The Washington herald., 1920-04-03
u. S. Mail Service Neglected
Orphan of Our Foreign Trade ,
With Latin-American Nations

timated. because no records had
been kept.
The Shipping Board directed Grace
& Company to collect that money
from the Chilean postoffice. Mr..
Heavey told New York that il could
not be collected. The Shipping
Board was insistent. The bill was
presented. the Mortified Chileans
hurried their mail Off the American
boats and, after a little Official cor
respondence. found a perfectly good
reason for hanging the whole sub
ject in the air. where IL still re-
mains suspended like Mahomet's
coffin. As a matter of fact, in our
own courts. they would probably
not be liable for this money, be-
cause they started out under per-
feet understanding with Grace &
Company. and our government made
no arrangement at all.
Because our government appa-
rently has no clear understanding
with anybody in Latin America
about mail service that service is
the neglected orphan of our world
trade. The monographs keep
whirling In Washington. and the
chipmunks in spectacles issue on
timistic statements daily about the
progress we are making in world
trade. Progress is being made, but
by American business men in Latin
America working under every OBJ
stacle. imposed by lack OF regular
mail service. British mail service
has been irregular the last year,
but is being rapidly restored. The
Yankee in Latin America gets his
latest news from home through the
weekly editions OF London news
papers, because they are usually
two to four weeks later than news
papers from New York. The Brit
ish government negotiates with
Latin-American postoffice officials
and makes clear business contracts.
With Chile, as an Illustration, Brit
ish ships carry mail on reasonable
terms. and have favorable places
at customs house moorings and
other facilities for quick around.
II the British cannot send their par
Gel post through a foreign post
Office department. as was the case
In the United States. they land il
there through some private business
organization like the American Ex-
press Company.
Suggests p. o. Sales Force.
Why shouldn't the Postoffice De-
partment have an advertising and
sales force? Uncle Sans mail serv-
ice now to other countries seems to
be an obscure, haphazard affair,
governed chiefly by the cheapest
chance arrangement that can be
made for transportation, regardless
of directness. frequency, or regular
ity. 1t said that the red tape thrown
about vessels carrying United States
mall imposes so many restrictions
that companies operating our new
freighters do not want to have any
thing to do with it. A business ex-
ccutive, given free hand, would get
the mail onto the ships first of all.
He would get 1t onto the ships that
gave him fast. regular service. Hav-
ing organized his service, he would
sell 1t to the public. Through ad-
vertising he would let the people
know the routes, the sailing dates
and closing hours. He would make
1t easy for business houses to get
letters and shipping documents on
certain steamers by establishing
places in the business district for
mailing stuff at the last moment.
He would advertise his parcel post
service as something through which
business houses might develop Gus
toners abroad. Through the print
cd word, he would create in the
United States that steamer day"
sense. which has become instructive
with the business men in big eX-
porting countries. He would de-
velop this steamer sense not only in
New York, Philadelphia and Boston,
but in Chicago, Detroit and other
world trade centers which are grow
ing up inland faster than people
suspect.
Briefly. he would do what WASH
ington ought to do-take this Little
Orphan Annie off the world trade
streets, feed her, clothe her. send
her to school. and make her an asset
instead of a liability.
tCopyrtght, 1920. Public Ledger Coz