The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-11-14

follows:
''San Francisco, Cal, Oct. Is, 1907.
''The Honorable, the Secretary of the
Treasury, Washington, D. c.
"Sir: l respectfully acknowledge
receipt of department letter of the
5th instant transmitting letter from
the Collector of Customs at Honolulu
with enclosure from H. p. Wood, Sec
rotary of the Chamber of Commerce.
in which complaint is made in the ex-
animation of hand baggage of passen-
gers arriving at this port from Homo
lulu, and the delay incident thereto. /
am asked to carefully examine into
the matter and report the result to the
department with such recommendations
as may seem proper.
81 have referred your communication
in the first instance to the Chief Board
ing Officer, and have his report here
with. the same being transmitted.
81 have further personally taken up
the matter and understand that the re-
port as made by the Chief Boarding
Officer is substantially correct.
cit appears that cabin passengers
from Honolulu are not required to take
their turn with through passengers
waiting to have their hand baggage
examined. Such baggage is not arranged
in alphabetical order, but is placed on
long benches by passengers or mem
bers of the crew bringing it on to
the wharf. The inspectors assigned
to the examination of baggage are sta
toned at these benches and immedi-
ately examine all the hand baggage
presented. According to statement of
the Chief Boarding Officer there has
never been any delay to his knowledge
in the examining of hand baggage, nor
would there be any occasion for it on
the part of the inspectors for the rea-
son that there is practically nothing
else for them to do pending the placing
on the wharf of the heavy baggage.
If Honolulu passengers are at times
delayed in having their baggage ex-
amined it is probably due to the fact
that among such baggage they may
have one or more steamer or other
trunks which are not always taken off
the vessel Immediately upon arrival.
The taking off of such baggage is a
matter over which the Customs officers
have no control, being handled by the
steamship companies.
cit is the general practice here to
have the hand baggage examined first.
The passengers as whole desire it for
the reason that some are enabled to
leave the wharf Immediately, while the
heavy baggage is examined in the
presence of one or more remaining
members of the family or party. Fur
Their, many of the passengers take their
hand baggage to some hotel, and re-
turn later in the day when the heavy
baggage has been removed from the
ship, and has been arranged alphabet
eally for examination.
cit is further reported to me, and
such is the fact, that Honolulu pas
sengers are informed by the Chief
Boarding, or other officers. that they
can have their hand baggage examined
at once and no delay whatever should
be oecasioned to them. Very many
ask at the time when the vessel is
boarded whether it is necessary for
them to make out declarations That,
however, is not always the case, since
such passengers understand the law i
and are not thus brought in contact
with the boarding officers and are not
consequently advised.
''Where Honolulu passengers have
steamer trunks which are placed with
their baggage on the dock it has been
the cNstom to have such baggage ex-
amined first. 1t would be universally
the fact if such passengers from Homo
luiu would announce to the Customs
Officers that they are from such latter
port. Where delay has occurred it has
probably been due to the fact that the
passenger has not made such announce
ment, but has simply taken his place
in line with through passengers.
Ny suggestion would be that since
it is impracticable to segregate Homo
lulu passengers from through passen-
gers under present procedure since all
can not be reached, and the passengers
ningle and intermingle without regard
to the port from which they sail, that
the steamship companies post notices
in Honolulu, or on the vessel advising
passengers coming to San Francisco
from such nort to notify Customs OF