The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-11
raf QUARANTINE CHARGES INVESTIGATED.
Report OF the Committee OF the Chamber OF
Commerce 60 the Mayor-Exposure OF the
Quarantine System and the EstortAons
Practised Under Ii, &c., Sc.


sK-The Committee Of the Chamber OF Commerce have
received the communication your Honor Of the 18TH o
with the accompanying adavits the subject Of he
complaint Of merchants the charges imposed on sap
png Quarantine and in reply beg to state that though
INC reasons given by the Health Officer FOR having haa re-
course 70 system Of monopoly Tor dlsehaFsmg
vessels and lghterng their crgocs 10 the city, are pausi
Die and adopted for the sole peneht OF ibe CITY
aud It's commerce. YET examining closely into the man
aer IN which the work performed and INC quarantine
regulations observed wcrid appear that the commerce
Of the port being severely and unnecessarily 'axd Tor
te benefit 81 a few individuals while the people Of the
INV ana i,s vicinity shielded from eSoeure
10 colag diseases than they have been N iorMN
wears Thai your Honor may be appreciate the
reasons which have forced the Committee Of the .haoer
this conclusion, the following satehieht
and documents arc respectfully subsnitiedr1 , e.
the perusa of the letters OF the wei known hms
of Horace soutmayd Sons, stnrges ~ Noosrl
Williams r. J. A. stuart and sponoro Iaies'on lo.i
your Honor will not fail struck with the necessity OF
some radical change the manner OF enforcing sanitary
precautions, If would wish % preserve our sonmer-
over 70 the national government 80 &c 10 secure uni
6ormity OF action the dsrent ports or our State FAUST
No modify her Quarantine laws prevent the posi-
ety oihe private interests Of her employees from clash
ING with those ct commerce.
l. Previous 10 the ncumeency OF the present Health
Officer any engaged in the business Of hghterage
aying sufficient bonds the strict Observance
Quarantine regulations, was permitted 10 engage in the
Of ghterng the cagoes OF infected vessels from
Quarantine thus creating n wholesome competition and
allowing the merchansthc parties chehy interested-to
select those whom they could best entrust their bust
the present Health Officer has selected single
Individual, Mr. Boyer, 10 do the whole Of The immense
OF hghtering Quarantine the cargoes of
feced vessels that this individual so far from possessing
requisite 'busness facilities has been compelled to
grant permits under his bond 10 other ghtermen 10 do
abe business which he with the at his command,
unable 10 do that much the largest portion Of the
nchterage this has been performed under such
permits and the committee crediby informed, and in
some instances the facts that Mr.. Boyer IN
counting with the parties actually do the work
twapty -fy lgltggagC
granting the permit and equivalent for his
responsibility that the parties thrs permitted TO lighter
goods the city have in repeated instances broken the
Quarantine reguationsthe men employed coming direct
y 70 the city, and sleeping within It's lmitsand among
thus permitted OF the firms who certify
ehat Mr. Boycrs prices perfectly reasonable and yet
Sho ready 10 pay him twenty per cent Of those
DrSocs while performing the active labor.
In regard 70 Nj. u charges for hgh,erage, would
call the annexed bill and letter from Messrs.
A. Roiker Nolman Co., by which il appears that the
xghtcrage charged ogS from the lower Quarantine,
double the charge for freight OF the same article from
Boston and twenty i've cent more than wGs charged
by Mr. Boyer himself TOR the service 1856. The
sommtec would further state that from the general de
precision IN business during the present is highly
probable that lett open 20 competition the charges for
hghterage would have been less than in former years.
Finally the committee would call attention the fact
that the hghterage thrown 10 competition,
under proper regulation in former years, every firm
engaged the business Of ghterage would lind 10 their
interest and would be able To exercise strit super
vison the employed by them but that ono
son hiring or permitting numerous vessels and persons
ordinarily his employ, whatever may be his integ
rity business capacity entirely unable 10 exercise
such supervision.
