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[Illustration: (Argentine Coat of Arms)]
ARGENTINE REPUBLIC
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
Immigration Department
The Immigration Offices
and
Statistics from 1857 to 1903
INFORMATION
for the
Universal Exhibition of St. Louis (U. S. A.)
The Head Offices are situated in Alsina Street No. 624 Buenos Aires,
where information can be obtained either verbally or by correspondence
in different languages by those who wish to establish themselves in the
Argentine Republic.
BUENOS AIRES
Printing Establishment of the Argentine Weather Bureau
1904
* * * * *
Duties of the Immigration Department subject to which immigrants can
avail themselves of the benefits of the Immigration Law
The Immigration Department under the control of the Ministry of
Agriculture, has the direction of all relating thereto in the Argentine
Republic, and is organized to correspond to the special services related
to it, which are ruled by the organic Law of 16th. October 1876.
Managing Staff in Buenos Aires
The managing staff is composed of a Chief and a head clerk, and further
more the Secretary's Department, Archives, Accountants Department,
Treasury, Statistics, Interpreters office for verbal information and
foreign correspondence, Disembarking office, Labour and Forwarding
office, Immigration Hotel, Hospital and Medical service, and Post and
Telegraph office, all of which are established in Buenos Aires.
Auxiliary Commissions in all the Argentine Territory
To attend the requirements of the service in the Interior, there are 42
Auxiliary Commissions established in the principal cities and towns of
importance.
(Articles 6, 7 and 8, Chapter III of the Law.)
Archives
In the Archives of the Department, a careful Register is kept of all
administrative papers, studies, observations and documents of ships
transporting immigrants, and a list of all those entered since the year
1857.
Accountant's and Treasury Departments
The Accountant's Department and the Treasury have under their charge the
financial part of the administration and keep account of all amounts
spent in lodging and transport of immigrants and their baggage, payment
of wages to employes and other expenses. (Article 3 paragraph 13.)
Statistics
The Statistical Office keeps minute statistics of the immigrants
arriving in the country, classifying annually and monthly the arrivals
and departures of steamers, stating date, flag, number of passengers
and immigrants with a summary of the immigration movement; steamers
inspected, ports of procedure, classification of immigrants according
to nationality, profession, sexe, age; monthly, annually and
quinquennially; sexagenarians entered; births and deaths on board,
immigrants entered at the Hotel and settling of immigrants in the
interior.
Interpreters Office
In the Interpreters office there are employes who speak several
languages: verbal information is given to all immigrants who ask for
it. It provides information regarding lands offered for sale and has
charge of the foreign correspondence.
Labour and Forwarding Office
The Labour and Forwarding Office receives inquiries for workmen from all
parts of the country, and, according to such inquiries, undertakes the
placing of the immigrants who come to the Hotel, asking for lodging and
employment. This office provides the immigrants with the information
they solicit about the different districts of the country, means of
communication, wages etc. It undertakes the forwarding of the immigrants
and their distribution in the regions to which they desire to be sent,
and all other work connected with these services. (Articles 9, 10 and 11
and 48 to 54 of the Law.)
[Illustration: Immigrants Hotel in Buenos Aires
View taken from the River]
Landing Superintendents
The Disembarking Office consists of Inspectors who go on board the
vessels to receive and classify the immigrants, and see if the ships
have complied with the conditions of the Law regarding vessels carrying
immigrants, and also to impede the entry of those which said Law
prohibits (Chapter VI, Articles 18 to 37 and the Regulation agreed upon
of 4th. March 1880.)
Immigrants Hotel or Home
Those who avail themselves of the benefits of the Law, are lodged in
the Immigrants Hotel whilst work is procured for them, which is done
immediately.
The Hotel is provided with the accommodation and service necessary to
meet this requirement.
It has separate dormitories for each sex, ample dining rooms,
lavatories, and a police service to contribute in maintaining order
and also a corps of firemen to prevent conflagrations. (Chapter VIII
of the Law, Articles 42 to 47.)
