I have the honour to inform you that representations have been made to the Canadian Embassy in Buenos Aires by Houlder Brothers and Company (Argentina) Ltd. who are the local agents for Furness (Canada) Ltd., complaining that Uruguayan consular arrangements in Canada are inade­quate for facilitating Canadian shipments to Uruguay.

There is no Uruguayan consular office at saint John, New Brunswick, or Halifax, Nova Scotia, from which ports Canadian shipments to South America are frequently made. In consequence, shipping papers have to be airmailed to Montreal at heavy expense, with resulting delay.

The Consul-General of Uruguay in Montreal, senor Alvaro Guillot Munoz, is believed to have no responsible assistants on his staff, with the result that he is unable to deal expeditiously with ships' papers or the legalizing of bills of lading. In the case of one recent sailing from Canada, he was unable to deal with the ship's papers or the merchants' bills of lading until sixteen days after the ship had sailed. This naturally causes Canadian ex­porters great inconvenience, and also is prejudicial to Uruguayan importers awaiting shipments and deliveries.

4. We are- informed that the Uruguayan consular service in New York is very much better, and that a real danger exists that shippers will revert to the New York route for this reason, with consequent damage to the Canadian shipping company and Canadian interests generally.

If you see no objection we should be grateful if you could explain the situation to the Uruguayan Government and point out the advantages that would result both to Uruguayan importers and to Canadian exporters if increased Uruguayan consular facilities were provided at either Saint John or at Halifax, or failing this, if the Consulate-General in Montreal were put in a position to handle shipping papers of Canadian exporters more expeditiously.

I should be grateful therefore, if you could take an opportunity of bringing this matter to the attention of the Uruguayan Government, and advise me in due course of the result.

7. 1 am sending to the Canadian Ambassador in Buenos Aires a copy of this despatch, for his personal information.

I have etc.
R. M. MACDONNELL
for the secretary of state
for External Affairs