2 That previous the present amy responsible
stevedoTe giving the necessary bonds, might engage
the business OF dschsrgng vessels at Quar- nne that
the FIRST day Of April last Mr.. George j. Dean was
waited on by Mr. Boyer by him induced call
Thomson, the Health ofacer; and that shortly af
ssYward said his arm. entrusted with the
scle control all the work done by sevedores the
Quarantine establishment-Ir Thomson FIRST having made
INQUIRIES az 10 his pecun!ary and having
tanned from Mr., Dean list OF prices certified
sonabe By ether steveaores No public notice gvoD
m he Omar ant met md cor
nrtee, convinced Of the cnormhy Of the charges
made by Mr. Dean, ana surprised that the names OF
me well known respectable stcvedores should be
sAsnsd certificate that said charges were mode
rate and just have personally called upon seve
and ind their very great surprise tst ey, the
sorsr absolutely deny that they knowingly have
lhal they would have been glad 70 have performed the
services Cor sSs per cont css The charge upon
niey strike the attention ef your HoBes-Ave for
handing thousand segars over the side OF vessel
And IL viii be observed that after public attention had
been drawn 70 these charges-although the Board OF
Health investigation, had pronounced thom equitable
Mr. Dean Of his accord reduced majority OF them
from twenty sixty per But " h. the Charges
numerous articles T.lec.d t,s-- sugars hogs
sem IN ,hs osrsos Of affected vessels were lsf nnai
tered though greater than had ever been previously
charged by twenty I'VE per cent The annexed letters
responsible sevedors will prove the correctness OF
The allegations q ovcrcharge In Mr.. Deans an
AavIt he Claims 20 have incurred increased ex
ense BY the Of steam power in hauling vessels along
o. the wharf and dischargng them ~ far the
81 power from being additional expense that
reality great saying-catgoeS being thus discharged
speedily and with much l.ss manual lsbos-hsets
dummy employed performing the work Of many iaosrer
In consequence Of there being but single stevereet
ale Quarantine vese have frequently been compelled 10
vn for several days until they could II unoad-d In turn
3 M John r. Reid g.A.eg IN his sfhdavn that his
charge for coopcragc done Quarantine has been uni
sxmiy eight and per hosslead, and Eve
ger &c Theec charges perfectly reasonable,
and indeed low we're Il that previous % permitting
cooper "a 10 board vessel. Mr. Reid has required
agent, captain TO bond agree
NV h. u nay Mr. n.
Of eight per hoeshcad, every hogshcad
board the weasel whether hay required ccoperng not
cooper board vessel without Mr.. Reds permis
soo and oouSgneos have been compelled 70 sub
" his tcEs gubmH " the onsequcni spelling and
waste q the cargo.
In resard % Mr.. olney the proprietor agent for
The eargcs ud IN the storage 81 nsrgoee Of infected
krls would SIMPLY stale that tbe committee have
their possession two bills which lghterage Is charged
cotton from ale Quarantine vessel 70 the siorcsbip At
sbe thirty bse where vessel Wa too.
ed absolutely alongside Che ssoreshu It az expense no,
deliver the cotton until such hf were paid.
9. The Commase have been unable ~ and a
stance previous The admin Of ~. Thou son
shch the calsans q vessels having no sickness %
board. and loaded entirely nth sah and bay with
ALI alone, with spEns Of iaIpontEe aud naval s,orcs
alone with pitch lumber alone. have been
Pile 10 have the. vessels fumlgated. Tie
would further remark that has been the invarablo
practice for tie ast gh y-srs 70 charge twelve dollars
fuagatug packet shrs and steamer and dollars
smaller vessels s~a they arrive, and the
fcr a second frEzEzlon after they have been dis
charged Quarantine when the tcl cog n materials
employed W such fun .it0n b. than few
cent? - TACT hat tbc abuse has already existed eight
years. dcrs not make u ss thu aud
gnsss ~ Nesees as9 though the itse
small, A0Tms part q system of Quarantine
which ID lie aggregate become. exceedingly onerous.
o Mr.. Jcfeph Nelson, the proprietor Ct the steam
Cnd.s slls IN he srsyd states that u. eni,ys 10
exclusive vilerc, but thai the captains vessels are
liberty D. employ other steurniug towing their vus
sei between the upper fnd lower Quarantine stations
and Carrying provisions water. passengers.
and from vss1s aaarautlD0J the lower bas, hot
Naon forgetG state that during tho m0nihs June
July and Augri any other r;eantag having oommunlca
ia lf1ested vessel, unless employed by bin
would be subjected, sod N ono instance sub
t 20 the Arrest sud deiescn q the crew aud vessel
al oua<.1tibs lie Mr. Nelsos has hired s,oaIetag 70
assist h ovn the Cindere ha-there being wos4
than couH ee dom by the latter alcneat expense n
thirty dolars pr dern and that she stearnuC
Nelnnn bid no fnrlhr occason for h.L