The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-26 00:00:00

[STAMPSD, Id. ADDITIONAIL]

THE CUSTO3III SRA Reif OF BAGGAGE.

Yesterday afternoon a deputation of the follow-
ing gentlemen, viz., Lord Harris, Mr. E. W. Watkin,
M.P., Viscount Toiingtoo, the Hon. Arthur Eimmird,
M.P., Viscount Royston, M.P., the Hoe. James Byeg,
Lord Alfred Paget, Mr. R. W. Crawford, M.P., Mr.
Charles Fre'hfield, M.P., Major A. C. Dickson, H.P., Mr.
A. J. R. Beresford Hope, Mr. James Whstnian, M.P.,
Capt. C. F. Suttees, M.P., Mr. C. Buxton, M.P., Mr.
Charles Gilpin, M.P., Mr. J. D. A. &muds, M.P. the
Lord Mayor, Alderman Lawrence, M.P., Mr. K. D. Hodg-
son, M.P., Mr. G. C. Glyn, M.P., Lord de Blaqukfre, Loci
Alfred Churchill, Mr. T. liryley, M.P., CoLFrench,
Mr. Ltirrence Oliphant, M.P., Mr. H. W. Eaton, M.P.,
Lord George Lennox, M.P., Mr. J. G. Getty, Mr.
James Lamont, /LP. Mr. J. White, M.P., Mr. Barrow,
M.P., Mr. Buller, 11:P., Captain Grindlav, M.P., Mr. B.
Eykyn, M.P., Mr. J. Huddleston, M.P., Sir Charles
Bright, M.P., Mr. C. W. Eborell, Mr. J. M. Grant, sad
others, waited upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer for
1 the purpose of presenting • memorial urging upon her
Majesty's government the desirability of substituting
custom-house surveillance through &elective or other
officers, fur the prictioe of individual and personal search
of baggage at the ports and in London, in the ease of
travellers by railway between London and Paris, for the
seven mouths of the Great International Exhibition of
1867.

