Evening star., 1940-08-14
Drop in Tourist Visits
To Canada Is Laid 10
'Misapprehensions'
A.A.A. Head Reps Rumors
Of Restrictions, Says
Cunodo 'Offers Bonus

Loss OF American tourist business
in Canada and prospects Of the in.
come from the tourists there this
year dropping to so per cent below
its 1889 level is causing serious con-
Germ to Canadian ofYicials::it was de-
clared yesterday by Thomas p
Henry of Detroit, president of the
American Automobile Association.
In normal years. Mr.. Henry said,
American citizens spend approxi-
mately 100000 900 for travel and
purchases in Canada.
The decline IN the number of
tourists, he said, ''is due to wide
spread misapprehension over border
regulations, misapprehensions which
have brought about a marked de-
cline in travel across the interna-
tional boundary. The situation is
all the more unfortunate in that it
has developed at time when opin-
ion on this side of the Atlantic is
reasoning more and more in terms
of the social and economic solidarity
of the Western Hemisphere 1t is a
negation of the good neighbor policy
which has keynoted our relations
with neighboring countries in re-
cent years" he added.
No Offlcial Documents Needed.
ut should be clearly understood
that the marked decrease in the
number of Americans going into
strictions imposed on Americans
either by the United States Govern
ment or by the Canadian govern
ment." continued Mr.. Henry. Our
own State Department and the I'm
migratio Bureau of our Department
of Justice have given repeated as
surance that the new regulations
that went into effect on July / ap-
ply only to aliens entering the
United States and that American
citizens can go back and forth across
the Canadian border with the ira
ditional freedom that they have al
ways enjoyed.
American citizens are not re-
quired to have any oficial docu-
ments to enter Canada or to re-
enter this country. But as has al
ways been the case, it is desirable
that they have some means of iden-
tification that will satisfy immigra-
ton authorities as to their citizen
ship. There may be instances of
overzealousneSs on the part OF in
spectors. but such cases should be
promptly reported
What happened was that the new
regulations were misunderstood,
threw a scare into prospective visi-
tors to Canada, and facts have not
yet caught up with unfounded
rumors as to difficulties that Ameri-
cans were experiencing Five weeks
of close checking by the American
Automobile Association at United
States-Canadian border points have
proven that the difficulties are i'm
aginary and the fears wholly
groundleSs.
Canada Offers Bonus.
Far from imposing restrictions
on Americans, Canada now offers to
tourists a bonus of 10 cents on every
dollar that is spent within the
Dominion. This. of course, is due TO
the variance in the value of the cur
rency of the two countries. Also, the
restriction on the transportation OF
firearms by aliens was recently
amended to permit persons wishing
to hunt in Canada to bring in their
guns il permit is applied for in
advance.
In addition to the decline in
travel to the Dominion proper, it
should be noted that there has been
a decided reduction in travel between
various sections of this country over
routes traversing the Southern part
of Canada. This has meant addi-
tional miles Of unnecessary travel
for American motorists and if it
continues it will mean much loss OF
business for important recreational
areas within the United States
proper"