Hotel Interpreters
The Hotel is provided with interpreters of all languages, to mediate
between the immigrants, and the Hotel employes and the Labour and
Forwarding Office.
Medical Assistance
Sick immigrants and members of their families are attended at all hours
by the Medical staff of the Hotel, which is further more provided with
an Infirmary supplied with all the most necessary medicaments.
[Illustration: Immigrants Hotel in Buenos Aires
View taken from the City]
Customs Service
To facilitate the despatch of immigrants baggage, the Custom House
has an office in the Hotel which carrys out all the corresponding
operations.
* * * * *
By means of this organization, which meets all the exigencies of the
immigration in the Argentine Republic, the immigrants are given all the
advantages accorded by the Immigration Law hereunder transcribed.
ARTICLES OF THE IMMIGRATION LAW IMPORTANT FOR IMMIGRANTS TO KNOW
CONCERNING THE LABOUR OFFICES
Art. 9.--The Immigration-Office in Buenos Aires and the Commissions at
their various head quarters shall, whenever it may be necessary, have
placed under their direct control a Labour and Employment-Office to be
served by such a number of clerks as may be fixed in the Budget.
Art. 10.--These Offices are bound and empowered:
1. To attend to such applications of teachers, artisans, journeymen
or workmen as may be sent in to them.
2. To secure advantageous terms for the employment of immigrants,
and to see that such employment be given by people of good
repute.
3. To intervene at the request of the immigrants in such agreements
as to work as said immigrants may make, and to see to their
strict observance on the part of masters.
4. To write down in a special register the number of the procured
employments, mentioning the date, the sort of work, the
conditions of the contract, and the names of the persons that
may have intervened in it.
Art. 11.--At such places where there are no Employment-Offices, the
duties incumbent on these shall be carried out by the Commissions of
Immigration.
[Illustration: Immigrants Hotel in Buenos Aires
Interior of a yard]
CHAPTER V.
CONCERNING IMMIGRANTS
Art. 12.--By the effects of this Law, every foreigner under sixty years
of age, whether he be a journeyman, artisan, labourer, tradesman or
teacher, who proves his morality and capacities, shall be considered
an immigrant, on arriving in the Republic, to establish himself in it,
either in a steamer or sailing vessel, paying his own 2nd. or 3rd. class
passage, or having it paid by the State, the Provinces, or by private
societies protecting immigration and colonisation.
Art. 13.--Those persons to whom these conditions apply and who do not
desire to profit by the advantages offered to the immigrants, shall let
it be known to the captain of the ship at the moment of their embarking,
when he will note it in the ship's register, or communicate it to the
maritime authorities of the landing port: in this case, those persons
shall be considered as simple travellers.
This disposition is not meant for those immigrants who may come engaged
in this capacity for the colonies or other places in the Republic.
Art. 14.--Every immigrant on giving sufficient proof of his good conduct
and fitness for any occupation, art or usefull trade, will be entitled,
on his arrival to the following special privileges:
1. To be boarded and lodged at the expense of the Nation during the
time fixed by articles 45, 46 and 47.
2. To have employment given him in such calling or trade as there
may be in the country, and which he may prefer.
3. To be transported at the expense of the Nation to such locality
in the Republic as he may select for his residence.
4. To import free of duty articles for personal use, clothing,
furniture for domestic purposes, agricultural implements, tools,
utensils, instruments of such arts and trades as they may
exercise, and one fowling piece to each adult immigrant, of such
value as may be fixed by the Executive.
Art. 15.--The dispositions of the preceding article shall be extended
as far as they can be applied, to the wives and to the children of the
immigrants, if grown up, provided they can give proof of their morality
and industrious aptitudes.
Art. 16.--The good conduct and industrious capacities of the immigrants
can be proved by certificates given by the Consuls or Immigration Agents
of the Republic abroad, or by a certificate from the authorities of the
immigrant's residence, legalized by the said Consuls or Immigration
Agents of the Republic.
[Illustration: Immigrants Hotel in Buenos Aires
Interior of the yard of the dormitories]