Confidential Report from William J. B. Macaulay to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)
(139/1/31)

As it is just a year since the institution of the Consulate General it may be of interest to review briefly such of our activities as have not been reflected in any manner in your Department other than by my reports to you.

The number of estates now in hand amount to 276 while there are 36 compensation cases being dealt with. Practically all the estate cases are in New York State, very few come to me from other parts of this country. This seems to be remarkable, and if the British Consular Authorities in places like Chicago are complying with their Government's instructions to pass this kind of work on to me, it must be that the Surrogates and Public Administrators in Illinois and the middle-West are taking advantage of the absence of Saorstát Consular representation to appoint local lawyers as attorneys to act for absent Saorstát beneficiaries. It is inconceivable that only in New York should there be any substantial volume of this kind of work. Nothing, however, can be done until such time as we have a Consul in Chicago who could call on the Surrogates and Public Administrators in that city and write to those in other parts of his consular district with a view to impressing himself on their official consciousness. Owing to the jealousy which exists between Chicago and its industrial hinterland on the one side and New York and the East on the other, it may be that the middle-Westerners resent their apparent neglect by us and our concentration on the East. This sectional jealousy in this country is a very real thing.

I have taken over completely all the work hitherto done in the British New York Consular area; what disturbs me is the situation in the middle-West and on the Pacific Coast, especially in the middle-West.

If my suggestion that a fee be charged for dealing with estate cases is accepted, we might obtain a very substantial revenue from Chicago. This is a source of income I had not contemplated when the earning powers of the Consular offices were under discussion and this possibility might be taken into account when the extension of our Consular Service is considered.

While a complete record was not kept until recently of the amount of money remitted by this office either through you or direct to individuals, the total recorded up to date amounts to $72,343.52.

The visa receipts, of which you have monthly returns, are better than I expected at the beginning of the season in view of the depressed conditions existing in this country.

The passport system is working, I consider, very satisfactorily. Up to date 2,194 have been issued.

It would be helpful if I could be given an early indication of your intentions regarding the creation of additional Consulates.