T It K I H I! I G A T 1 N A G K . 



173 



NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF 

 IMMIGRATION 



'J'he rapid movement of homeseekers within the last 

 decade to that part of the United States lying west of the 

 one hundredth meridian roughly speaking has within 

 that period, and in view of the changes that have been 

 wrought, transforming the old "west" into that of today, 

 brought about a new set of problems. The haphazard 

 methods sufficient at one time of relying upon one's per- 

 sonal initiative and upon too frequently unreliable gos- 

 sip in lieu of accurate information are no longer prac- 

 ticable. In the vital matters of selection of a home and 

 of a field for the cultivation of one's destiny and the rear- 

 ing of a new generation of Americans, the old axioms 

 that "it is better to be safe than to be sorry," and "the 

 time to correct mistakes is before they are made," are of 

 peculiar significance. 



It is true that the Federal government; in other 

 words, the people at large, has placed for almost a half 

 century the unoccupied lands of the west at the disposal 

 if its citizens, through the agency of well-known "public 

 land laws," for the purposes of home building, in contra- 

 vention of the doctrines accepted during the first half of 

 the nation's existence, that the public lands were to be 

 regarded as a source of immediate revenue. No provision 

 has ever been made for the dissemination of accurate in- 

 formation by Federal agency bearing upon the questions 

 of vital interest to the homeseeker or investor, with ref- 

 erence to the great "West" as a whole, and it is perhaps 

 well that it is so, since paternalism can be carried to an 

 extreme. 



In view of the greatly restricted area left of the 

 public domain, as compared with that of ten years ago, 

 the increase in area in private ownership and of develop- 

 ment of irrigation, bringing with it a new set of condi- 

 tions, the resources of the individual can no longer be 

 regarded as sufficient, in themselves, in deciding questions 

 of such moment, except at prohibitory expense. 



To meet the requirements of the changed status of 

 affairs a number of the individual Western states have 

 assumed, in a wholesome spirit, the moral obligation of 

 providing the inquirer with data upon whose reasonable 

 accuracy he may rely. This has been accomplished, where 

 the system has been inaugurated, through the appoint- 

 ment, by legislative enactment, of an official or set of 

 officials whose duty it is to collect data regarding the re- 

 sources of the state, whether agricultural or otherwise, in 

 a spirit of disinterestedness and to place these at the dis- 

 posal of those interested as a fund of reliable informa- 

 tion. It needs but little reflection upon the part of any 

 one familiar with the complexities of homeseeking and 

 with conditions in the "West" to perceive the advantages 

 of such a system of states' intervention as opposed to 

 any attempt upon a wholesale scale. It is not contended 

 that Federal agencies cannot be made of value for ex- 

 ample, in the direction of diverting immigration through 

 our seaports to unoccupied lands, nor that the Depart- 

 ments of the Interior and of Agriculture are not perform- 

 ing valuable service in this direction, but that the data 

 collected by these agencies are of greater vajue when 

 localized than when presented in the aggregate. The 

 majority of citizens whose minds are fixed upon the West 

 today are led, for a variety of reasons, to center their 

 thoughts upon some definite section, proximity of friends, 

 well-known advantages of soil, climate or government 

 policies entering into consideration. Under these condi- 

 tions and with the ample and gratuitous advice and as- 

 sistance of these state functions it is made a comparatively 

 easy matter for the person gifted with average intelli- 

 gence to arrive at a satisfactory choice at a minimum ex- 

 penditure of cash and time. This is all the more true 

 because of the enlightened policy pursued by the trans- 

 continental railroads also that of providing very low 

 rate excursions to practically every point west of the 



Missouri river with time limit ample for thorough inves- 

 tigation. 



The former territory of New Mexico has long held a 

 place in the world's eye by reason of its vitalizing air 

 and sunshine, its stock ranges and mines, its enchanting 

 scenery and fascinating antiquities and, in a lesser de- 

 gree, to its agricultural advantages. With its admission 

 to the sisterhood of states, renewed attention has been 

 diverted to it and interest as to its resources and advan- 

 tages is assuming broad dimensions. It is recognized that 

 statehood releases the former territory from a number of 

 restrictions that have operated to deter development and 

 to disarm confidence. The constitution adopted is con- 

 ceded by authorities to be a model of restrained enlight- 

 enment. Under its ample provisions the man of capital 

 may feel secure from paralyzing legislative enterprises 

 and free to invest his money in the legitimate enterprises 

 of development, while the man of minor financial ability 

 is protected by the machinery provided to secure him 

 from exploitation. At this stage, when so much interest 

 centers upon the new state and with the reviving influence 

 of the new condition manifest, it is fortunate that the 

 territory, long since, created the "Bureau of Immigra- 

 tion," which as today constituted, comprises six citizen 

 members recruited from various points of the state and 

 appointed by the governor with the confirmation of the 

 senate. The bureau maintains an office and exhibit rooms 

 at Albuquerque with an organizatiin consisting of a per- 

 manent secretary and staff. The secretary, who is elected 

 by this board, acting as its executive officer, the other 

 members convening as occasion may require. No member 

 of the bureau has any interest in any project that could 

 derive benefit from its activity. The bureau, through its 

 secretary, is continually collecting and publishing valuable 

 data and spreading these in the form of reports, bulletins 

 and other means of publicity, through the mails and oth- 

 erwise. At present the membership is as follows: George 

 L. Brooks, Albuquerque; John A. Haley, Carrizozo; W. 

 Goff Black, Aztec; M. M. Padgett, Las Vegas; L. K. Mc- 

 Gaffey, Roswell; Howard H. Betts, Silver City; H. B. 

 Hening, secretary, Albuquerque. The present secretary 

 has held this office during the past four years and is 

 widely and favorably known throughout the Southwest. 



H. B. HENNING, 

 Secretary New Mexico Bureau of Immigration. 



