The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-02-09
NINE MEN OUT
Port Surveyors Force
Is Reduced.
Only Fse Guards to a Watch--Ef-
cent Work impossible
Ire Result.

Beginning with today the Custom
House force win be working under
great difficulty as far as the guards and
inspectors are concerned. At one
stroke yesterday nine guards were dis
missed from the service for The
reason that there is no money 10 pay
more men than are at present en-
Rioyed. Guards \. Bishaw, a. Bader
]. Koloamakaf, J. H. Fuller, Chas. Lu-
beck, NJ. Kauwe. T. A. Winston, E. l..
Miller and H. Lubbock, besides E. r.
Beyen, permitting clerk from upstairs.
and Jas. Bicknell, bookkeeper. who
goes 10 W c. Peacock & Co. immediate
ly. There are one or two others IN the
clerical force who are on the anxious
seat
The guards were all capable men well
qualified 10 do their work; some OF
them men who have been in the ser
E1ce Tor several years and al OF them
f-led and trustworthy public servants.
As result Of the wholesale dismissal
the force on the wharf has been great
y crippled and considering the i'm
mflse amount of shipping being done
ana the great number OF vessels in the
harbor al present, il can hardly be ex-
peeted that the service can do efficient
worK or protect the Customs revenues
properly.
At 8 o'clock last night there were
forty-one foreign vessels in the harbor:
OF these eighteen were alongside the
wharyes and five in the stream dis
charging during the day. For the YES
sells diseharg1ng there Is force Of five
guards and eight discharging officers.
The guards work in six hour shifts: six
hours on and six of. Besides these
men there are the boarding officer. an
01neer In charge of the day watch from
a N. 70 p. m, and another in charge
OF the night watch from D. m. to 6 a.
m These three men are district Off
GERS. The boarding officers duties al
ternate between the three district Off
GERS, each one Of them having the de-
tan for a month al time. The hours
OF the boarding officer are from q. N.
10 a. m, twenty-four hours TO a work
ing day. When he is not engaged in
the duties Of the Office. ne helps The in
spector in charge Of the day or night
watch, getting his sleep when and as he
can.
With twenty-three ships to watch
and discharge with only thirteen men.
IL IS plain TO see how much of a task
Is placed upon the men who are doing
the work. One guard and a discharg-
ing oncer TO each ship is needed dur
ing the daytime, and at least one
guard 10 every two ships is necessary
az night. Last evening at 10 o'clock
tnere were but three guards on the
whole waterfront from the railroad
wharf to the pilot Office. AT midnight.
When the watch was relieved. five men
TOOK the place Of the three There are
now but five men 10 a watch. and ina
guards are changed every six hours.
Al the present time the whole out
slde working force of the Customs De-
partment consists Of the Port Survey
or three district officers, ten guards
ana a ooatboy-twenty-t men 10
"atch the entire harbOr and It's for
ty-one ships The efficiency called for
In revenue affairs can hardly be ex-
pected with this force. as il is at pres
ent-hardly enough men TO thorough
~ inspect the baggage of passengers.
ne appropriation bill, as passed By
the last Legislature. provides for He
noinlu the sum Of 81, las per month for
guards and 1893 per month for in
speetors; total Of s1,s7S: but At the
present time the Office of the Port
surveyor is confined to a total sam of
81 .63s per month for salaries. The re-
ceipts OF the Collectors Office from du-
ties paid, average. at a very conserva-
tive estimate, s12.500 per day.
The reduction OF the force means
great loss IN more ways than one. Time
VIII be lost in the discharging of YES
sels and men inclined 10 break laws
can hardly fail to see their opportu-
nifty and take advantage thereof.