The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-11-19
| N NJ IGRATlON
CONFERENCE

UuWi lHLW U /
! Washington, d. c., Nov. 14.-Sena-
tor Duncan U. Fletcher, of Florida,
president of the Southern congress,
issued call today for state and local
officers, representatives of the press,
commercial and civic organizations,
railroad officials, bankers, and real
estate men, business men of the South
to meet in Washington on Saturday,
December 18th, to consider and de-
wise methods of. interesting and locat-
ing agricultural immigrants in the
southern states. The call is issued
by the Southern Commercial congress,
with the APPROVAL of Secretary Wilson
of the department Of labor, at the in
stance Of leading business men
throughout the south to discuss the
ladvisability of undertaking efforts for
placing the agriculturally inclined i'm
migrants now out of employment in
our industrial communities on south
ern farms, and to plan methods of
caring for the horde of foreigners that
will probably come to this country
at the close of the European conflict
J, Secretary Wilson will deliver the
opening address at the conference.
The Southern Commercial congress
will have the cooperation of the de-
rartment of labor in this work, and
Mr. t. V. Powderly, chief of the di-
vision of information of the bureau
of immigration, has been des grated
to actively assist in arranging for the
meeting.
The conference is called, it is stat
ed to determine a southern immigra-
ton policy, and to work out practi-
cal plan by which the south can take
advantage of existing opportunities.
There are thousands of immigrants
in our industrial communities, either
out of work or on short time, that
have been working and saving for
years in order to be able to return to
Europe and purchase agricultural
homes who are now prevented from
leaving this country. Many of these
people no longer desire to return
abroad in view of the economic burden
which the war has placed on the
countries of Europe, and large groups
can be placed on southern farms if
the proper efforts are made to secure
them.
Large numbers of European immi-
grants, many of whom will be prac-
tically destitute, will come to the Uni
ted States at the close of hostilities in
Europe and must be cared for. The
of attempting to utilize
this class of people on the farm lands
of the south will also be considered.
Preparations are bling made to
have representatives of the foreign
press in this country, and officials of
the more important of the immigrant
societies to attend the conference. In
to Secretary Wilson, other
high officials of the federal govern
ment will also be in attendance.
The fact that the South possesses
peculiar opportunities and advantages
in this instance is fully realized by
the officials of the Southern CONNER
cial congress and they will see that
the conference directs its attention
to devising system of financing agri-
cultural settlements in the southern
states and to the task of establishing
an immigration service capable of
handling and directing this
important work.
A large attendance is expected for
the subject of immigration is now
considerable attention
throughout the country, and is COM
consideration on the part of
the government. 1t is already being
urged that postoffice officials, and the
county agents of the department of
agriculture cooperate with the fed
eral migration officials and state Of
ficials in effecting proper distribu-
lion of immigrants to the agricultural
regions.