The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-16

can be obtained, for responsible en-
ployment. To say that no reform can
be successfully attempted because ST
1.-THE fraflty of human nature might
lbe used as logical argument to abolish
1.-THE customs service altogether on the
ground that ii drives many a weak
man to sin.
portation already outlined and to-
tailed, there wiIr very likely be a
charge for some sort of an office or
/ headquarters room on board sixteen
ships This Office may for that mat
ter, be the purser's Office At such
office all affidavits or declaration rela-
| tive to dutiabIe goods may be filled
/ out and sworn to. This win cut off
quite big item of time now delaying
| passengers on pier. For the head
I quarters accommodation as well as
Itncidentals that always accompany the
| installation of a new system and which
cannot be provided for beforehand
say that $40, 900 per annurn is ex-
pended This, added to the Transport
tatton cost of the ninety inspectors
would make the total yearly cost over
what In expended at the present time
10 examine every vessel on which
there are mail clerks sum in the
neighborhood of s250.000.
The United States government pays
large sums for carrying the mail. 1t
paws large sums as ship subsidies In
connection with the mail service. the
economical parallel between the mail
service en- route and the proposed GUS
toms service will be discerned when
IL lis recalled that the traveller and
not the government pays for the car
rage of what yields the government
a revenue. Every passenger coming
in on a transatlantic liner is on an
average worth a thousand times more
TO Uncle Sam than any revenue pro-
ducing letter that his clerks are bus
ily sorting on the same ship. The
mail itself az well as the mail clerks
must have transportation paid, and
ito this add the clerks salary. the
luggage carriage is paid for by the
traveller He also pays duty. Why
should the government haik at the
increased expense under the en- route
customs system If two hours may be
cut off q voyage and II there is more
revenue produced TO the government
than in the mail service, many times
over?
II has been suggested that the
steamship companies might object to
the innovation. IL Is only a sug-
gestion, however, for with the sug-
gestion no good reason Is gwen as
to why they should II II necessi-
tated a radical change in the placing
of luggage in the hold even that
would be no good reason for obJec-
ton Passengers are allowed to get
to their luggage as it is. Whenever
O. new ship of the greater lines Is
built more room is allowed for such
conveniences az swimming pool, gym
uasiurn and so on. Room for lug
gage inspection can be arranged when
ii LIS decided to do SO. Is 1t likely
that the steamship companies VIII
obstruct a scheme which permits two
hours to be cut off the ocean tripg
Let but one line permit the tnnova-
ton and there would be little doubt
OF what the others would soon do'
Every now and then one or the So
called ocean greyhounds clips an
other hour OF the existing record for
passage between here and foreign
ports The steamship company own
ing the new record breaker shouts the
news from continent 10 continent
Much is made of 1t. and why? It's
only an hour uuicker--why make
fuss about itf But there is a great
fuss made about II. The steamship
company has spent millions in de-
cade to cut or that hour and per
haps a few minutes additional. IL Is
hailed as great world feat Pas-
sengers by the hundreds and thou
sands flock to that boat which cuts
or the hour.
The United sfasesacustonas fnspec
ton service can cat ID NOT one hour
/ hut the entire two and "a half or three
hours forming now an integral part
or an ocean voyage. The traveller
has not completed his Journey while
he In held up two or three hours at
the threshold of the country. He has
reckoned that ii will take him SO
long from London er Paris by the
R..S- -ss.t sz-s "a hnFnG
or his railroad station on these shores
liz he is detained two or three hours
ON shore Ii is part OF his voyage. Cut
of the two or three hours on shore
or ship, 1t amounts to the same thing.
The voyage is shortened. The steam
ship companies stand willing TO pay
| millions to cut the time. How many
millions would they bestow upon
| ship designer today who in one swoop'
would cut off three hours? The
! United States can afford to spend III
order to achieve the same result
/ /. IL may also be questioned whether
an American customs officer will have
the technical right to examine lug
gage on vessel flying foreign flag.
This ct course il merely or Will be
merely paragraph right in the arti-
cles of agreement which naturally
will be drawe up when the arrange
ment goes into effect. An American
mail clerk has right to seize dutiable
goods in mailed package while he
is working aboard vessel flying
/ foreign flag.
Many other little objections may be
advanced. There are people who still
find fault with certain features OF the
ocean mail service. 1t will be pointed
out that In case OF heavy storm how
can the inspectors and the passengers
get together so as to examine luggage
before the vessel reaches parta The
same thing is often the case with the
mail service. tempestuous voy-
age retards the distribution SO that
many sacks of mail have to be brought
ashore fer sorting This lis especially
so around holiday time. but no one
thinks OF saying that the sorting of
mail en- route is a failure because of
this. Remember that all luggage not
examined on ship will be examined at
once on shore as has been pointed out
In cases where dilatory passengers
have made, = ship examination isnpas4
Another probable objection ii tnat n
the system cannot be applied to every
vessel bringing Passengers luggage
into our ports, II liz an Incomplete and
useless innovation. Is the mall service
failure because IL does not cover all
Transatlantic vessels carving nassen-