The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-16
RELIEVE OCEAN TRAVEL OF VERY
DISAGREEABLE TWO HOURS AT END

/ inspectors can take their station on
| the pier to clear such passengers as
would not make a. clearance possible
on board ship because of their dila.-
toriness or refusal to facilitate the
ship examination. How many passen-
gers after Ave or six days of travel
will yearn to place obstacles In the
way Of their own clearance, let q
student OF human nature decide.
Can as vigilant and as suspicious
an examination be made aboard ship
| as on the pier? Why not? What
can passenger evade on ship that
he cannot evade on pier? Wherein
fs the pier system any more positive
than the ship system can be? How
does the srnugg1er act on the pier
to insure detection that he will, not
act on ship? Your luggage is opened
on the pier and you or your represen-
tatiye stand by while the examination
is made. If you can't hide anything
on pier. how can you hide 1t on ship !?
If gems are slipped from hand to
hand In one place they can in another.
II an examination of clothing can
be made on pier because OF suspicion.
why not on board ship?
There Is ten times more chance for
dishonest practice on the part Of en-
ployes In the ocean mail service than
there could be or would be In an ocean
luggage inspection service" says one
OF the prominent officials OF the "sea
post department. And yet dishon-
esty in our service Is extremely rare.
You never hear gossip to the effect
that mail clerk on a liner is carry
ing on severe struggle with tempta-
ton very trip. Yet through his hands
constantly pass in actual spendable
money hundreds of thousands OF dol
lars. financial concerns in New ork
frequently receive packages Of cur
rency the stealing of which would
place In the possession of a dishonest
employe more booty than he could
gain IN a lifetime as an ocean luggage
Inspector.
There Is no more reason why a
customs inspector on the ocean should
be more dishonest than on land" says
this same ocean mail official. You
can get superbfy honest men for the
proposed service the same as expert
ence has proven we can get them for
our service. II traveller offers an
inspector a bride inthe hold of vessel
he would offer it to him on land. How
does he know that the bribe ofrerer
liz not secret man trying him out +?
II Is true they have $4,000 officials on
the piers when vessels are cleared, but
these officials are not there to watch
that their gubordinates do not take
bri6eSs they are there to direct the
physical clearance of the pier. There
are secret service men on the pier fire.
quently--unknown to employees of
high and low degree. We have them
watching the mail men, too. An in
spector would have as much to fear
from them on board ship as on shore.
The examination OF luggage at sea
may have one or two obstacles to
overcome, but there is no doubt 1T can
be done, and that two or three hours
can be saved In travel"
Before leaving the question of dis
honesty 1t is only fair TO acknowledge
that for the mail clerk TO be cuipa-
Bile he must originate his own temp
tation, while the customs clerk at sea
would doubtless find many TO sug-
gest and persuasively play upon his
weak points. The mail clerk, penned
up and out OF sight In his place On the
ship. must -hioodedly feel letters,
open packages and plan his guilty ac-
ton. Beauty, flattery and scores OF
tric1Sily diplomatic forms of bribery
await the customs inspector. But the
customs, as well as the mail service,
does not presuppose that only thieves