At that time I asked him a question or two relative to the thesis that was in his mind in respect to the collection of those debts. -He. however. offered no solution. and virtually the only conclusion as a result of his remarks is that it is a question that ought to have the attention of Congress. and that in his judgment the question of war debts ought not to be settled by some expert from overseas. This item in the pending bill dealing with passport agencies brings this matter to my mind. I have examined the testimony of Miss Shipley. the very able lady who presides over that Department. and I learn that for the last 6 months there has been an Increase in passport visas of approximately 27 percent. and that for the month of December it was approximately 48 percent. If you take these figures in connection with the recent report of the Department of Commerce. which shows that our tourists expenditures in foreign countries for the fiscal year 1936 were $495.000.000. and that our immigrant remittances of money which people send to relatives and kin in foreign countries amounted to $143.000.000. and. after making the proper deduction for the money that has been sent from those countries over here. you will have a net excess of $511.000.000 for the year 1936 for tourist expenditures and immigrant remittances. For the fiscal year 1936 those two items amount to over onehalf billion dollars. and it seems to me therein lies a possible solution for the wardebt problem that has been plaguing the best minds of the country. They owe us. on an amortized basis running for 62 years. approximately $22.000.000.000.
Keywords matched
immigrant visas