St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-18
NO CUSTOM HOUSE DELAYS.
Tourists May G O Home without 4 Os.
ing u Day al the Barge Office.

The United States treasury department
has authorized the American Express COM
pany to receive the baggage of passengers
from Europe upon arrival in New York. to
be forwarded Immediately in bond. without
examination, to the principal ports of entry
in the United States and Canada, where
the duties, If any. will be assessed. This
VIII relieve travellers from the delay and
annoyance attending the present system of
examination at the port of New York.
Nhlle passengers were grumbling over
the delays OF the barge Office system at this
port, ana steamship companies were urging
the treasury department to permit them
10 hasten matters by landing passengers on
the piers, there was q movement on foot
10 further hasten the Journey of those
bound to the interior of the United
States. Ever since this country has had
laws to regulate the passenger traffic
with foreign countries aud the landing of
baggage the laws have been construed to
demand that every trunk, parcel or hand
bag should be opened as soon as it was
landed nom the vessel and the contents
then and there examined by the proper Gus
toms officer In order that he might see that
nothing was imported free that ought to paw
duty. When this law was passed. and for
many years afterward. no unnecessary i'll
convenience was experienced by travellers.
because there were no great interior cities.
and the foreign travel was confined chiefly
TO the sea-girt cities. But within few
years the'grOwth of the West and the ur-
gent desire of people from foreign countries
TO reach the Interior ut the earliest moment
possible after landing here has set the trans
Por1atlon companies to deviSing means for
expediting travellers through this city.
The greatest delay which most interior
passengers experienced was the long. tedious
wait on the pier while the customs officers
examined the baggage. Frequently the
delay amounted 10 three hours, and Occa-
Sionally TO eight or ten. Even when de
iayed only an hour or two on the pier. pas
sengers often missed trains in that time.
and were thus compelled to wait over half
day. 1.-THE baggage could be loaded on a
truck and sent forward, or if the passenger
could turn his baggage over To some one
who would look after it. he would escape
the annoyance. In the way of this stood
the law passed hundred years ago.
There was hope in 1880 that something
might be done, for an act was passed and
approved which provided for the immediate
transportation Of certain kinds of freight to
the place OF destination without examine
ton, provided the destination was a u port
OF entry, where the proper customs officers
could examine it. But when it was at
tempted to forward baggage under this act
the treasury department, under the infiu-
ence OF the custom house of New York. de-
cided that the act did not include passen-
gers baggage.
The American Express company had
been urgently moving in the matter. and
when the new administration came in last
March application was made to Secretary
Manning for decision in the matter which
would expedite business at this port. I'm
due time this order was issued to the col
lectOr OF the port:
To avoid delay, entries of baggage for
Immediate transportation under these in
structons will be completed at the barge
Office or other landing place for passengers
within your district, and the baggage de-
livered III such places t0 the express COM
panies Tor transportation.
To take advantage of this ruling the
American Express company flied bonds to
the amount OF 81. 900. 900. aud undertook To
forward the baggage in bond to any of the
leading cities of the country, including ST.
Paul.
Hereafter when passengers are i'm hurry
tn geI out Of New DIRK. they have simply
To 20 TO the ships pur>er any time before
the ship arrives in port. and ask that their
ultimate destinations and descriptions of
the baggage be written in tine manifest of
passengers which each ship must carry.
Then d. soon * the ship reaches the pier
the baggage must he pointed out To the
agent Of the American Express company,
who Will be in waiting. and thereafter no
further thought need be given 10 it until it
reaches its destination. People living in
places convenient 10 any port of entry can
take advantage of this new order of things
by calling tie most convenient ports of entry
their destinations and having them written
in the ships manifest.
The charges for this service are mOder-
ate. The rates from New York will be the
ordinary through rates of the company. and
no charge will be made for bonding. brOk-
erage. permits. carriage, etc. the only fees
in addition to the through rate being 20
cents for custom house entry (which may
include as much of the passengers baggage
* he sends by expreSSl. and cents for
cording and scaling each trunk.-New York
sun.