Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-08-24
INSPECT BAGGAGE
New Plan will Spare Ocean
Travellers From Many An
noyances of the Past.
NO HERDING OF PASSENGERS
After Careful investigation Secretary
Cortelyou Issues New Rules
for Customs Officers.

One of the first problems that con-
fronted Mr. George B. Cortelyou when
he became secretary of the treasury
was that involved in the cumbersome
and complicated examination by Gus
toms officers of ocean travellers upon
their arrival III the United States, says
a Washington dispatch to the New
York Post. When he first took up
the question he found hundreds of in
dignant protests from all over the
country, many women being among
the number, who complained of the
delay and inconvenience of baggage
examination by the customs officials
especially in New York and Boston.
1t was wholly characteristic of the
sort of man Mr.. Cortelyou is that he
should study this question carefully
before undertaking to find IA remedy.
Not until he had personally Witnessed
the confusion on board ship and on
the dock at several of the larger ports
was he prepared to reOrganiZe the
system. The secretary made public
the new method which he has ordered
placed in operation and which should
be in full swing in time to greet the
home coming European travellers to-
ward the end of the summer
at is a matter to which l have given
considerable attention." said Secretary
Cortelyou before issuing the new in
structions, and at my request Assist
ant Secretary Reynolds has worked
out the details of the new system,
which is radically different from that
IN operation. l have directed that the
new system shall take effect as soon
as necessary arrangements can be
made. 1t should be in operation about
the middle of August"
In looking over a large number of
complaints Secretary COrtelyou found
two features In connection with the
examination of passengers baggage
which were especially annoying to the
travelling public. The first was the
practice of herding all the passengers
into the cabin of the steamship dur
ing the last hour of the voyage in or
der that a customs official might re
ceive their declarations. Experience
has demonstrated that in many in
stances these declarations were unsat
isfactory to the government officials
and to any one who has witnessed OF
participated in the rush that marks
the end of the voyage this fact Is no
surprising. In addition, this herdins
: process was of considerable annoyanc,
! to the passengers.
Objected 10 the Oath.
which most of the complainants EN-
phasiZed was the oath required whel
P, the declaration was made The pas
senger under the present system il
obliged to make oath as to all article
contained in his baggage. and as 500
as the latter is landed on the dock
customs inspector promptly searche
his baggage to see whether or not tn
! passenger has perjured himself. Earl
, in his investigation of the problem Sec
rotary Cortelyou determined that thes
, two features should be eliminated i
the interest of decency and that thei
adjustment would cause no reductio
ment interest.
Under the new system declaration
will be distributed to the passenger
during the early part of the voyag
and may be made out by them at the
leisure. The form OF the declaratio
Twill be simple and straightforward,
! 1t will contain no trap" clauses, an
Z its language will be neither compiled
) ed nor mysterious. The declaration
its foreWord will instruct the passel
J ger to specify the different articles Of
tanned by him while abroad, accom-
panied by statement of their cost {
value. Some time during the last da
; of the voyage an officer of the sh
( will collect these declarations and wi
s re held responsible both by the stear
Z ship company and by the governmel
s for statement from each passeng
< on board.
3 When the customs officer boards Il
x ship these declarations will be turnt
9 over to him by the steamship offic
K and in turn delivered to the chief re
9 resentative of the surveyor on Il
3 eocK. When the declaration is handt
9 TO the steamship officer coupon W
3 be handed to the passenger bearil
9 the same initial number as the declar
x ton. This coupon will be the passe
o gers receipt for his baggage Aft
= the baggage is landed and as soon as
~ il properly placed ON the dock, reat
M for customs inspection, the paSseng
~ viii present his coupon to the prop
W representative of the surveyor and S
V cure the service of an inspector, WI
w WIFI examine his baggage and veri
iU rho 6acIo ro tinr proT-i nucIv rno1o