Imperial Valley press., 1921-10-13
REGULATION
At BORDER
CROSSING
WORSE
Drivers of Autos Must Now
Enter Details of Car and
Business in Book in Gus
toms Office.

Following a lull in the proceedings
owing to the exhausting of the sup
ply of registration cards in the Calex-
leo office and also in San Diego,
Deputy Collector Brown, of the Ca
lexico customs house, is putting into
effect an order that is still more bur-
densome than the cards, says the Ca
lexico Chronicle.
Books have been supplied and each
automobile passing the border into
Mexico will have to stop. the driver
go in and register his name, date,
ear number, etc., and the time. Then
he can go on but on his return he
must go through the same nonsen-
steal performance and register the
time of his return and possibly all
the other information so that his
car may be identified.
Collector Brown is apparently act
ing on definite orders no matter
what impression the collectors office
may give out and the letter received
by the Chamber of Commerce Satur-
day, held out no promise of any re-
lief nor did it indicate that the local
collector could use his judgment and
to pass without stopping.
AS stated Saturday the Chamber of
Commerce has been working tooth
and nail to get the burdensome order
set aside and while nothing has been
accomplished thus, far and probably
will not be for a few days, the ma
chinery at Washington, was set in mo-
ton yesterday when Chairman Hic-
kox of the Republican county central
committee, was appealed to and he at
once took active and vigorous steps
in behalf Of the Valley and Calexico.
He has already laid the matter be-,
fore Senator Shortridge by wire and
is still at work.
K. G. Goree, director of the Ca
lexico Chamber of Commerce called
on Collector Spriggs Monday with
strong protest and while pleasantly
received, his interview with the col
lector and Special Deputy Woolman,
was fruitless so far as real relief is
concerned and brought no results.
The officials of the chamber then
got in touch with powerful influences
in Los Angeles, including the Los
Angeles Chamber of Commerce and
started work from that direction as
well as with Congressman Phil d.
Swing, who is familiar with condi-
tions here and who will give his
strongest support to the movement to
have set aside the rulings that have
become so annoying to the business
interests and which promise still fur
ther embarrassment and annoyance.
The secretary of the Chamber of
| Commerce made the following state
ment: "The recent digging up of an
old and heretofore disregarded regu-
lation, which on the face of it re-
qulres peculiar construction to
make it fit the present order based
Ton it, is an absolute absurdity and
serves no good purpose. It is re-
ported that one reason is an effort TO
prevent the smuggling in of whisky
and drugs. This is so ridiculous on
the face of it with thirty or foriy
miles OF border protected only by two
inspectors and offering a Thousand
places where whisky and drugs could
be brought across with little chance
or being intercepted, that is no rea.
son or justification at all. Preeau-
ition at the port of entry may protect
the border in the opinion Of swivel
lchair official at Washington or some
other point, but will be of no effect
IN practice. Then comes another tale
that there are so manv automobiles
stolen and run across the border that
they are registering them in order to
protect automobile owners. This.
too, is fallacious and is a reflection
on the Officials of Mexicali who have
turned ever scores of articles stolsa
| fr.A.,Y - 90