ACFT DISCREPANCY FOUND BY FAA MAINT INSPECTOR AND FLT CONTINUED. INTRA-COMPANY COM PROB.

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PRIOR TO OUR A.M. DEP FROM SEA; AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR PREFLTED OUR PLANE AND THEN CAME ABOARD AND JUMP-SEATED TO PDX. AFTER ARRIVING IN PDX; HE MENTIONED THAT ON HIS INSPECTION IN SEA; HE HAD SEEN 2 'PIN HOLES' IN THE #1 EXHAUST PIPE. I IMMEDIATELY GOT ON THE RADIO AND CALLED MAINT CTL AND TOLD THEM 'WE HAVE JUST ARRIVED WITH AN FAA MAINT INSPECTOR WHO RPTED 2 PIN HOLES IN THE #1 ENG EXHAUST PIPE. COULD YOU SEND A MECH OVER TO LOOK AT IT.' THEY REPLIED THAT A MECH WAS ON THE WAY. I DEPLANED AND INSPECTED THE PIN HOLES; LEFT A FUEL SLIP FOR THE NEXT FLT AND WENT TO THE READY ROOM TO CHK THE WX AND MY MAIL BOX. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE PLANE THE FO WAS IN HIS SEAT PERFORMING PREFLT DUTIES AND I DIDN'T SEE A MECH AROUND THE PLANE. I ASKED THE FO IF MAINT HAD BEEN THERE AND HE SAID THEY HAD AND THAT THE MECH SAID 'THE PIN HOLES WERE NOT A SAFETY PROB' AND LEFT THE AREA. I SAID 'OK;' GOT IN MY SEAT AND PREPARED FOR THE FLT TO YVR. WHEN WE CALLED IN OUR ETA TO YVR WE WERE INFORMED THAT I WAS TO CALL DISPATCH WHEN WE GOT ON THE GND. WHEN I CALLED; I WAS INFORMED THAT THE PIN HOLES HAD TO BE INSPECTED BY A MECH BEFORE WE COULD DEPART YVR. A MECH ARRIVED AND SIGNED THE LOGBOOK AS PER MAINT CTL INSTRUCTIONS VIA PHONE. WHEN WE LANDED BACK IN PDX WE WENT TO SEE THE DUTY OFFICER AND FOUND OUT THE FLT HAD BEEN CANCELED (PDX-YVR) DUE TO THE PIN HOLES. NEITHER MYSELF OR MY CREW HAD BEEN NOTIFIED BY MAINT CTL; DISPATCH; OPS; OR ANYONE ELSE THAT THE FLT WAS TO BE DELAYED OR CANCELED FOR ANY REASON. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: CAPT RPTR INFORMED HIS COMPANY MAINT THAT THE FAA MAINT INSPECTOR HAD FOUND PIN HOLES IN THE EXHAUST; BUT THE CAPT DID NOT WRITE IT UP IN THE LOGBOOK. THE MECH AT PDX WHO LOOKED AT THE DISCREPANCY SAID THAT IT IS COMMON AND USUALLY THEY STOP DRILL THE HOLES (DRILL LARGER HOLES TO PREVENT TEAR CREEP). HOWEVER; HE DID NOT DO THAT AND; SINCE IT WAS NOT WRITTEN UP; DIDN'T SIGN IT OFF. FROM THERE; LACK OF INTRA-COMPANY COM BECAME A MAJOR PROB. THE PAX WERE BOARDED FOR THE FLT FROM PDX TO YVR AND THE FLC FLEW THE LEG. ENRTE THEY WERE ADVISED THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO HAVE A MECH SIGN OFF THE DISCREPANCY. THE CAPT WROTE IT UP; A CANADIAN MECH DEFERRED IT PER COMPANY COM; AND THE FLT RETURNED TO PDX. THE CHIEF PLT HAD A MEETING WITH THE CAPT AND FO INFORMING THEM THAT THEIR FLT TO YVR HAD BEEN CANCELED AND WHY DID THEY FLY IT? IN FACT; NOT ONLY WAS THE FLC NOT NOTIFIED; NEITHER WERE THE PAX AGENTS. ACFT WAS GNDED AND REPAIRED.