Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-07
IMMIGRATION.
XVII Problems of
Other Countries.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

There are FIVE leading countries which
are now making bid for immigrants,
and which are able to accommodate mil
lions of them. There are few countries
in the new world which do not wish
healthy influx of new blood. but only
Canada. Argentina and Brazil have gone
about the matter in a careful and syste
matte way. In the old world Australia
and New Zealand are standing In the
market places of humanity trying to in
duce the emigrant to bend his footsteps
their way.
Canada offers an interesting example of
a country with a definite immigration
policy, a policy that consists of recog
nizing the country's peculiar needs and
then enacting a law sufficiently broad and
flexible to meet those needs. There are
two characteristics about the Canadian
immigration policy-the one is to attract
settlers to the land, and the other is to
discourage the coming of such immigrants
as tend to congregate in cities and towns.
The United States, the United Kingdom
and certain other countries of northern
and western Europe are regarded as fur
nishing the kind OF people Canada needs
for its upbuilding. and the Dominion gov
eminent has carried on propaganda that
has been carefully wrought out and sue
cessfully conducted. The Canadians do
not try to attract immigration from south
ern and eastern Europe. In fact, they
let 1t be known that unless such immi-
grants are headed for the land and not
for the cities Canada would rather they
would stay at home.
In the earlier years Canada shared with
the United States in the immigration from
western and northern IN
tent. though until the railroads were eX-
tended into the great prairie region of
middle Canada and British Columbia the
bulk of this immigration remained in the
United States. But when it finally went
into Canada there followed a propaganda
that has been remarkable for the success
that has attended it. and Canada has be-
come one of the great immgrant-rec
ing nations of the world.
!: x
The most significant feature about the
Canadian immigration laws is the latitude
and discretionary pow
Feature OF er vested i'm the immi-
r1 grafton authorities A
picked immigration is
wanted, and the immigration authorities
are permitted to do the selecting without
being hampered on every hand.
In the propaganda work much advertis-
ing is DONE advertising by circulars.
through the newspapers, through per-
manent exhibits in big cities and by
travelling exhibits in smaller ones. And
then Canada pays liberal bonus to sew
eral thousand booking agents in the cOun-
tries from which immigrants are sought.
A bonus of $4S6 is paid for each immi-
grant of certain classes who is enlisted
for Canada. 1t is given for such immi-
grants as have been for at least one year
engaged in the occupation of farmer. farm
laborer gardener, stableman. carter. rail-
way surfaceman miner or navy. and who
declares his intention of following farm
ing or railway construction in Canada
Grants are also made to the Salvation
Army for the purpose of assisting people
to come to Canada.
Another plan that Canada has hit upon
to encourage immigration is to appoint
successful immigrant farmers as dele
gates to Great Britain, paying them to
go about the United Kingdom and tell
the people Of the wonderful opportunities
in Canada. The result Of the Canadian
campaign and the Canadian policy is that
seven-tentls of Canadas immigration to-
day is from northern and western Europe
while eight-tenths of ours is from south
ern and eastern Europe. Two-thirds of
all the hOmeSteadS entered during the
past decade were taken up by immigrants
from Europe and the United States, and
of these the United States furnished near
ly half.
Canada is also bidding for the immi-