Hawaii Holomua, Volume II, Number 45, 23 February 1894 Edition 02 — CORRESPONDENCE. [ARTICLE]

CORRESPONDENCE.

thv op or thf Bt;rncxH «r <wrrea7<>wieai6.} Ei>:tor Hqloxta; Jim Kanh me is Jead: his eom rade is seriously i:l fr>m the effects of the wonnds rece v*rd. while in the discbnrge f l;;s duty. It woul.l th.it C i.'t 'G'.s au thorities will have to t;«ke the r»sp *nsibility of tli< se:;ien - i: jun> > npon their own sh<m!d- r>. It w is <<wing to the 1 .ek of proj>er performance of dut.es Ih A the eo- k | of tue S. C. A ; !t-n enabled to smngg ! e his opinm asbore. There «s uo excnse f >r the want of attention on the «>irt.-f Uioee offi-

cials iu th*s e •>•.*. lt wn> known here before the arrival <•{ that ve»el th t the n«aa Casi>-« 1; d beea cangbt in S.«n Fr.«ncise<> wliiie in the act of s«nnggling opium to the v ssel for transr->rt ation to this p<>rt. Tet, in f.ioe of this knowledge proper search evidentlv w <s not «u ule or. the vessel for the c< ntr.iband stufi. It may perhaps not l>e ge ,erally kuown. bnt snc!i is the f »ct nev. rtheless that everv vessel after ti«e

! cargo is disch;\rged, is searcheil bv two Cnstoms oftic a!s bvfore j boing relieveil to the Cust >ms gnard. Thuse officia!s are sup posed to make a t!iorough search of the vessel aml report tho secret to the Pv>rt Surveyor. Being in receipt of snch information. woulil it not be natur:il for the Customs anthorities to | have cau.se»l an extra aud vigorous seurcli to have heen i made in tliis 11181:11106.' It is, evident that snch asearch was not instiiute1. The question urises, | why did the Customs officials j | !ack the necessarv diligence ou ! | tbis occasion? \'.'as it, that they 1 were aware of the desperate i naturo of the ma i C isiero. and on that acconut afruid to make a ! thorough search; or was it a i moncv consideration? It is * immaterial what the reasons are, ; but the doath of Kanhane and ] the serioits injnries t«» his eomrade unay be laid at tbo doors of the C;istoms anthorities. īt is wei! known, that 1 itterly nearly if not all of llie opium seizures have been made bv the | Poliee. It is abiiut time*that the Customs uuthorities “woke up and properly attended to their duties. The present systeui. to s iy the least, is Rottex. Observer