Lord HARRIS having introduoed the deputation,
Mr. WATKIN, after a few introductory observations said
the memorial was signed by 446 and members A par-
liament, and he believed that had amines been resorted to
there was little douirt that a very large addition would have
been made to this number. As it warn the memorial was,
perhaps, as influentially signed as any memorial ever pre-
sented to any minister. The memorialists did not auk for
the concession of any general principle, or for any ikpar- '
tore from any practice which departure could be regarded
as establishing a precedent. They simply demand that for
seven months, and during the Great Exhibition of 1867,
the examination of the personal luggage of travellers
between London and Pans only be suspended, the right
to examine in case of suspicion being still reserved.
They demand it on two grounds—one, the convenience
and comfort of large mares of travellers ; and the
other, as a compliment paid to France, bearing in
mind the abolition of passports in favour of British
subjects by the French Emperor. They submit that
not only the time proposed, but also the circumstances of
trade and comparative prices in London and Paris, make
the case entirely exceptional and seperate. The Treasury
admit in their letter of the 9th of January, which he had
received in answer to a previous communication, that
" the system of examination must always be productive
of inconvenience and vexation to the public," and
" that it can only be justified by imperious necessity."
The memorialists, therefore, ask first, is this vexa-
tion and inconvenience to be inflicted on the milliim or
more of travellers who will desire to visit the great Exhibi-
tion! and secondly, is there, as respects London and Paris
for that abort period of seven months, any " imperious ne-
cessity" at all! While they ask that,the question shall be
considered in the broad light of general convenience and
comfort, and in its bearing upon international relations,
they are readyto show that not only is there no " imperious
necessity," but in the case in point no necessity at all for
ransacking the baggage of every lady and gentleman who
may choose to visit Paris during the Exhibition. The
Treasury letter bases the objection of government to ,
do away with this nuisance upon the simple and single
ground of damage to the revenue by the smuggling into
this country, from Paris of course, of "slants Rad to-
bacco." The memorialists contend that it is absurd to fear ;
smuggling of tobacco from Paris, and almost as absurd to
fear the smuggling of spirits. Tobacco is a government I
monopoly, and spirits lay octroi duty. in Paris the prices
to the consumer of both tobacco and cigars, and of spirits, I
are as high and in many cases, quality for quality, higher
re tail than in London. There is, therefore, no possible in-
ducementto mingle either the one or the other. The expe-
rience of every smoker will fully demonstrate the truth of
this as respects tobacco end cigars. As respects spirits, it is
well known that this country exports spirits to France ;
and though the export was small last year, in 1861 it
was as much as 2,000,000 of gallons, or half our entire
export of British spirits. Travellers to and from Paris
are not smugglers, and ladies and gentlemen will travel to
Paris to see the Exhibition and not attempt the profitless
task of cheating the revenue out of a few shillings. The
Treasury say that the time taken up by the baggage exa-
mination in London is so small that it is often performed
in five minutes and a half. The memorialists, however,
entirely disputed the fact, and knew of no case of the
kind as a matter of average. If from the state of the sea,
or in the past year from alarm of cholera, there were now
and then not more than half-a-dosen passengers, a very
few minutes may have sufficed. But the fair test in answer
to this application is an average train during the French
Exhibition, when not only will the number of trains be
largely increased, but the number of passengers in such train
be always much above the average, and often excessive.
One great evil of the system is, that as you increase the
amount of travelling you augment the inconvenience and
vexation in a constantly increasing proportion. For all
have to wait till the baggage of each has been carried to
the place of execution—the baggage search-room. But to
test the time lost we must begin at the beginning. First,
the system practically compels the registry of all baggage,
large and small, except the small satchalls which the
travellers are permitted to carry. Ordinarily a traveller
takes his. bag or portmantmu in the carriage with him, and
on reaching his destination goes at once away. Probably
four out of five persons do so in England. But in this case
all the baggage has to be registered and sent through under
lock and key in charge of the Custorus, and no one can
take his baggage and be at once ott from the London
station at which he arrives, as he otherwise might do.
Time, after other delays, must be allowed for that ; and,
practically, 75 per cent, of all the travellers, even those
with a minimum of baggage, have thus to be kept waiting.
Then the gauntlet has to be run in getting ashore et Folke-
stone, or Dover, or Newhaven. A certain proportion of
the passengers ere laid hold of, and very often the hand of
a customhouse officer is poked into ladies' travelling-bags,
as, sea-sick and worn out, they are struggling up from the
steamer to the shore. Time must be allowed for that,
apart from the annoyance, always vexatious, often posi-
tively disgusting. Indeed, I regard Shia personal exanuna-
' tien 1a the light of an insult, !then, on reaching London,
all the baggage must be Liken out and carried to the
" search-room ;" and every one must wait, and in all
weathers, till all the baggage is deposited according to re-
gulations. Time mud be allowed for t: at, apart from
the misery inflicted in such weather as that of last week.
Then there is the work of examination itself, the ,Ime of
which much depends upon the state of mind on the occa-
sion of the searching officers. But there can be little
doubt that during the Exhibition, if the present system be
enforced, it caanot be put down at less than twenty minutes.
Then when each package has been searched it has to
be carried away to the cab or carriage of the owner. Time
must be allowed for that. Then, when trains have to be
divided—or one immediately follows another—the first
train will detain the second the full time which the first
needs for the process of search. Time must again be
allowed for that. Then there are numerous difficulties in
the cases of persons not speaking English, in the manage-
ment of the cabs and porters, and the general working of
the stations, all of which create loss of time. My own
opinion, therefore, is, that the Exhibition traffic, if as
large as is expected, will be most seriously inconvenienced.
In fact, all the increased traffic will have to be " forced"
through the single baggage search-room at each station. At
times I have little doubt that the delay and confusion
will be such as to compel the custom-house to suspend their
search. It may be said—Why do not the railway com•
panies provide more baggage search-rooms ! The answer
is—lt is impossible, without taking up accommodation
even now not over ample for the public requirements. The
South Eastern Company have provided a very large search
room at Charing-cross. The cost of that part of the
station devoted to the Customs and connected with it has
been over 100,000/. Therefore, at this moment the pro-
prietors are paying 5,0001. a year as a tax for this needless
" vexation "of the public. And I may further add, that
were the search system permanently done away with,
accommodation could be thrown into the station equiva.
lent to the working of at least 1,000,000 passengers an. I
nually. But the general questian 'eight be asked whether
—even should the practice et individual search be totally
abolished, and some slight loss to the revenue be even
sustained—the country iloes not seriously lose! This is a
restriction on locomotion, like the passport system, and
checks and discourages travelling and trade by which our
country profits. We keep down theft and protect the coin-
age
by the ordinary machinery of our police. Why can-
not we protect the revenue in the mine way! The cue.
toni-house authorities are bound to show why, or confess
their incompetence. The facts and arguments in the
letter of the Treasury are simply those which Mr. Ogilvy
used at an interview between a deputation, of which I
foruied part, and the chairman of the board of customs
last November. They were refuted at the time, but they
are now reproduced, apparently because there is really no
case for the refusal of the prayer of the memorial stn The
custom-house officers know that this country now raises
the great bulk of its customs' revenue from six articles, I
all about as dear, or dearer, in France than in England.
When I had the honour to meet M. Fould in Paris on
this subject, a few weeks ago (continued Mr.
Watkin) he assured me that be would give orders
to reduce the search in France from a practice to a 1
mere ceremony, and the arrangements proposed
would practically abolish the system of individual search .
' for the period of the exhibition. But M. Fould authorised
me to say to you, sir, as her Majesty's Chancellor of the
Exchequer, that the French government were not only
ready, but anxious to discuss the whole question of the
modification or abolition of baggage search with a view to
reciprocal action under a treaty of convention. I commu-
nicated that message to you, sir, at the time. M. Fould
made no secret of his opinion that the approximation of
prices in France and England had put an end to the leads