The Wilmington morning star., 1947-12-08

A round-trip excursion to a
temperance rally was the first
Cooks tour. That was away back
at the turn of the 18th century
and ever since, people have
been going places-here there,
everywhere.
Today, travel is big business.
Expenditures in the recreation
industry = in 1916 amounted to
and estimated $16,845, 900, ,000-or
nine and half per cent of our
total national income.
This figure is contained in a
report issued recently by the
research department of The Cur
tis Publishing company and has
been generally accepted by the
travel industry as a conservative
estimate of the 1916 picture. It
will 60 even higher this year.
The report contains a COM
parative table for the years 1899
and 1916, showing the classifi-
cations and expenditures in the
recreation industry for those two
years. Those listed for 1916 are
Food beverages, So, 362, 1000, 900;
sport clothing, short shoes
and accessories, $1,071, 1000, 900;
personal care, $231, 1000, 900; hotel
and other lodging-rentals $449,-
100000; transportation, IS, Ill.,
admissions to specta-
tors, ST, ,684, ,0O0,000 paro-mutuel
net receipts, $160,000,000; non
coin machines, receipts,
$120. 100000 on non-vending coin
machines, receipts, $130,000,000;
specified commercial participant
amusements, $299,OO0,0OO "other"
informal recreation expenditures,
So, ,526, 100000; camp fees, $685.
100000; clubs, $302,000,000; other
commercial amusements foreign
travel, $32O,000,O0O.
The above figures show that
the nearly seventeen billion dol
lars spent for travel represents
not only an increase of 100 per
cent over 1889 recreation expedi-
lures, but is total greater than
the combined value of all goods
produced by the iron, steel, au-
tomotive and textile mill in
dustries in the United States dur
ing 1889.
Yes, travel is big business.
But all travel is not of course
for pleasure of the $50 trains that
depart from Grand Central in
New York each day, perhaps one
fourth of the passengers carried
are on C o n bent.
Grand Central while not the
largest or busiest rail station in
180, 1000 people vending their way
it's many turnstiles
daily, year in and year out
Garry Million
And the railroads are carry
ing millions of Americans
yearly to one or more of the
"See American First" spots
which beckon the traveller
Some of the railroads operate
their own travel bureaus-o other
work in close-fine job in seeing
cooperation with travel agencies
everywhere-and are doing a
fine job in seeing
to it that Mr.. and Mrs. Ameri-
ca reaches their desired destina-
ton without bothersome Bottle
necks.
AS far as foreign travel is
concerned. much of the red tape
and shipping bottle-necks are
fast being eliminated. Last
July, for instance, Cunar
White Star, Ltd, had a total
of $4,000 applications on file
for space to Europe. Now first
class bookings on the Queen Eli
zabeth, Queen Mary, Maure-
tania-the three big Culard ships,
is readily obtainable in either
directions.
And Uncle Sam is cooperating
with the traveller as never be-
fore. Passports are usually OBJ
tainable in less than two weeks;
visas for entry into foreign
lands are now more or less a
formality as counsuls act on
them quickly as in most cases
without charge. Proposals now
before the Senate Committee on
Interstate and Foreign Com
merce include: (A) to raise duty
free exemption from $100 to $500;
(B) to organize interdepart-
mental committee to coordinate
State, Commerce, j u C e,
Treasury Departments and Pub
lie Health Service as regards
foreign travel; (C) to make pass
ports valid for six years instead
of the present four; (D) to have
U. S. leadership in urging
inter-American travel card in
place of visa: (E) to adhere to
International Driving agreement,
permitting a u t o movement
across boundaries without red
tape.
Travel moods of Americans