THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



077 



late personal tastes by enacted laws applies equally to contraband fruit 

 as otherwise. "Uncle" Joe Dwyer, the veteran inspector, courteous, 

 alert, implacable, is master of this traffic situation. By the courtesy of 

 Collector Sharp I was enabled to observe and study all the methods 

 employed in maintaining' a quarantine against the Mexican fruit fly 

 at this important port of entry. Using the drastic measures in vogue 

 at San Francisco as a standard of comparison, I came away convinced 

 and satisfied. All passenger trains are stopped, held and boarded at 

 the international line by United States Customs and Immigration 

 officers. All passengers are registered, their belongings searched, and 

 all fruit as well as all other articles of contraband confiscated. The 

 train in charge of the United States officials then proceeds to the Union 

 depot where all trunks and packages are taken into the inspection room, 

 opened and searched. 



Going into Mexico via Stanton street, traversing the principal 

 thoroughfares of Juarez and returning into El Paso, street cars run 

 on a fifteen minute schedule. I made the round trip over this route 

 several times before presenting my credentials to the United States 

 Customs officials. In each instance when the returning car reached 

 the United States boundary line it was stopped and boarded by a 

 Customs inspector, an immigration- officer and a soldier. In common 

 with all other passengers I was interrogated concerning my purchases 

 made in Mexico, compelled to open and submit their contents to inspec- 



FlG. 33 6. The international bridge at Brownsville, Texas. Federal officers 

 waiting to inspect passengers and their baggage on a train arriving from 

 Mexican points. (Original.) 



tion, and requested to stand up for a closer scrutiny. Later I associ- 

 ated myself with the inspectors stationed on these bridges, witnessed 

 their examination, not alone of the car passengers but of every person 

 coming out of Mexico. No contraband fruit is crossing the dead line 

 here. 



Eagle Pass in times of peace is also an important railroad crossing. 

 The difference of opinion at present prevailing along the border as to 



