The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-02

that came to St. Louis 50 years ago to sock their fortunes, no longer comes in prairie schooners. and their El Dorado Is no longer California goldfeld or a quarter section in Kansas or Nebra ska but the stream is still flowing and the vclu,ne is greater than ever St. Louis recei' es every year not only between 8000 anc 10000 immigrants from the old world, but thousands of young peope from our own country coming into the big city to earn their livelihood"
 Today, to be sure the stream stops in the city; the frontier has passed, the
 land is taken. And 1t was this chansed factor that offered temporarily the one obstacle to applying the fund to the new use: for in the language of the will, the
 benefciaries must be lon their way bona tide to settle in the west" But the dis cc' cry was then made that the ordinances governing the board had always reauir ed It's officers to meet 'every incoming train and steamboat" in order to reach all i'm migrants and travellers needing aid.
 This provision had for years been a dead letter because of the impossbility
 that one or two secretaries could keen pace with the complexities of railroad transportation in rapidly growing city and the boarc never adapted its practices tc changed conditions. Also. of course, real estate operations were too engross
 ing.
 So a plan was conceived to breathe new
 life into the old ordinances by providing
 that the boards agents should again
 hunt travellers Ion their way bona fide te
 settle in the vest by meeting every train or steamboat entering the city from north, south, or east. An ordinance was drafted to establish a Travellers Aid bu- reau at Union station. the chief point of entry, with three agents at salaries not to exceed $500 year, at least one of whom should be on hand all the time every day in the year.
 Backed by the united social agencies of the city, the municipal assembly has just passed the ordinance creating such a bureau. The three members of the Mul- lanphy board-which the new city charter reduced from an old-fashioned unwleldly board of 13 selected by the city council to a modern, workable board of threi unsalaried commissioners appointed by the ma yor--have taken to the new idea with enthusiasm. The board even plans to ga to the courts again in order that the funds may be used to aid any poor trav. eler, whether he stays in St. Louis ol moves on.
 | It seems the irony of fate that there should be a public trust fund to hell people get away from St. Louis when thu city bosts a million population club at tempting to make St. Louis grow" b, any means short of bribing the census | taker.
 l It is possible that the fund will be uset
 for even wider purposes; for Instance, as
 sisting in the deportation of immigrant who become charges on the community establishing new means of employment
 assisting city dwellers to establish them
 selves on farms; protective work amoni
 young girls; the furnishing of interpreters z~.A <tA l lodgings.
 As there is no travellers aid organiza ] tion whatever in St. Louis. and prac tically no other work Is being done fo ! immigrants on arrival. the new applica
 ton of this old fund is being watche'
 with interest