England"
What methods are you required to use
to conform with the labor law"
THE state has the right to advertise
Ats resources and opportunities abroad.
The only restriction is that it's agents
shall not promise work of any descrip-
ton to any immigrant. This is slight
ly more stringent requirement than was
in the old law. where the state could
go to the extent of saying that 1t would
undertake to see that the newcomers
obtained work at the prevailing scale OF
wages advertised Under the new law
1t is permitted to advertise the scale OF
wages prevailing here. the cost of the
necessaries of life, house rent and so on.
but no assurance of employment can be
given
Are the mill men willing to import
foreign labor or to give employment to
foreign labor if it is imported?"
AT this time the mill men in South
Carolina are not particularly concerned
with the matter of immigration other
than from the standpoint of the general
upbuilding of the state. They do not
care whether foreign labor Is brought
for service in the mills. They desire,
however. that when such labor arrives
that everything be done to make the
newcomers feel at home.
How do You work t?''
Procedure Followed Abroad.
I'VE simply distribute literature print
e.. in the native languages and prepared
in accordance with the custom of the
country in which we may be working
among the people in the agricultural dis
tricts. In Great Britain this literature is
supplemented by advertising in agricul-
tural journals and by carefully selected
agents going from point to point through
the country districts with lectures and
with stereopticon views of farming
scenes: etc. In Belgium for a good while
from which thousands Of pieces of liter
allure were mailed into the country dis
tricts.5 The people. having become inter-
ested in this way, visited our Office to
seek further information. OF course this
work varies according to the customs of
the country. and must of necessity be
done with the sanction of the foreign
government obtained through the De-
partment of State at Washington
rs there any prospect of direct steam
ship line between Charleston and Europey''
Yes. there Is every prospect for one
line with thirty-day sailings, and possibly
for others. The steamship world under
stands that the cotton belt is not going
to submit much longer to the roundabout
transportation system that now takes the
bulk of the profits. AS soon as the finan-
cial situation has adjusted itself I think
l will be In a position to announce the
opening of transatlantic service to the
south Atlantic states.'
How do you avoid undesirable immi-
grants?'
To Keep Out the Undesirable.
I'm our Office on the continent when an
applicant came to make inquiry we first
talked to him generally. The next step
was to require him to go to the commis-
saire du police and bring a transcript of
his record
THE next step was to require him to 70
to his physician and bring a sworn GER
ttfcate as to his mental and physical
soundness. The third was to examine in
detail his work book in which he must
have certificate from every person with
whom he has ever worked. When this
had been done and he was deemed a de-
srable citizen he was given a letter of
Introduction to the immigration office at
Columbia. which briefly stated the main
d
requirement that the intending emigrant
should secure certificate of change of
residence, declaring his intention of going
to South Carolina. setting forth his entire
record-even showing whether he had ever
been divorced-his educational record and
his judicial record. This he brought with
him. and he was given to understand that
1t must be shown here during the first
fortnight after his arrival to some Of
hcial Of my department.. In one Of the
other countries the system was even more
far-reaching, embracing probationary
period during which time our agents made
inquiries about the general character Of the
people. l believe that such system
can be put into operation most effectively
and TO the immense advantage of this
country through international agreement
by the United States government If this
should be done great fight will no doubt
be made by the steamship companies who
are handling immense numbers of people
of Slavic origin and from the south Of
Europe The desirable emigrant from the
north of Europe has absolutely nothing
TO fear from educational qualification
were 1t many times as stringent that
proposed. whereas on the other hand the
undesirables are densely ignorant. In all
my experience with northern European
people I have discovered but one case in
which the party could not read or write,
and have found. on the other hand, that
the average immigrant is a very we'll
educated man.
PLANS OF W. c. T. q.
district Onion Outlines Manv