The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-12-11
THE DOCK, REGULATIONS
ARE LESS BURDENSOME

The United States Marine Hospital
Service, whose accommodating officials
have already done much in the past
few years to make the necessary regu-
lations regarding preserving the heairn
! of ships entering this port as light as
possible. while furnishing absolute pro
| lection in conformity with the quaran-
| tine laws, have devised another plan
! for which the people of Honolulu viii
doubtless rise up and call them blessed.
The old-fashioned way of enforcing
| quarantine orders (and under the law
| all ships. no matter where from, are
REQUIRED to fly the yellow quarantine
| flag until the United States health Off
cials permit them to lower it after IN
| spection) was for a ship to leave the
dock and anchor in the stream. Then
I while the passengers were kept in their
cabins to permit proper inspection,
while the tug and the steamer kept
using up good coal so as to have full
head of steam the minute the health
officials were satisfied under the rigid
laws and could conscientiously certify
to a ships health, and while the pilot
stood on the bridge wasting his time
practically (for which somebody, of
course, had to pay), the medical force
of the Federal treasury department
made their inspection of baggage and
freight and passengers. The exactness
of this may be appreciated when it is
realized that every single piece has to
bear the stamp of the local station of
the Federal health service, else when
the ship arrives at the next port, and
flies her yellow flag, the health officers
there can not under the law pass the
ship and allow it to enter the slip and
dock until they are satisfied of the rea-
son why some package OF no conse-
quence in itself perhaps, but looked
upon as a possible carrier of disease, is
not properly stamped. Uncle Sam S
laws are made to be enforced and they
are enforced. So well are they en-
forced in Honolulu, for instance, that
the British government with ships for
ports with which the American authori-
ties have nothing to do) require their
J
on the ship s papers that the ship has
had applied to it the same regulations
exacted by the Honolulu officials of the
American health service.
But the old-fashioned way was ex-
pensive. 1t was dead loss of an hour
or more and delayed the United States
mail Just that much and required the
steamship people to make up that time
| at extra cost of coal. Uncle Sam IS
&aail contracts are made to be enforced
as rigidly as his laws and everyone
knows how anxious railway and steam
ship people are about husting United
States mail through without delay.
So the local Federal health Office de-
vised the plan of keeping ships from
the wharf a safe distance (Which
scheme by the way has been since
adopted by other American port health
officials) and keeping passengers off the
wharves because the steamship people
said that they could not be sure that
nothing went aboard without the stamp
of the Marine Hospital Service unless
they had the wharf clear. They asked
for the moral support of the quarantine
office and they got it. At the steam
| ship company s request Federal health
| officers were stationed at the dock
gates and Federal passes were issued
and properly checked so that the health
| of the ship was preserved inviolate. 1t
was impossible this way for Japanese,
| for instance, to go aboard and, after
having their previously -fumigated bag
gage delivered on board, get unfumi-
gated baggage or parcels passed up to
them through the open hold or over the
rail. An attempt to do so would be i'm
mediately detected. 1t is not the bust
ness of the health authorities to keep
such stuff off, but it is their business
not to let the ship out of port with a
clean bill of health if any such stuff
is allowed aboard. IF it is found on in
spection in the stream, it is immedi>
ately taken off But by keeping a close
watch, the health people are able to
accommodate the steamship people and
certify to the health of ship through
their pass and stamp system, without