The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-04-30
COMPANY WILL
NOT PAY TAX
OCEANIC STEAMSHIP LINE so
INFORMS THE FRISCO IMMI-
GRAFTON OFFICERS.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 22.-
The Oceanic Steamship Company has
thrown down the gauntlet in the mat
ter of the alien head tax. The attorney
for the company called upon the local
Commissioner of Immigration, Hart
North, yesterday afternoon and IN
formed him that upon the arrival of
the company's steamer Mariposa to-
day, the tax prescribed by law to be
levied upon all alien passengers would
not be paid. The company's repre-
sentative informed the Commissioner
that habeas corpus proceedings would
be instituted as soon as the ship ar
rived, and that should the contention
of the company be upheld, they would
hold Commissioner North and other Of
ficials attempting to enforce the Jaw,
as promulgated by the Treasury De-
partment. personally liable for dam
ages. Commissioner North has declar-
ed his intention of holding the passen-
gers on the MaripOsa until the own
ers shall deposit the 81 tax for each
alien seeking to land.
The matter was brought to a head by
the receipt of letter from the depart
ment at Washington in reply to one
sent them by Commissioners North
some time ago. Upon the first attempt
of the local officials to enforce the law,
the president of the Oceanic Steamship
Company sent the Commissioner a let
ter containing a vigorous protest. rms
document MIR. North forwarded to
Washington asking for instructions >as
to how to proceed. After commenting
on the letter stating that the grounds
of the protest were very carefully con-
sidered, Commissioner-Gene of I'M
migration Frank c. Sargent, to whom
& 81 l.
ton of the fact that the president of
the steamship company took occasion
to say that he had no faith that the
deposit advanced by the company for
each alien would ever be refunded by
| the Government.
In this connection, the letter says
Upon the last mentioned point the
! bureau does not care to make any COM
! ment, but the writer of the said letter
should be informed that the sum de-
posted does not represent head tax,
collections on that account being duly
accredited to the immigration fund, as
provided by law and regulations. The
sum collected is simply a deposit to be
held by the Collectors of Customs tenn
porarily, toIavoid the defeat of the pur-
| poses of the law by means of misrep-
| reservations on the part of the passen-
gers.
THAT the danger of such misrepre-
sentation is not imaginary has been
| proved by the frequent experience of
the bureau, and while as to some pas
sengers 1T might be absurd to assume
such an intention, provision had to be
made of a general character for the
purpose above indicted"
The letter goes on to state that be-
| fore the adoption of the present meas
ure, known as regulation 16, a mucf
more stringent rule was under con.
/ sideration. The latter required a bond
analogous to that required on good!
passing in transit through this country
In this case the company was liable tC
a penalty of $50 for each infringement
This plan was abandoned in favor Of
the present law, as being less cumbrou.
and onerous for both the transportation
| companies and the officers of the law