The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-08-18
NO CUSTOM HOUSE DELAYS.
The American Express Company VIII
Take Baggage in Bond from the
Steamships to all Cities.

| lNcW 1Oih oull
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 ex-
animation, to the principal ports of entry in
the United States and Canada, where the
duties, if any, will be assessed This will
| relieve travellers from the delay and annoy
| anee attending the present system of exami-
nation at the port of New York.
While passengers were grumbling over the
delays of the barge Office system at this port,
and steamship companies were urging the
Treasury Department to permit them to has
ten matters by landing passengers on the
piers, there was movement on foot to fur
ther 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
and the landing of baggage, the laws have
been construed to demand that every trunk,
parcel, or handbag should be opened as
soon as it was landed from the vessel, and
the contents then and there examined by the
proper customs officer in order that he
might see that nothing Rwas imported free
that ought to pay duty. When this law was
passed, and for very many years afterward,
no unnecessary inconvenience was expert
enced by travellers, because there were no
great interior cities, and the foreign travel
was confined chiefly to the seaport cities.
But within few years the growth of the
West and the urgent desire of people from
foreign countries to reach the interior at the
earliest moment possible after landing here
has set the transportation companies to de-
yising means for expediting travellers
through this CITY,
The greatest delay which most interior pas
sengers experienced was the long, tedious
wait on the pier while the customs officers
examined the baggage. Frequently the de-
lay amounted to three hours, and occasional
ly to eight or ten Even when delayed only
an hour or two on the pier, passengers often
missed trains in that time, and were thus
compelled to wait over half a day. III 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 hum
dred years ago.
There was hope in 1880 that something
might be done, for an act was passed and ap-
proved, which provided for the immediate
transportation of certain kinds of freight to
the place of destination, without examina-
tion, provided the destination was port of
entry, where the proper customs officers
could examine it. But when it was attempt
ed to forward baggage under this act, the
treasury department, under the influence of
the custom house at New York decided that
the act did not include passengers baggage.
The American Express Company had been
urgently moving in the matter, and when the
new administration came In last March, ap-
plicatIon was made to Secretary Manning
for decision in the matter which would ex-
pedite business at this port In due time
this order was issued to the collector Of this
port:
To avoid delay, entries of baggage for immedi-
ate transportation under these instructions, will
be completed at the barge office or other landing
place for passengers within your district and the
baggage delivered at such places TO the
companies for transportation.
To take advantage of this ruling the
American Express Company filed bonds to
the amount of S1,OOO,0OO, and undertook to
forward the baggage in bond to any of these
cities:
Atlanta, Baltimore, Bath Me-. Boston, Buffalo,
Burlington, Vt; Charleston, s. c.; Chicago. Gin
clnnatl, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit; Galveston,
Georgetown, d. CT; Hartford, Indianapolis,
Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, MiddIefown'
Conn.,; Milwaukee, Mobile, New Haven, New Or
phia, Pittsburgh. Port Huron, Mich; Portland,
Me-; Portland Ore; Portsmouth, N. H.; PrOvi-
Francisco. Savannah, st. Joseph. Mo-; ST. Lo;i:s,
st. Paul, Toledo, Wilmington, Del; Wilmington,
Hereafter when passengers are in hurry
to get out Of New York they have simply to
go to the ships purser any time before the
ship arrives in port, and ask that their ul-
tlmate destinations and descriptions of the
baggage be written in the manifest of pas
sengerS Wnlcn each snip must carry. Then
as soon as the ship reaches the pier the bag
gage must be pointed out to the agent of the
American Express Company who will be in
waiting, and thereafter no further thought
need be given to it until it reaches its des-
tination. People living in places convenient
to either Of the above named ports of entry
can take advantage of this new order Of
things by calling the most convenient ports
of entry their destinations and having them
written in the ships manifest
The charges for this service are moderate.
The rates from New York will be the ordi-
nary through rates of the company, and no
charge will be made for bonding, brokerage,
permits, carriage, &c. the only fees in addi-
ton to the through rate being 20 cents for
Custom House entry (which may include as
by express,) and s cents for cording and seal
inc each trunk