The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-08-12

wide attention. The doubt has been as
to the feasibility of the plan. Would
not the newcomers, it has been ask
ed. n'be dissatisfied in the West and
drift back TO the Eastern settlements
of their own nationality?'
The plan has been effective for so
short a time that sufficient data to an
swer the question positively have not
yet been accumulated. Still, the ex-
perience of one of the most important
distribution centers for the Galveston
movement is instructive. OF approx
mately one thousand immigrants who
landed in Galveston in the six months
following the establishing Of the jew
ish Immigrants Information Bureau,
July l, 1907, about 10 per cent were
sent to Kansas City, where they came
under the care of the United Jewish
Charities and of Jacob Billikopf, su-
perintendent.
An individual record Of each of these
hundred persons has been kept by him.
1t was rarely necessary to furnish
board longer than a week, at an in.
dividual cost of between s. and So.
Within that time places were almost
invariably found. The period covered
includes the months of financial de-
preston which made employment I'M
certain. Mr.. Billikopf found 375 jobs
for his hundred charges In most in
stances places were lost through no
fault of the employees. Rarely have
more than half dozen men been out
of work at one time, for the West has
not been SO seriously affected by the
financial depression as the East.
All sorts of occupations are repre-
sented among immigrants There are
tailors, shoemakers, bricklayers, tim
ners, blacksmiths, butchers, bookkeep-
ers, l0eksmiths and woodworkers.
Wherever possible men have been pro-
vided with work at their own occupa-
tons. In many eases, however, this
has proved impossible, and they have
taken whatever offered. At present
the tailors are making the highest
wages. In some instances their pay
has increased to ST., $18 and even $50
a week. Of the eighty-eight persons
listed as at work on May /, forty eight
We're receiving wages under $40 a
week, with $3.50 as the minimum.
Thirty-six Were getting between $40
and SIS, and four were making SIS or
more, the maximum being $50.
The record kept at the office of the
United Jewish Charities in Kansas
City makes interesting reading. There
is w. B., for instance. soapmaker,
who arrived on July /, 1907. He is
working in packing house for SO a
week. Since his arrival he has saved
sl75 and has sent for his family in
Russia. n. P. tailor, is making SI6
a week, has saved 800 and expects to
send for his family. /. H., laborer
in a junk yard at SO week. has sent
more than 800 to Russia. NJ e., who
arrived on August 6, out of his salary
of $1,000 a week as a sash and door
maker has saved 800 and has sent
for his oldest daughter from Russia.
NJ. b., an iron worker, on $12 week
saved $40, and now has taken small
farm.
So it goes down the list. with only
two discouraging entries-one man who
was implicated in a theft and left
town, and another, who is listed az
an undesirable citizen, working only
But fourteen of the i'm
migrants, working for the most part
at meagre wages, are credited with
having saved 1926 since their arrival
in Kansas City.
The movement has not vet attracted
the serious attention of the unions,
possibly because it is not on an ex-.
tensive scale In one instance it was
found possible to place cornice work
pr in union shop with the acquies-
eence of the union s business agent
1t was pointed out to him that the
newcomer would probably become suf-
ieiently proficient within a few weeks
to earn the union scale. As soon as
he should reach that point the man
promised to take out a card. The agent
took the position that it was better
70 encourage such a man to enter the
union than to force him into the ranks
IF the nonunion forces. Therefore he
that he should work in the
shop on probation. Before the expira.
ton of the period allotted the immi-
grant was able to join the union.
Apparently the immigrants diverted
TO the West through Galveston are not
going to drift eastward At least, that
is the Kansas City experience. Only
half a dozen of those who have come
to Kansas City have left town, and.
while the movement has not been of
sufficient duration for test. there
seems no reason to suppose that the
new arrivals will not be satisfied with
the opportunities offered in the West.
As it is, they are rapidly being trans
formed into Americans The great So
cial service of the organized Jewish
charities in this Transformation process
is selfevident. If these Russian Jews.
ignorant of the language and with their
low standard of living, were pumped
down into the West-into Kansas Citv,
for instance-with no one to look after
them, they would starve for few
days. and then would drift into the
ranks of unskilled labor, with the
chances against their ever rising. With
the aid of the Charity Organization