‘It would be most helpful if all carriers were to cooperate in bring - 
ing plainly and repeatedly to the attention of the traveling public the 
rules against prohibited articles. On the part of the Department of Agri- 
culture, I urge prominent display at ports of signs in principal languages 
calling attention to the penalties involved for unauthorized entries and a 
continuing exploration of every possible means of facilitating passenger 
movement,’ 
A few of the devices for catching the public eye and ear that have 
proved successful are cited in the following paragraphs. 
An Agricultural Research Service motion picture, ‘‘The Hidden 
Menace,’’ is a story of the tremendous hazard of stowaway agricultural 
pests. It is a 22-minute color film, available to transportation agencies, 
military services, television stations, and other interested groups. 
Prints of this film have been deposited inthe Department film libraries 
in all States for lending. These libraries are usually located at a land- 
grant college or university in a State. The film is being shown during 
voyages on 50 troop ships and passenger liners, including liners of foreign 
registry. It is shown weekly at some Honolulu hotels. It is used in the 
training course at military bases for personnel heading for overseas duty. 
A leaflet, ‘‘Customs Hints,’’ issued by the U.S. Bureau of Customs, 
gives conspicuous notice of plant and animal quarantine regulations, and 
is widely distributed to travelers, Consular officers in foreign posts, who 
issue travel papers, are requested by the U.S. Department of State to 
bring ‘‘Customs Hints’’ to the attention of persons departing for the United 
States, 
A flier, ‘‘Why Open Every Bag?'’ issued by the Bureau of Customs 
also gives special mention to agricultural inspection. This flier was pre- 
pared for hand distribution to passengers arriving at our international 
ports, to explain the importance of baggage clearance, 
A_bright orange sticker has been designed in Hawaii to alert air 
travelers to a reversed inspection procedure--inspection of baggage on 
departure instead of arrival. The sticker is affixed to flight envelopes 
when tickets are purchased or validated at Hawaiian ticket offices. It 
reads: ‘‘ALL PASSENGERS traveling to the United States and South Pacific 
must have their baggage and parcels EXAMINED by the U. S. Agriculture 
before departure. It will expedite your check-in if, on arrival at the U.S. 
Agriculture counter, your baggage is unlocked and parcels untied.'’ 
A card notice for hotel guests, designed by a Hawaiian inspector, has 
attracted wide notice and inspired adaptation. The card on agricultural 
inspection of baggage, shown on p. 16, is placed under the glass on hotel 
room dressers and desks, through the cooperation of the Hawaiian Hotel 
Association, Following its initial use before the 1958 rush season of 
Christmas mail, there was a marked decrease in prohibited plant and 
animal material intercepted in mail leaving Hawaii, compared with 1957. 
Inspectors believed that the hotel card could be mainly credited with this 
reduction, 
15 
