PASS THE PORT

With the recent announcement from France that the visa fee has been reduced from $10 to $2. comes a question of how the United States stands on this question. As a war revenue measure we first issued a visa fee of $10 for all foreigners visiting bur shores. This tax still stands.

Compared with the myriads of tourists who invade Europe yearly from our shores the few Europeans who come to America can hardly be considered an important or vital source of income. As the European tax was first installed following our move might we not well follow them in the courtesy of abolishing it?

Any tourist who has visited Europe can testify to the irksomeness and general loss of time involved in meeting this payment in travelling through the various countries. Not only may it well amount to a considerable sum of money, but the trouble involved in a visit to the consulate may make a short trip to a country scarcely worth while.

From a purely selfish standpoint we stand to gain more than enough to offset a slight loss in revenue by a general abolition of this tax. It is incredible that the United States should enforce against Europeans a visa charge when they are rapidly doing away with their charge on its. An excellent opportunity is now given us to prove that America's vaunted altruistic leadership is not ill founded. Let us not allow it to pass.