Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-29
TOURISTS ABROAD FINDING
FEW PASSPORT OBSTACLES
Agreements Between State Department
and Some Foreign Countries Do
Away With Visa Charges.

venient way Of establishing In advance
the citizersh ~ sf the Individual.
1T >Iss system is another outgrowth
u World War conditions Forged pass
ports were numerous in years past.
Many governments therefore decided
that the consul on the spot must GER
thy as to the genuineneSS Of the pass
port and The nationality of the indiyid-
ual who applied for a passport. The
system grew rapidly, with the result
that even after the abnormal conditions
Of the war had passed governments stiN
were exacting fee of $40 for visaing
the passport Of every visitor that crosses
its borders.
Produce Revenue. jet. .t.
A traveller on the Orient express, for
example, from Paris to Constantinople
or Bucharest might have to get half q
dozen different visas, though he had
no intention Of even stepping OF the
train en- route. Indeed. he might cross
q couple Of countries at night, yet the
necessity was still upon him to 60
through the same formalities Of getting
a visa that would have been required
had he intended to make stop Of
three weeks or three months.
Visa fees have produced a good deal
Of revenue. This would hold especially
AOT JAAC IlhC ET&IlCS anu UTICA
Britain, which tourists visit in tbs
course of the year by the hundreds OF
thousands. On the other hand, tn
imposition of these fees has no doub
discouraged many prospective visitors
It has likewise acted as a bar upor
trade and commerce, so the net result
as a matter of fact, may have been 3
financial loss to the countries con
cerned. The gain to the treasury b.
no means tells the whole story of tn
items on the profit and loss ledger.
Chambers Of commerce and similar
organizations have given their support
to the passport renewal bill. Repre-
senting 7,700 business concerns engaged
in all kinds of business, the Merchants
association of New York gave its In
dorsement to the measure.
The National Council of American
Importers and Traders, representing
some $40 firms, stated through its rep
resentatives that the bill would be of
great benefit to those engaged in inter-
national trade Support from another
source came from the assistant passen-
ger trafhc manager of one Of the large
steamship companies, who testified that
enactment of this bill would make 1t
easier for business men and tourists to
travel freely abroad. Foreign travel
would be thereby encouraged and better
understanding obtained between nations.
The State Department has recently
completed survey Of passport applica-
tions to get certain statistical informa-
ton on the subject of nearly 200, 900
applicants for passports last year. New
York State contributed 59,634, or 1888
per cent Of the total. Exclusive of the
metropolitan area, New York State con-
tributed but 6.97 per cent Of the total.
The figures are illuminating in that
they show how easily the average New
Yorker makes up his mind to take a
European trip.
The objects of travel reveal a wide
range. Travel was the objective given
by ATS per cent, or 94054 in all. Fam
lily affairs caused 68,3l5 persons to buy
an overseas passage ticket; commercial
business claimed 1886 persons; educa-
ton, 1888; professional business, 1924:
ofncial business. 1T; health, 3,o33, and
miscellaneous, 453.
Mechanics Tie Bankers. EEL.
The occupations represented were no
less diverse. Housewives were repre-
sented in this army by band of 23,947
and laborers by 1885. Clerks and
secretaries went abroad l0.9l0 strong,
and statesmen and skilled laborers ran
close race, little over 5000 each.
Bankers and brokers sent q large dele
cation (more than $1,000 and physi-
clans were not far behind with 4,057.
With little better than 5000, the me-
chanic made as good showing as the
banker and the broker. Students to-
tailed 1000; teachers, 10000, and
writer's. $50; reports falling under a
different classification. ala in all.
Western Europe naturally enough
covers the destination of more American
tourists than any other part of the
world. All told, 133,479 persons received
passports for Western Europe, or 67.78
per cent Of the total. Other percentages
were as follows: Eastern Europe, 5.39;
the Far East and East Indies, 2.40;
Latin America, West Indies and Mexico,
40: Africa. 0.61; Australia and New
Zealand. o.34; miscellaneous, O.o8, and
"all countries 1855.
Though great many applicants in
serted all countries" in the space
marked destination" Washington ON
Gals believe that most of those who
gave this destination visited Western
Europe, thus swelling the totals for
that area.
A woman, Ruth Bielaski shipley,
heads the passport division, of the State
Department. She entered the depart
ment as clerk In 1914, rapidly rising
until two years ago she was appointed
to her present position. Miss Shipley
directs the vast machinery through
which hundreds of thousands Of Ameri-
cans annually receive passports from
their Government.
Twelve years after the war paSspor
red tape has been reduced to what mai
be regarded as close to a minimum.
Travel Is all the easier thereby, and pros
portionately cheaper.