The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-07-09
RED TAPE DEALT
OUT BY THE YARD
Difficulty in Getting in aud Out
of Russia.
is OFTEN DANGEROUS
SUSPICIOUS PASSPORT MAY
LAND OWNER IN JAIL.

o
burg correspondent of the Tribune
writes: 1t has always required many
yards of red tape to get in or out of
Russia, but now, as a result of recent
disturbances, the process is even more
difficult Added precautions are being
taken where the regulations seemed
stringent enough before.
1t is generally known that the in
tending visitor to Russia must get
passport from his government and
that it must be vised by Russian con-
sui before it will be recognized as valid
by the Russian officials The passport
itself costs a, dollar or two, the wise a
dollar more. The tourist fOndly mag
ines that all regulations have been
complied with, and that his passport
can be used as a ticket of admittance,
to be shown at the frontier and then
packed away in trunk until his re-
turn.
When he reaches the frontier this
passport is demanded. That is the first
requisite, and until it has been pro-
duced and inspected he cannot get his
baggage examined. Should the pass
port not have the correct wise, or should
it present anything of a suspicious ma
ture to the official who examines it, the
traveller is detained, and perhaps sent
back or arrested. If it is all right he is
allowed TO go on
When he reaches the hotel at his first
stopping place he is followed TO his
room by a page, who asks for his pass
port. No sooner has the passport been
disposed Of than another boy appears
with a paper, which must be filed out.
1t seems that the minute personal de-
scription in the passport and its certif-
cation of citizenship are not enough.
The police must have more particulars.
Passport Demon Follows.
Perhaps it may seem expedient to
change from one hotel to another. The
passport is handed back just before de-
parture, with an added inscription, an
official seal and some revenue stamps.
On the bill is an item, anywhere from
40 kOpecks to a rOuble, to cover the eX-
pense of this additional wise. And this
passport demon follows you all through
Russia; you cannot escape from IL, and
your paper is covered with inscriptions
and stamps, and your pockets are
emptied of kopecks and rOubles.
If a delUsiOn fingers in your mind
that a least you will have no trouble
in going away from the empire, you
are harshly undeceived at the frontier,
for If your document does not contain
a special permission written across the
back for you to leave Russian soil, you
viii be detained till the omission is
made up. You may be arrested.
SuppOsing the traveller decides to go
from England or Germany to St. Pet
erSburg by water. The regulations are
enforced in the same way. The steamer
must stop at Kronstadt. In the course
of a few hours a launch with the Gus
toms officials approaches. They tie
up the matches with string and seal the
knots with the Russian eagle. In the
cabin the captain and steward must
make a declaration of every movable
article on board, including anchors,
chains, ropes, boat hooks, galley uten- I
sis, food, boxes of matches, watches
and articles of cIothing-everythi If
any article has been omitted from this
declaration the captain is liable to a
fine.
After the customs officers have done
their work they embark again in their
steam launch, leaving a guard to watch
over the government seals, and there
is another wait for the quarantine Of
fcer After him comes the pilot. In
two hours the boat arrives at the new
port. st. Petersburg, but not soul can
land until all the passports have been /
and stamped. Strange 10 |
say, no fee is exacted.
At the Custom House.
After the passports are handed back I
there comes the ordeal of the custom I
house. The personal baggage Of the I
is dumped in a heap near /
the wharf, and a group of officials toss /
safe to say that everything is dutiable /
in Russia, but travellers who have a /
small amount of luggage are generally /
treated with consideration, and are al /
lowed to take in a reasonable amount /
Of personal belongings without charge. /
Books and magazines are all regarded /
with suspicion, and may be confscated /
if they contain any article relating to /
Russia.
Tedious as is the process of landing /
under the most favorable circum-
stances. it would be well-nigh impos-
sible to accomplish without endless an
noyance were the wheels not creased /
each time to the tune of about so /
rOubies. or $25. Every minor official /
puts his hand behind his back, and it
is expedient to place something in it.
This sum of money must be regularly
counted as one Of the expenses of en-
tering Russian port
Passports are now demanded even Of
the train conductors who have for
years come through on the German 4
express to Warsaw. The other day a
who had long made this run
was not allowed to pass the frontier.
The censorship of the press is con-