THE CUBA REVIEW 17 



has stated recently that the "functioning of the entire consular force in issuing bills of 

 health and forwarding sanitary data is almost the cornerstone of our quarantine structure." 

 The Veterans' Bureau of the Treasury Department has found the Consular Service 

 a useful agency through which to direct the distribution of the benefits of the War Risk 

 Insurance acts to the relatives of the large number of foreign-born soldiers of the United 

 States Army who reside abroad. This work involves the investigation of the families of 

 American ex-service men, the distribution of checks, detection of fraudulent claims and 

 other like conditions. The Consul General at Warsaw, for example, has been delivering 

 between 500 and 600 checks each month to beneficiaries residing in Poland, and similar 

 work is done at many other places. 



Cooperation With the Navy 



In view of the frequent presence of American naval vessels in foreign waters and 

 the fact that vessels of the navy are so often called upon by consular officers for protec- 

 tion from temporary local disturbances, the Navy Department has borne for years a most 

 intimate relation to the Foreign Service. During the war, Consuls acted as the agents of 

 the Navy Department in foreign countries in the purchase of large quantities of raw 

 material needed in the manufacture of articles for the prosecution of the war. There 

 were purchases of nitrates from Chile, of tin from Singapore, of shellac from India, all 

 made and financed by officers of the Consular Service. In times of peace Consuls 

 regularly supply the navy with hydrographic data, information concerning port rules and 

 foreign harbor and coaling facilities. 



Consuls render service of much value to the Post Office Department in reporting 

 the misuse of mails, the sending of fraudulent mail matter from foreign countries into 

 the United States, calculated to deceive and defraud our people. They also supply much 

 useful advice in connection with the utility of the parcel post in the promotion of our 

 export trade. 



While the work of Consuls is mainly of a peaceful character and touches only occa- 

 sionally the regular duties of the army. Consuls are of service in supplying much geograph- 

 ical data and in acting as purchasing agents from time to time at ports of the world 

 where army purchasing agents are not maintained. During the world war American 

 Consuls, like the Consuls of every nation, became intelligence agents, passport control 

 officers, and in many other ways gave active assistance in the prosecution of the war. 



Labor Interests Benefited 



The labor interests of the country also are direct beneficiaries of the activities of 

 consular officers, in that much of the information upon the basis of which are compiled 

 the statistics of prices and wages and cost of living throughout the world is supplied by 

 members of the Consular Service. This information has a distinct and practical bearing 

 upon the labor market in this country. Moreover, it is one of the duties of consular 

 officers to report attempted violations of the contract labor law, which information is 

 communicated to the Department of Labor for appropriate action by the immigration 

 officers. 



Attempted violations of our laws and treaties prohibiting the admission of Chinese 

 of the laboring classes have been frequent, and one of the means of preventing violations 

 of the law and yet facilitating the entry of Chinese not coming within the scope of the 

 law against Chinese labor, is what is known as the Section 6 certificate issued by consular 

 officers to Chinese persons entitled to enter the United States. In 1921 Consuls issued 

 1,386 of these certificates. 



Soon after its establishment the Federal Reserve Board sought the assistance of 

 consular officers in collecting from various parts of the world data in regard to prices, 

 exchange and financial conditions. Much of this information reaches the public monthly 

 through the Federal Reserve Bulletin, and is proving of great value to the financial and 

 business public. 



