The Washington herald., 1920-03-28

cnaSers during a perlod OF hlEn eN-
change. Recently new customs
regulations have been made short-
ening the period during which GER
tain classes of merchandise can be
held in customs.
Has Enterprising Press.
Chile has no advertising agencies.
as we know them. But she has
some enterprising newspaper pub
fishers. and they take considerable
pains in helping advertisers with
copy, illustrations and suggestions.
as well as giving announcements
good position next to reading mat
ter. an arrangement that is just be-
ginning to be adopted in Latin
American newspapers. No Chilean
newspaper seems ever to print news
on its first page, but neither is the
first page given up to advertising
as in Argentina and Brazil. The
news is almost concealed in the
body of the paper, with little atten-
ton to headlines or display. The
first page is occupied by general
articles and pictures. something like
our Sunday stuff" which publishers
say Is so popular with readers that
they give IL the greatest promi-
centavos or 0.s cents. Great inter-
est in American methods of adyer-
tising, circulation and printing is
being taken by Chilean publishers,
and Senior Alberto Zavala, general
manager of Santiago's youngest
newspaper, La Nacion, who has
adopted many of our methods at a
distance, as reader of American
trade journals. proposes to spend
four months in the United States
this year, making a systematic
study at close range.
In no otheg Latin-American coun-
try are peoI e's names more puz-
zling to the gtranger than in Chile.
For even business cards often fol-
low the custom OF using the
mothers name as well as the
fathers, and always last. Thus
Enrique Carlos Orellana Ramirez
would be called Ramirez" by us,
but a Chilean would know that his
real name was Orellana- Ameri-
cans always speak Of Blasco Ibanez,
the Spanish novelist. as 'Ibanez,"
but Latins all know that his name
Is Blasco. In some cases things
are simpliffed for the stranger by
the use of "y" between the two
names, as Orellana y Ramirez-'y'
means and" in Spanish. 1t Is a
common custom in Chile to use the
initial OF the mothers name only,
as Enrique Carlos oreilana r."
Everybody knows what the "R"
stands for. This, use of the mothers
name in all the Latin American
countries is necessary because fami-
lies are very large and original
settlers have left SO many descend
ants. With perhaps 1000 members
OF the Blasco family in Chile, say,
there would probably be a couple
OF dozen Enrique Blascos, causing
constant confusion. But by using
the mothers name as well, dupli-
cation is avoided and everybody
knows who's who-except the
stranger who has to learn the
rules Of the game.
Without National Lottery.
Chile seems to be virtually alone
among the Latin-American coun-
tries In having no national lottery,
though Panama prohibited gam
bling In her constitution. and then,
II Is said. let a lottery concession
TO private company. Chile's laws
make It illegal to sell lottery tick
cts, but actually great numbers are
sold yearly in the country, and IL
il. estimated that as much a. 5000
900 pesos are spent on the na-
tional lotteries of Argentina and
other neighbors. The sum u large
enough to suggest to legislators
that q national lottery be estab-
lished. the money kept home, and
revenue be raised for the govern
ment. and recently a discuEnfon ON