Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-11-28
FRANKLIN PUTS
BLAME ON E.LSASS
Freight owners
Australian Consignees Never
Sent Invoices or Had Goods
Entered, He Says

able cargo discharged from the former
| German steamer Elsass is entirely
| due to the failure of the Australian
| consignees to send their bills OF lad-
| ing and invoices here and have tie
| goods entered in the United States
for sale, or for export.
This, in effect, is how the customs
| officials answer the reported COM
| plant of Charles M. Terry, an Amer
| lean citizen, but resident of Sydney,
Australia, regarding the failure to
| have the cargo sent to those TO Whoh
| it was consigned.
Some of the Australian firms to
whom the cargo was consigned have
| already either entered their goods
here and paid their duty or had them
disposed of by local representatives.
E. o. Hall & Son have sold some of
| the cargo, mostly cement. About
| three-fourths of the total cargo has
been taken from the customs ware
| house in this manner.
AS to the complaint about the way
! the cargo vas stored. Il is explained
| that it is mostly rough goods such
as brick, steel, cement, wire, pianos
and some drygoods.
Naturally, the goods are not in as
good condition as they were three
years ago when shipped FROM Ger
! many to Australia.
The charge that $3.50 per month is
| being paid for the Iwilei warehouse.
| In which the goods are stored, is pre-,
posterous, says Collector NJ. A.
| Franklin.
81 myself made the arrangements
| with E. P. Fogarty for the construc
ton OF the IwIlei warehouses. after
bids for warehouse space had been
asked. The cheapest bid received was
35 cents a ton. Then Mr.. Fogarty
agreed to erect a warehouse in which
the Elsass cargo could be stored for
rental of $3.50 a month. This
amounts to about 10 cents a ton and
the United States government charge
for storing unclaimed goods is so
cents a month, which the Australian
firms will have, to pay if they take
out the goods, the income from the
warehouse going to the government"
says the collector.
The reason that a warehouse had
to be rented was that the govern
ment had none available when the FL
sass cargo was ordered discharged
here.
Chamber Discusses Matter
At a meeting of directors Of the
Chamber of Commerce yesterday morn
ing the, Elsass cargo matter was dis
cussed and it was decided to bring the
matter before a general meeting of
the entire chamber where its attitude
on big questions of this kind will be
sought.
The report of the committee on mari
time affairs of the Chamber of Com
merce, said, in part:
Upon the discharge of the general
cargo on Pier 16, it was found to be in
perfect order, and all sorted out as to
marks, as is customary However,
there were no manifest or shipping
papers to identify in any way the own
ers of the cargo, nor any one here at
the time representing them. After be-
ing discharged on the dock, there be-
ing no one to take delivery Of the
cargo or to arrange for it's tranship-
ment to any other port, it eventually
came into the class of unclaimed
freight under the jurisdiction of the
u. S. customs authorities, which, I'M
der ordinary circumstances, would be
forfeited to the United States govern
ment. The shipment was therefore
taken over by the collector of customs
and delivered to special warehouse
for storage, located at Iwilei. At the
time warehouse space was at pre-
MUM, and it was necessary to arrange
for the construction of a special ware
house to receive the shipment.
"In connection with this particular
shipment, notwithstanding that it is
in the class of unclaimed freight, the
collector of customs here has received
directions from the treasury depart
ment at Washington to allow the own
ers to make application for the deliv-
cry of the cargo upon presentation OF
the necessary shipping documents, and
if desired for delivery here, upon prop
er entry thereof as required by law,
and upon the payment of all charges
including duty, storage, drayage, ETC.
IN the natter of the responsibility
TOT the cargo DelnS mere dC Ine port
of Honolulu necessitating extraordin
airy charges against the same at the
expense of the owners thereof, we
feel that this is condition brought
about entirely on account of the state
of war existing between the United
States and Germany, and the ordering
of the Elsass was a usual procedure
under the circumstances. 1t was the
sfortune Of the owners in having
their cargo aboard German vessel.
1t was also a matter of regret, per
haps, that the cargo was not handled
in more satisfactory manner in be-
ing placed in storage.
IF there is any. relief due to the
owners of this cargo. it occurs to US
that this is a matter that might more
properly be taken up with the United
States government through the prop
er diplomatic representatives of and
owners of the cargo, and not through
the Chamber of Commerce. We have
to recommend, therefore, that the
Chamber of Commerce take no action