The evening times., 1897-12-25
THEY OBJECT TO KISSING.
New York Customs OffiehI. Say
Delays business.

| Delays business.
| New York, Dec. 25.-Brushing aside
| sentiment apd the custom of countless gen
\ erations the Unit ed States Treasury off
| Gals Lave arranged themselves against
the popular practiceof kissing and hugging
| Under certain circumstances, ACCORDING 70
| these officials, the two customs that 20
| hand H. hand as 1t were, may be all right
| but on til" steamship piers they interfere
| with business.
No objection would have been male they
| declare, but forthe fact that persons greet
| ing homecoming friends aye not satisfied
with mere embrace and pressure OF
| the lips, but insist upon Continuous per
| formances in osculitson and prolonged
clinsing.
Aud 50 the sound Of kisses and the joyful
| sigh of the maiden as sh he greets her fiance
| may become only a memory on the piers of
the citl, and then the custom-house Of
flcials will not he annoyed in their Iuty Of
searching tie bacga &c OF incoming tourists.
Nuisance is thcname given totiiese delight
ful practices by those who are in charge OF
the crusade.
Travellers returning from Europe are gen
orally netby from I We To twenty friendson
the pier, 80 that an army OF thousand or
more Is often waiting for long anticipated
kisses as vessel approaches her dock.
Each Hiss aud each hug means at least a
| minute, 30 that hours are really wasted in
the tendcr greetings. Baggage is far
from the minds of the happy persons, and
the patient custom-hpuse officials aul
their dut les are forgotten.
Som: OF these innocent kissers are wicked
sHUggisrs, too, the authorities say. Hid
ing their guilt behind a resounding smack.
nien and women sOInetiines pass diamonds
and other vsluables to friends. and so rob
the Government OF needed revenues. Such
practices are conceded to he rare but on
the wh:le, the greeting custom is trouble
some 10 the inspectors The cUstoin-house
authorities said this long ago, and even
placed hsrricndes on several piers.
But ma who sees pretty girl waiting
for his kisses does not mind barricade
The officials soon learned that something
stronger wouil be needed, for love, that
laughs at lDckSniths, Surmounted the harri
cades, and even trampled them down.
All friends, therefore. may be compelled to
keepcffthe piers and do their kissing before
public gaze in the street.
ITS an outrage ON our feelings one Of
the inspectors safl. "Weare tired of sniff
ing at sour grapes, and, besides, why should
we be delayed for hours for the pleasure OF
others. The actresses and other pretty
girls never kiss us, and If we can help it
they won't kiss anybody else"
The inspectors have long Complained.
Now they have appealed to Surveyor Croft,
Deputy Surveyor Bergman, Special Treas
ury A gent Cummings, and even to Special
Treasury A gent Smith, OF Boston. Agent
Cummings said that something ought to he
done to stop kissing, and he though ht some
thing would be done.
There us ed to be a rule OF the Treas stIry
Depar; ment,'' he said, which forbade ras-
sengers Oh incoming steamships greeting
their friends until after the baggage had
been inspected but the rule has beeu n
dead letter for years. Now 1t will probably
be put into force again. The only way
to stop kissing would he to keep the -rien.is
off the pier until the baggage has been
examined.
''And then this kissing and embracing
makes smuggling easy, for in a great crowd
It is almost impossible to distinguish friends
from passengers. SLiuggiers know this, ard
it is an easy matter for them to pass tha-
monds and such things"
The general sentiment in the custom
house. however. is to let everybody kiss and
hug wheneye er they get the chance. Even
Collector iadwell relieves in Kissing under
certain circumstances. When ASKED
wnat those circumstances were he blushed
and was silent. Col. Dudley Phelps, of the
Ninth division in the custom house. knows
the pleasure of kissing. and is a bitter
enemy to the new crusaders.
"A law Going away with kissing would
be inhupan," he said. IF were a young
man and my best girl came down to meet
me at the pier I know I would not want
to wait two or three hours before ciiim'ng
the kisses due me-"
All through the custom house the men
are ARA yed against each other on the ques-'
ton, hut the ma iority seems to side with
MAJ jor McAvoy, Of the law department,
who. in speaking of the crusa de. declared it
an outrage.