Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-25
DIRECTED TO HOMES
Good Work Done by Immigrant
Information Bureau.
EMPLOYMENT FOR MANY
Farm Hands and Servants Sent
Where They Are Needed.
DEMAND IN THE SOUTH
Opposition to Influx in Some Quar-
tiers Being Rapidly Overcome.
Private Agencies.

~ WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written FOR The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
In 1907, when the courts decided that
The efforts of the southern states to di-
vert immigration into that section were
unlawful and the applications from the
southern commissioners of immigration
10 establish agencies for the same pur-
pose at Ellis Island were denied, Con-
gress authorized the establishment of an
information bureau, under the supervision
# the commissioner of immigration, for
the purpose of giving advice and sugges-
lions TO new arrivals as to the conditions
and advantages offered them in different
sections of the country instead of per-
uniting them TO fall into the clutches of
the private employment agents who
greet the stranger when he lands on
Manhattan Island
This bureau has done a great work,
and the Secretary Of Commerce and La
Dor in his recent report commends its
usefulness. He says that during 1908, the
first year after its organization. it di-
rected $40 aliens to employment in vari-
Gus localities, and 4. les during the fiscal
YEAR 1909 OF these ISIS received EN-
ployment farm laborers, 1.215 as COM
mon laborers and 269 as household do
nestics Forty-one states and territories
are represented in the list of employers
and forty-five nationalties are represent
I'd in the distribution New York state
was the gamer by 2,202: New Jersey. 676
Vermont. 800; Pennsylvania, 90 Illinois,
H., and the balance were divided among
all the other states except Florida, Lou
isiana. Idaho. Nevada. Utah. Washington,
Wyoming and Arizona. OF those who
were found employment OBS were Poles,
so Germans. AS Russians, 4o6 Swedes,
2'6 Italians. III Norwegians, 2Go Danes,
Ia Firms. 10 Irish, - English. 43 Swiss
and Scotch, the balance being divided
between the other Municipalities.
In addition to this work done by the
headquarters i'll Washington 26,47I imm-
grants applied. for information at the
that each man represented group rang
ing from five to fifty in number. The
Inspector at Galveston found employment
for 129 applicants. and an unknown
operation with the state agencies and
boards of immigration which resulted
in finding employment for the large num-
her of farm hands and common laborers
III whom no account has been kept.
Help to the Farmers
Efforts have been directed chiefly to
the distribution of immigrants among the
farming communities, and with that in
view T. V. Powderly, who is chief of the
division of information. has obtained the
names and addresses of more than three
million farmers in every section of the
country. TO whom circulars have been
sent offering to secure farm hands, who
in great demand everywhere. These
names were obtained through the rural
delivery carriers, who left double post
card at every farmhouse on their routes
inviting the receiver TO send in his ap-
plcation- The result, stated by Dan
iel ]. keefe. commissioner of immigra-
ton. is that nearly two million COM
RTfs.xtr rpC hove 6a$u q
bureau and the farmers of the country.
In his report Mr.. Keefe says:
1T must he borne in mind that the
work is yet in its initial stage: that its
purpose and scope are just beginning to
he understood All of its work has been
done in the face of adverse conditions
Distribution did not begin until nine
months after the division ebgan to collect
information, and then in the midst of a
financial and industrial depression. Thou
sands OF able. healthy. willing workers
have anxiouSlv scanned the records of
opportunities presented TO them by the d.
vision of information, only to turn away
disappointed. for the most alluring of them
az at points hopelessy beyond the grasp
because of financial inability to reach the
destination Even when the panic was at
its height the division of information
could have directed thousands of people
places where they could secure en-
ploYment on the land were it not for
The lack of means on the part of apph-
oants to dafray travelling expenses.
'Forty-five nationaiities contributed TO
the number of those benefited by the WORK
Of the division. Many of those applying
for help express preference for certain
rationalit.es or races. The division has
therefore included in the list of questions
submitted to prospective employers one
which gives them the opportunity to state
whether they have choice in the matter.
Northern Europeans Preferred.
Those coming from northern Europe
are preferred by perhaps a majority OF
applicants for farm labor. As the value
IF the southern European fruit
grower becomes known the demand for
rs services grows in volume
Commissioner keefe says: of those
cassed as skilled workers. outside of
those referred TO, over 20 per cent went
70 tou-pS yTtlapeS and ara NON