Evening star., 1947-07-13
raveIer>s n otebook
By Jacques FutreIle, Jr.

+. The Stor's
A subcommittee headed by Sena.
tor Brewster, Republican, of Maine
is to resume hearings Wednesday to
determine the extent to which it Is
practical to lift restrictions on in
ternational travel.
From the testimony developed SO
far and from that shaping up, it is
almost certain the Introduction OF
two bills affecting travel are in the
Immediate offing. One, which prob
ably will be sponsored by Senator
Brewster, would break with the law
|of 1897 limiting duty-free importa-
tions by tourists to 500. The other
would end the Is per cent tax on
travel to and from a number OF
travel objectives outside the United
States.
The Is per cent tax on travel to
Europe, the Far East and the South
American continent was lifted last
April /. The legislation left still tax
able number of vacation trips par
ticularly attractive to American va
cationers, however, and almost i'm
mediately efforts were begun to free
these points of the transportation
tax. Advocates Of new legislation
concentrated on eliminating the levy
on trips. to Canada, Mexico, the
Caribbean and Hawaii. Such speci-
fic places would be included in the
bill.
Top Government officials have
joined in the move to knock down
the barriers to foreign travel, point
ing their testimony last month to-
ward the economic effect of the
tourist dollar in developing world
trade. Commerce Secretary w.
Averell Hartman told the subcom-
mittee an annual expenditure Of
81, zoe, ,00O,0 to $1,000, ,000,000 by
Americans abroad Is within reach.
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Edward H. Foley said the promotion
of international travel "for business
or pleasure Is an integral part OF
any program for the expansion of
world trade and employment"
Translated into action, these views
will make foreign travel more at
tractive. Talk of hberalizing the
duty-free limit ON personal property
purchases has mentioned the figure
of $1,000. There is reason to expect
the ceiling would be lifted, if at all,
to only about $500, however.
Scheduled to testify this week be-
fore the subcommittee are Russell
E. Singer, executive vice president
of the American Automobile As
sociation: Don Short, representing
the National Association OF Travel
Onicials, and Bruce Macnamee OF
the National Federation of Ameri-
can Shipping.
Mr.. Singer plans to advocate $500
duty-free importations by travellers,
extension of the life of passport
from four to six years, United States
leadership in adopting the inter-
American travel card and United
States adherence to the Interna-
tional Driving Agreement.
II xx
The first conducted tour to Alaska
over the Alaskan Highway left Seat
tie, Wash, late last month. with a
naturalist as commentator and guide
for the bus party. Three other
trips are scheduled this summer by
the Pan-Pacific Good Neighbor
Tours. with Offices in Seattle. Dates
for assembling parties for the other
tours are July 23, July 80 and
August 20. J
Buses arrange stops ct Lake
Louise, Bant1 and Edmonton before
joining the highway at Dawson
Creek for a tour that goes into the
interior of Alaska. The itinerary
includes a stopover at Mount Nc
Kinley National Park and . trip On
the Alaska Railroad from Anchor
age to Fairbanks.
X +*
States have increasingly con-
cerned themselves over the last 40
years with the reaction of tourists
to vacations and trips within their
borders, and have moved to build up
a spirit of many happy returns. +"
States are tourist-dollar conscious as
well as foreign governments, and
watch over development and opera
ton of private facilities.
From time to time, States report
on surveys of their tourist facili-