Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-20

To secure an advantageous distri-
button of the immigrant is one OF the
greatest, as well as one of the most
serious problems that confront the
people Of this country. 1t is not only
the citizen who is affected, but every
one, man or woman, immigrant OF
native. When our welcome friends
settle In large numbers in the con-
gested centres of population, such as
New York, Chicago or San Francisco
they add to a condition which mas,
perhaps, become menacing through
an oversupply of labor. Their new
life to which they had looked forward
becomes hard and instead OF raising
themselves from poverty, they become
enmeshed in it, or at least a con-
siderable part of them do. Recently.
however, schools have been opened
which assist them in being able TO
meet the needs of their environment
but as they remain in the cities there
will always be the squalid tenement,
a high percentage of sickness, and
an increase of vice. Then the ques-
ton Is how to free them from the
dangers of such conditions. 1t has
been proposed that Congress enact
into law certain measures which will
prevent more than certain percent
age of the immigrants of any year
from settling in the cities or towns
Preventive action along this line is
still only in the chimerical stage.
Various agencies now established are
at work in the cities, endeavoring 10
teach higher standards OF living
among. these people and also to aid
them in securing employment and be-
coming useful citizens. Among these
agencies are the visiting nurses, the
settlement workers, the domestic in
structors and many others. While
these aid in ameliorating conditions,
they do not solve all Of the numer-
Gus problems of the immigrant.
Organizations and individuals have
considered the need of strong men
and healthy women who are skilled
In tilling the soil in those parts of
the country where for miles the broad
acres stretch out awaiting the hand
of man to come and take from them
their riches In the South, in the
the larger States of the Union there
is land to spare with no one to till it,
while in the big cities are thousands
suffering from food and with no OPP
portunity to get 1t. Societies which
seek to aid the immigrant together
with the United States officials unite
in their efforts to bring the aliens to
the part of the country which needs
them and they need. In fact, at the
national conference of the immigra-
ton, land and labor officials, organ
lied a few months ago, steps were
taken to secure the establishment by
the federal government of a bureau
in the Department of Commerce and
Labor to supervise and protect aliens
and others in transit, establish agen-
cies at redistribution centres to facil-
itate distribution and protection and
to promote and encourage in each
State the establishment of State i'm
migration bureaus, this bureau to
have power to register and furnish
information regarding lands for set
tiers and to investigate the terms
and conditions upon which they are
offered for sale. This bureau when
established to urge upon each state
the consideration of measures pro-
! tecting home-seekers and to coop
crate with the United States postal
authorities to prevent frauds upon
the immigrant. The conference, how
ever, in recognition of the fact that
the newly arrived alien has not suf-
cient capital to establish himself
upon a farm and properly equip it,
asks the government to adopt some
method by which longtime, low in
terest loans may be made to the set
tiers for the express purpose of aid
ing them to purchase the land and
make the specified improvements.
This plan is not new. 1t being al
ready in operation in Australia and
New Zealand, while in several OF
the United States the school funds
are invested in farm mortgages.
These States are Idaho, Iowa, lndi-
I