Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 502, 21 January 1902 — CUSTOM HOUSE IRREGULARITIES ARE HINTED AT [ARTICLE]

CUSTOM HOUSE IRREGULARITIES ARE HINTED AT

Snspded Inspector Says Ris Mistake Was Small in Comparison. REFUSED TO RESIGH UKDER CLOUD Stir Among Members of Local Force Occasioned By Collector’s Action. Walter Doyle Allows a Chinese Steamship Employee ta Come Ashore to Buy Vegetstles for Vessel Without a Permit. Keeping Regulation Ticket as Security. i Quite a stir has been occasioned among the members of the local custom house force by the suspension of Walter Ikvyle. one of the day inspecters. Last week Collector Stackable suggested to Inspector Doyle that his resignation would be accepted, if he chose to hand it in, giving as a reason for the suggestion that Doyle had - permitted a Chinese from the steamship America Mara to come ashore without a permit, contrary to the ‘ rules and regulations of the custom house. Refused to Resign. Doyle refused to rqsign. saying that his reputation was at stake and if he handed in his resignation it would be thought that he had been guilty of intentionally identifying i himself with irregularities in the cus- , tom house service. He claimed that ; be had not been guilty of any intenj tional wrong and explained to the Collector that the Chinese w-ho had been allowed to come ashore from the America Maru on Saturday, the 1 Ilth instant, had been coming to this port in the service of the Pacific Mail and other steamship companies for the past ten or twelve years; that : he was a regular employee aboard ! the America Maru; that he was always permitted ashore to purchase vegetables and other things for the* vessel; that, notwithstanding the fact that he was supposed first to cbtain a pass from immigration Com- . u.issioner J. K. Brown, at the time | that Doyle had allowed the Chinese . 1 i to pass ashore, he had taken up the j man’s registration ticket as security, t.ot insisting on the presentation of " a pass from the Immigration Com- ‘ missioner. as. for some reason, the man did not have one and the com- ' missioner was nowhere around, nor w as there any one else near at hand ! connected with the customs or immi- ! gration departments with whom he ' might consult in the matter Doyle 1 said that he was in charge of the gangway at the time and was not j able to leave his post to communicate with the department. Was Always Allowed Ashore. Doyle told th® Collector that he was not aware that any was * being done, since he held the registration ticket of the Chinese as se- I nirity and the man had invariably been allowed ashore every time he came to this port. He was known by every person in the employ of the custom house and the immigrv lion bureau. The Chinese had return cd to the ship and. to the best of j Doyle’s knowledge and belief, is now aboard the vessel. Collector Stackable informed Doyle ' that if he did net choose to tender t is resignation, his suspension would follow immediately. Doyle refused a to resign under a cloud and the Col- , lector suspended him. subject to the t approval of the Treasury Department. Doyle Retains Counsel. Inspector IX>yle at once retained ; Attorney F. M Br oks and drafted ' an answer to the charge brought . against h’m, to forward to Washington The charge of the Collector and f Doyle’s answer were mailed to the Secretary of the Treasury in th® 1 China whi.-h »eft for the C-.ast ye.- a terday. t On Saturday Doyle secured a good s position elsewhere and is at present „ not connected with the customs service. ' j, Doyle states that his suspension from the customs service is not due 1 to the fact that he permitted a Chi nose to come ashore from the American Maru without a permit from Immigration Commissioner J K Brown, bnt that it is du- to spite and ! preiudi e on the part of the Collector t "The mistake of which i was goil- •

ty.” said Doyle. “L» a very, very smal affair cm pared with the glaring it regularities which ara continual!: noth - able on the waterfront.” Collector Stackable rei-ised thave anything to say m the matter except that he was in duty bound tc . earry - out the rules and regulation* of the service. Will Wait Developments, "Just because I have been suspend •d." -aid Walter Doyle yesterday. "I . -bail not necessarily take advantage *>f t:i*- opportunity of telling ale? ou: of school. ! feel that h .? a mean ' busia • . howo-.i r. uri tea; a j psi- t. is the uip\: result of prejudice. My mstake was an unintentional c.ne at-j no resulted. If I wanted to be vindicated l might relate a few things whi--u were not unint -ntionai. "1 was asked to resign an refused to do so under a cloud." I wit] i.ot have it said that I resigned my pcs'tion on the qnbt It might then bethought that 1 had been * ngag' j ( n some peculiar business oo the waterfront. People will hear that I have been suspended for allowing a Chinese to pass ashore from a steamship without the regular pass. Nut being tamiiiar with the conditions, many people might be led to suppose that 1 had accepted money from the Chinese to allow him to land. Natural ly. since I am accused of a breach i of the rules, and since I have been guilty of a technical error. 1 am anx- , ious that ray friends as well as people generally should be acquainted with the facts. I can do nothing but answer the charge made and await uevelopmt nts." Promoted to Day Force. Walter Doyle has been in the local - t ustoms service for about two years, commencing as an inspector on the] ' night force. It was not long ago that he was promoted to the day force. ■ now and then, as is the custom with men on the day force, being captain of the night watch. Doyle has made one or two important captures of opium and has been the cause of the arrest of numerous persons who have at times attempted to interfere with < ustom house officers while in the discharge of thtir duties. Members of the customs force, - with whom he has always been popular, deeply regret that flut. Collector should have deemed it necessary to .-uspend Doyle for his first technical error.