408 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



inclosure with the panels you see and also rig sorting tables. One of our 

 men keeps the gate and all hand baggage, suit cases, trunks and parcels 

 that have been in the cabins during the voyage are opened and examined, 

 the red tag of the quarantine service is attached, and this must be in 

 evidence and submitted to cancellation before the gateman will pass it 

 out. The trunks that have been in the hold of the ship throughout the 

 voyage are not searched as a rule. However, there have been several 

 instances in which we had reasons to believe that attempts had been 

 made to pass on shore baggage that had been in constant use in the 

 cabins, together with that which had been in the hold the entire voyage. 

 In these instances every piece was searched before it left the dock. Also 

 in every instance an inspector watches the hold baggage as it comes on 

 shor.e and any boxes or packages that appear as though they might con- 

 tain articles other than clothes are promptly opened and searched. 



This searching of baggage is the weak spot in the quarantine service 

 under present conditions. It has been repeatedly shown that we have 

 no right by any law to open and search this baggage, and that in doing 

 so we are merely exercising a privilege acquired by a concession. There 

 are no commercial shipments of any of the hosts of the Mediterranean 

 fruit fly. The ship's stores can always be controlled, but the true and 

 immediate source of danger is the possibility of a passenger carrying 

 infested material to some country home. It is to be hoped that both the 

 State and Federal authorities will devise some police regulations that 

 will adequately cover this situation. 



It is but fair to state at this point that the officials of the steamship 

 companies plying directly between Honolulu and California have done 

 all in their power to co-operate with us in this matter of local passengers 

 and their baggage. 



Bananas on Deck. 



As soon as the inspection of passengers' baggage is finished the 

 inspectors commence to search the ship. Some look through all the 

 cabins to see that no contraband fruit has been left scattered around by 

 the passengers when they packed up, others search the cool rooms of the 

 ship, where the fruits and vegetables used on the tables have been stored 

 during the voyage. The picture on the screen shows that part of the 

 ship alloted as lounging room for the steerage passengers. They sit 

 around on these hatches and companion way, and from the debris we 

 find scattered around consume a great deal of fruit on the way up from 

 Honolulu. The bunches of bananas you see piled up here are covered 

 with canvas during the time the vessel is at sea, but a close examination 

 always shows a number of apple cores and orange skins, and we have 

 found mango skins collected at the bottom edges of these canvas cover- 

 ings, where the same have been pushed aside in sweeping the decks. 

 This debris is always picked up and examined, and if suspicious the 

 bunches of bananas that are anywhere near it are thoroughly examined 

 for any possible pupa of fruit flies. 



