The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-07-03
CHANGES MADE IN
CONSULAR CORPS
Twenty Eight Offices Closed
And Seventeen New Ones
Established.
Many Officials Have But Little
To Do, But Get Good Pay;
Not Needed.
Some Of Foreign Headquarters
Are a Dead Loss to the
Government.
Especial to The Free Press.1


Washington, July Twenty eight
consular offices were closed, seventeen
new offices were established, seven
offices were moved and about a dozen
increases III salaries were made as a
result of complete reorganization of
the United States consular service,
which became effective today under the
provisions of an act passed at the last
session of congress. Other posts will
be awarded to consuls whose office were
closed, SO that none will suffer from
the readjustment.
Changes in Germany.
Out of the twenty eight offices
closed nine are located in Germany,
nine in Canada and the ten others are
scattered over the rest of the world,
The German consulates abandoned are
at Annaberg, Bambergy. Crefeld, Dus-
seldorf, Ebenstock, Freiburg, Glaucnau,
Mainz and Zittau, while the Canadian
posts closed are Belleville, Port Hope,
Port Rowan, Coaticook, Gaspe, st.
Hlyacinthe, Three Rivers, Windsor and
Woodstock. The other posts discon-
tinued are Lucerne, st. Christopher,
Jalapa, Castellamare di Stabia, Catania,
Utila, Funchal, Port Stanley, Antigua
and jamestown. .. .....s
The consular offices in Syria are trans
ferred from AleXandretta to Mersine;
that at Collingwood, Ont, to Owen
Sound; that at La Rochelle, France,
to. Cognac. The post at Pretoria, in
South Africa, is moved to Johannes
burg. The consulate at San Juan del
Norte, Nicaragua, is changed to Blue
fields and That at Tuxpan, Mexico, to
Salina Cruz. Erfurt, Germany, is con-
sidered better consular location than
Weimer, and the consulate at the lat
ter place was moved.
New consulates Established.
New consulates were established at
the following places: Aleppo, Alexan-
dria, Antung, Corinto, Fernie, Rlume.
Frontera, Guadalajara, Karachi, Mad
ras Punta Arenas Rangoon, Salonki,
San Luis Postosi, Swallow, Tapachula
and Tripoli.
These changes are made because
redistribution of the various posts is
necessary. to protect properly the inter,
ests of American manufacturers abroad.
In some instances the posts abol
ished have for the last several years
not only not been paying expenses but
some have actually been carried on
the list at dead loss of several thou
sand dollars. Take the consulate at
Jamestown, on. the island of st. He
lena, for instance. This office costs
$2.475 a year, while the services the
consul is called upon to perform are
practically nil. Only SIG was received
i'll fees last year, The United States
is the only great power now main
tanning an office there and it's closing
viii result in no injury whatever to
American trade.
In the last twentyfour years the &C,
tual cost of the consular service
amounted to $2,l0S,934, or an average
cost of ,$s7,s72 year.
Many of Those Abolished.
Many of the consulates abolished
were established years ago for reasons
which were regarded as sufficient a.
that time, but which no longer exist
At one time the law required that ar
exporter to the United States of duti
able goods must appear in person be
fore a Consul and make oath to the
correctness OF his invoices, and at the
solicitation of such exporters and of
importers and trade bodies in the
United States and abroad because of
the. Inconvenience to shippers in being
obliged to appear at distant towns
with their invoices, consulates were
established at many places where there
were practically no other reasons for
maintaining consulate. Under the
present laws and regulations, however,
the personal appearance of the ship
pers is not required, but the invoices
may be sent to the consulate by mes
senger or by mail and thus the null