The Washington herald., 1920-04-03
By JAMES H. COLLINS.

ny
Valparaiso. Chile, March 3l.-The
Chilean national bird is the condor
During the war Uncle Sam was very
nice to IT through several of our
government departments. At the
same time. in another department,
Ichipmunks in spectacles were
twisting the Chilean condor's tail.
Or to use another simile. they
were trying to pick the Chilean ma
tional pocket through an interme-
diary.
On the east coast Of South Amer
lea mail service to the United States
the last year has been not merely
slow and irregular. but has at times
virtually ceased to exist. Our post
office relies upon the British pas
senger steamships to reach Brazil
and .the River Plata. The writer
left New York June 81 on one OF
these. the Vauban. She reached
Buenos Ayres July II, returned TO
New York. took her cargo Of Ar
gentine beef to England, came back
to New York again, was tied up in
the dock strike, or coal crisis, or
something else, and left for South
America again November 10. That
is five months between voyages.
Another of these ships was put out
of commission by fire last summer.
Mail from the United States to the
east coast even at this writing is
seldom less than two months old.
Yet. as has been pointed out. our
new freight ships are now reaching
east coast ports almost daily. New
York dock strikes do not interfere
with them, because many leave from
southern ports. Coal strikes do not
bother them because they burn oil.
The postal authorities of Argentina
and Brazil quickly made arrange
ments to send mail north on our
freighters. But for our postoffice,
apparently they do not exist.
business Handicapped.
Americans on the east coast have
been envying those on the west
coast with their fast. frequent serv-
ice of Chilean. British and Ameri-
can passenger steamers. But, on
the arrival in Santiago. the writer
heard the same bitter complaint
about the difficulty OF doing busi-
ness without good mail service. Our
ships carry mail down to Chile, but
do not bring Chilean letters back.
the Chilean ships carry that. but
apparently not ours. There is no
satisfactory parcel post service from
Chile to the United States-the best
way to mail anything in that line is
to send II through Peru. The Chile
ans are looking forward to the Brit
ish plans for putting on more steam
ers to Valparaiso, when they feel that
there will be somebody to help them
organize communication again.
A visit to the postofice depart
ment in Santiago discovered an off,
cial called the administrator" who
plunged excitedly into his troubles
when asked to discuss mail service
between Chile and the United States.
He said that Chilean ships carry
mail free. being subsidized. That
English ships carry II for a reason
able sum, 5000 a year. and get port
privileges in return. That when the
Chileans put their mail on the new
American ships in 1918 they were
presented with a bill for 10000 pesos
by the American Steamship people,
w. r. Grace g. Co. The Panama
Canal fees on parcel post matter
made II too expensive. That Chile
had parcel post arrangements with
most other countries, but not ours,
because our government wanted to
make individual horse trades with
each country instead Of following
the universal plan and rates of the
postal union. That we send q great
deal OF merchandise and printed
matter to Chile. but she sends back
only 10 per cent as much. That all
ships coming to Chile are by law re-
quired to carry mail free, but that
the Yankee steamship men got
around this by taking mail only to
the last Chilean port. africa. That
he was looking forward keenly to
the. twelve big English steamers that
were to be pat on west coast routes.
shipping Board Censured.
The next person was a gentle
man from Buffalo, the manager for
Grace & Company. at Valparaiso
Mr.. ]. J. Heavey. He had the rest OF
the story.
In March, 1918, his company put
on two passenger steamers between
New York and Valparaiso. and had
planned TO add three more. They
began carrying the Chilean mail
free, to make friends. as well as
with the Chilean law After
the first trip their steamers were
taken over by the United States
Shipping Board. They continued
carrying the mail for the Chileans.
Suddenly. one day. there was
presented mt the New York Office
Of the company n bill fors7s72 by
the Shipping Board against the
Chilean postoffice, this being so
cents pound for all the letters