(5) Heavy or bulky packages by special arrangement only.
(6) This company requires two copies of bills of lading to San Juan, P. R., and Curaçao, D. W. I., and five copies to La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Maracaibo and Coro, Venezuela.[9]
[9] Red D Line Freight Tariff No. A-1.
There are many additional regulations covering special cases, which it is impossible to enumerate here. For those interested I would recommend a copy of the Red D Line Freight Tariff No. 1-A, which may be secured at any of this company's offices.
The ships now in service for this line are the Caracas, 3,000 tons; Philadelphia, 2,500 tons; Merida, 630 tons, and the twin screw steamers Maracaibo and Zulia, 1,800 tons each. Two additional vessels for use on this line are now under construction in the States.
At the present time, however, it is to be regretted that comparatively poor and irregular service exists between the two Americas. American salesmen and business men operating in Venezuela constantly complain of delays in forwarding mail and merchandise resulting in financial loss for themselves and creating dissatisfied customers. Considering the existing monopoly in communication, it is surprising that trade between Venezuela and America has progressed to the extent that it has. Venezuela is a rich country and can supply many varieties of agricultural products to the United States; on the other hand, she must look to the United States for manufactured goods, machinery, etc., to enable her to prosper. There is a wonderful opening for American capital in the country of Simón Bolívar, but it never can be fully realized until ocean communication between the two sister republics is greatly improved.
CABLE COMMUNICATION
Cable communications with the exterior are at present monopolized by the "French Company of Telegraph and Cables," through a concession which lasts until 1929. This privilege is based on the first article of contract which governs the Company's relations with the Government of Venezuela; the privilege is exclusive and the controlling lines run from La Guaira and La Vela, ports of Venezuela, to the Dutch Island of Curaçao, thence to the Republic of Haiti, and thence to New York and France. The price per word from Venezuela to New York is five bolivares (approximately one dollar under normal exchange) but because of various tariffs assessed by the company, and extra charges in delivery, the rates usually exceed that figure. Moreover the service is poor and uncertain, interruptions are frequent and a cable can not be depended upon in matters of urgent importance. The company has not improved its service and methods to meet the growing needs of an expanding business. Something must be done to solve this difficulty of cable communication before the potentialities of Pan-American trade can ever be realized. But it can not be solved without the abolition or modification of the present monopoly.