The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-09-12

Official red tape as it exists in Swift
zerland is emphasized in letter by C.
Fred ChiIds of Chicago, nephew of Maj.
4 f. 1V Childs of Brattleboro, in letter
written from Stresa, Italy. The letter
follows:
Here it is warm, but every other night
! up to today one has needed blankets and
comforters and overcoats on top of all
to keep warm. You might be inter
ested in the incidents attending tour
by motor across boundaries and national
border lines. From Chamonix, the
French town near the base of Mt Blanc,
/ where the glaciers reach almost to the
| highway and main thoroughfare, we mo-
tored to the Swiss frontier, where we
had to deposit 1000 francs with the Gus
! toms officials to be held as a guarantee
that the car would not be sold in Swift
zerland. Only cash and no checks are
/ accepted. The delay in effecting that,
| together with the recording of a full de-
/ scription of the car and other passport
regulations for the chauffeur, such as
| instructions how he should turn out
and what speed is allowed over restricted
/ sections. permitted US to arrive at an
/ other border town called Brigue for the
/ night 1t is at the Swiss end of the
/ Simplon Tunnel and was active as mu-
nicipality before Columbus discovered
! America One building now being used
as IA hospital was built in 1905.
| The next morning we started over the
| Simplon Pass for Italy. The road was
/ built by Napoleon between 1S05-1S09 to
move his artillery into Italy and cost
| over IL millions. 1t is in perfect condi-
| ton and broad enough for three motors
| 70 ut in III
/ 6l1 bridges and seven tunnels. All that
/ was simple TO enjoy with perpetual
| snow covered mountains and glaciers in
all directions until we arrived at the
| boundary on the Italian side.
There we were examined by the Swiss
guards at tneir frontier barracks and
given the necessary permits to leave
| Switzerland. Within 200 feet the Ital-
ian soldiers removed the barriers from
the road and let US move on to their
guard house. After much display OF
authority the passports were again
stamped O. X and we were called upon
to deposit $4,000 lire in cash to guaran-
tee the return of the cars. We had
drafts on the Bank of Italy endorsed in
blank by the managers of a branch bank
but only cash was acceptable. That
meant sending a chauffeur back to the
Swiss boundary to get a special permit
for him to go back 60 kilometers to make
other arrangements. Then it was found
that the chauffeur had neglected to have
his personal passport vised by an ltal-
ian in Switzerland so that meant none
of us could move in either direction. lie
was finally allowed to go four miles on
foot to an Italian village where he OBJ
tanned special permission to drive us to
the nearest railroad station. Then he
returned the car to the boundary and
left it and walked back to the station
and took the train back to Switzerland
- ~ 81 .
hours more delay. Whenever these de-
tails of red tape are smoothed out the
whole process must be unScrambled and
unwound as we return later to SwitZer-
land and France. At each boundary we
are supposed to then present our receipt
and obtain a refund Of our cash de
| pOSitS but we are told that there Will
| not be enough cash at any frontier to
| make the payments due, because they
| fear to keep so much money at those
| lonely outposts lest they be robbed
| hence in the course of time the money
will be sent to those who are entitled TO
] receive it. These statements are merely
| the high spots of a long story and they
| leave out much.
| 1t seems incredible but the railroad
| officials told me that it takes 40 min
utes for the express trains Gall cleo
through the Simplon Tunnel, which
| you'll recall was coincidently drilled
through from both ends until the work
men met at the center after years of la
| Dor.
Italy has apparently outdone France
| in taxing the tourist. BY agreement
between managers and employees the ho-
| tel collects from each guest a service
charge of 10 per cent, also 10 per cent
| luxury tax and two per cent wounded
soldier tax. also 30 per 10O-lire bill, also
two francs per day town tax. How
g.. Ill
/ cate that living and shopping is cheaper
in Italy than in France and both are
cheaper than America.
This hotel gave me an envelope and
this sheet free but at many other cities
the best hotels charge you for every
sheet and envelope.
A few days later Mr.. Childs wrote
from Paris:
Supplementing my note regarding
Switzerland, / inquired at the bank in
Paris why a 20 franc gold coin of
Switzerland was not accepted al the cur
rent exchange rate in France. the same
as paper money of Switzerland is &C
cepted. Bank notes and ordinary cash
Of French francs are exchanged at The
rate of one Swiss frame for two and q
third French francs but 10 Swiss GOLD
will only. produce TO French paper
francs 1t is because the law of each
nation prohibits traficking or trading
for profit in its own country's gold coins
and consequently each nation respects
that law in other nations.
When / crossed the frontier from
Switzerland to France, the baggage was
inspected primarily to prevent the i'm
portation to France of tobacco, cigars
and chocolate. Each person was asked
if he had any of each and / answered
no. / regretted it was a true statement
/ would rather have lied Promptly We
boarded the train again and entered the
dining car. After the dinner and cor
dials had been served. / asked the waiter
for a cigar but declined to buy any OF
the sort he had for sale. Thereupon 6
fellow tourist across the table pre-
scented me with one of his own from hi.
pocket case. Within a few minutes th,
5 waiter called for payment for the din
, ner and noticed | was smoking a cigal
he HADN'T sold To me. Hn rrnnnndnd Z,