Evening star., 1921-01-23
COST Of PASSPORTS
IN EUROPE BIG ITEM
More Outlay for Wises, War
saw to Paris, Than in Rail-
road Travel.
AMERICANS SUFFER MOST
Countries Which q. S. Aided Most
Demand the Highest Prices,
Is the Report.
BY A. n. DECKER,

Uemand the dlgneSt Fr1ceS,
Is the Report.
BY A. H. DECKER.
By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
! Copyright. 1921.
VIENNA. January 21.-Before the
war Russia and Rumania were the
| only European countries requiring
passports and possessing secret po-
lice. Today all of Europe is carried,
and in travelling from Warsaw to
Paris you will spend more money for
passport vises than for railroad fare,
and you will lose more time in OBJ
tanning vises than the duration of the
trip. II you are an american you
will be disseminated against from
; FIVE to several hundred times. Amer
lean business men have complained
regarding the discrimination and loss
Uf time, declaring that the present
passport difticuities are keeping
eign trade.
Americans Hard Hit.
Strangely, the countries which we
are supposed to have aided the most
demand the highest prices for vises
and make the most difficulties for
tAmericans. Belgium, Czechoslovakia
and Austria charge Americans the
equivalent, Of $40 for vfses. while the
from nothing to the equivalent Of 81.
Recently the Austrians charged me
1000 Czech crowns (more than $12)
for a wise.
The excuse is that the price of
American passports has been raised
II So I4vN t. to-
exact because the American passport
Is good for q year. and is the same for
ali and is used for long visit, in the
course Of which the holder may make
a fortune. The Austrian wise Is good
for only two months. Is discrimina-
tory and the holder often intends
merely-to ride through the country.
A real parallel would be to require a
series Of vises to ride through Michi-
gan on the way from New York to
Chicago. The Germans charged me
SO to ride through Germany to
Czechoslovakia without getting on
the train. -.--, ~.
France Broad-sdinded.
France is the only country which
has been broad-minded enough to
realize that czarism does not pay. In
Paris you obtain wise for 2 francs
20 centimes (normally 4S cents) to
iieaye the country. and you enter
France for about 10 francs go. Bel
eium recently reduced the transit wise
to gold francs (40 cents), in accord
lance with the suggestion Of the
LEAGUE of nations when it considered
general passport regulations.
, 1t is almost Impossible to obtain a
wise the same day that 1t Is asked for
and often it is necessary to return
many times In Vienna have passed
/ three full days in obtaining an Italian
wise. The Germans have q special bu-
reau for foreigners and, a special Off
cial for Americans, but even in Berlin
| RI reouires q. tedious wait. The ridic-
ulous passport and baggage examtna-
tions at the frontiers cause much loss
| of time. to say nothing OF the annoy
ance Of getting out Of ones berth at
| 4 IN. to wade through slush and rain
and stand for hours in the cold. AZ
a Vienna merchant. VINO spent nve
DAYS and nights in reaching buchafest
said: "Only men with robust consti-
tutious should attempt this trip"
Few Through Trains.
Through trains run in only a. few
directions They are very slow and
very expensive because Of national
obstacles. The worst locomotives and
the worst coal are given the trains
and deliberate delays are planned
Hence the trains are usually late, al
though the running time allowance is
greater than 1t was before the war,
The conductor Of a Paris-Prague train
told me that it could not continue
much longer because Of the slow
speed.
as the coal production improves. Inus. mus
the running time of the Berlin.vienna
express between Prague and Vienna.
Soon passports and baggage will be
Examined on the trains. and more
time will be gained with innnltely
serA People are beginning to tire OF
the delays and inconveniences. For
example, during the recent strike on
the Austrian Southern railroad crew
refused to take n a tram 10 Graez; ;aa;
a SQUAD of men armed with auto
mates, who forced the engineer to
complete the trip.
SO Fee Viewed n "Mtstake."
American consular officers tell me
that, in their opinion. the SO wise 10
a mistake, for it brings reprisals
! without affecting the immigration.
because prospective emf grants, espe-
| cially the organized undesirables. can
| easily afford the price. Passports.
stringent frontier regulations and bad
| train facilities are the three curses of
! Europe, and the $40 passport rule in
the United States has placed Ameri-
| cans at a disadvantage where there
| already were dinaculties enough 1t
ia a mistake to imagine that any of
| these countries is inclined to favor
the Americans, who, on the contrary.
are almost considered legitimate prey
because the Americans have dollars.
| American foreign trade cannot de-
veIop until the United States govern
ment insists upon Its citizens receiv-
ing the same advantages that are ac-
| corded to other nationals. At least, It
requires equal treatment from the