APPENDIX I
POSTAL REGULATIONS
Much repetition is avoided and probably greater convenience secured by presenting a summary of the Postal Regulations. All of the South American Republics are members of the Postal Union. In November, 1920, a Pan American Postal Federation was formed. According to the convention adopted, domestic rates will apply to letters, postal cards, and printed matter, among the various countries of Latin America and the United States, as soon as they have ratified the agreement. At present, October, 1921, this has been done by the United States and by the South American Republics, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. To these the letter rate is two cents, postal cards, one cent, return cards two cents; printed matter, newspapers and periodicals, one cent for four ounces. The old rates now effective in the other countries will doubtless soon be reduced, and should therefore be investigated.
Parcel post service has been extended so that parcels weighing up to 22 pounds may be sent to Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Peru. To Ecuador 20 pounds is the limit; to Bolivia, Chile, British, Dutch, and French Guiana, Uruguay, and Venezuela, 11 pounds is the maximum. The rate to all is 12 cents a pound or a fraction thereof; except that to Paraguay, on account of transit through Argentina, 30 cents additional must be paid for a parcel weighing 11 pounds or less, and 60 cents for one above that to 22 pounds. In Brazil, this service is limited to Bahia, Bello Horizonte, Curityba, Manaos, Pará, Pelotas, Pernambuco, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro (including Petropolis), Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo. Parcels are subject to customs duties, and these with other details should be investigated. Parcels may be registered for Bolivia, Brazil, British Guiana, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, but not for the other countries.
Money orders may be sent to Peru, Bolivia, and Uruguay.
Changes resulting from the Pan American Postal Congress at Buenos Aires in 1921 will be inaugurated January, 1923 or earlier.
Cable Facilities
On the North Coast, Cartagena has direct cable connection with Colon and so with New York. To Puerto Colombia a cable has been laid, which, however, December, 1921, has not yet been opened. A French company has a line from Salinas near Pará to Cayenne, Paramaribo, and Martinique, another from La Guaira, to Curaçao, and Santo Domingo. The Venezuelan Government has its own cable along the coast from Maracaibo, to La Guaira, Barcelona, and other points. A British line connects Georgetown, Guiana, with the Port of Spain, Trinidad.
The West Coast is connected with North America by three lines of the All America system: one from Nicaragua and two from Panamá to Santa Elena, Ecuador, one of the latter by way of Buenaventura and Esmeraldas. The three lines continue south to Callao, one touching at Paita. Two go on to Iquique and Valparaiso, one touching at Antofagasta, while a branch comes north from Iquique to Arica to make connection with La Paz. A cable of another company from Callao touches at Mollendo, Arica, Antofagasta, La Serena, Valparaiso, and Concepción.
The East Coast is connected with the cables of the West Coast by three private wires of the All America Cables over the Andes from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires, so that they can handle messages to the Argentine metropolis, 7452 miles from New York, by automatic methods in 15 minutes. Another cable company has a land line from Valparaiso to La Plata, where connection is made with its Trans-Atlantic cable to Africa and Europe. Both companies have short lines to Montevideo, the focus of the East Coast lines. From here the All America has a cable to Santos and one to Rio de Janeiro. The other, the Western Telegraph, has one to Chuy, Uruguay, thence to Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catharina, Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Pernambuco, Fortaleza, Maranhão, and Pará, Brazil; and one from Chuy direct to Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco. Four cables from the latter port connect with Africa and Europe. The Western Telegraph was to lay a cable from Maranhão to Barbados, there to connect with the Western Union line to Florida. The All America expects to lay a cable from Cuba south to Rio de Janeiro. The Amazon Company has a cable up that river from Pará.
Metric System
The Metric System of weights and measures is legal and official in all the Republics and obligatory in most, in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. In the other countries and in some of these, the old Spanish measures (Portuguese in Brazil) are more or less used, but these differ in the various countries and are nowhere like ours. Always to employ the metric system is highly important and in the above mentioned countries necessary, though for shipping to some, the weight in pounds must also be given. In Chile the use of other weights and measures is prohibited; also in Uruguay, where their importation is forbidden.