The Register (Adelaide) Saturday 23 January, 1904.
COMPLAINT AGAINST CUSTOMS
REGULATION.
On arrival of the Adelaide Steamship
Company's steamer Yongala from Western
Australia on Thursday complaints were
made by several of the passengers that the
vessel was unduly delayed at the Semaphore
by the customs official. The master (Captain James Sim),
when seen on Friday, stated that the complaints
were well grounded. 'The boarding officer,' he said,
'was attending a sailing vessel when the
Yongala reached the anchorage, and the
steamer was kept waiting 50 minutes before
he arrived to transact the departmental
business, which consisted of his obtaining
a passenger list and signing one or two
documents - a delay of 50 minutes for a
couple of minutes' work. I would not have
objected to the delay so much, had the
officer been engaged with a mailboat or with
some urgent business on another vessel, but
seeing it was known that the Yongala was
approaching, it was most unfair for the
official to first devote attention to an
unimportant sailing ship, which would probably
be anchored there several days, and to
cause my vessel nearly an hour's detention,
to the annoyance of 50 or 60 passengers who
were anxious to get ashore. I am at a
loss to understand why the customs should
board interstate steamers at the Semaphore
at all, for in Sydney, Melbourne, and Fremantle
the practice of boarding outside the port has been
discontinued. Of course, in exceptional circumstances,
such as illness, we should signal from the roadstead
to be boarded. But at the Semaphore, although,
we are trading within the Commonwealth; and
coming from a clean port with the passengers all
in good health, we are lulled up coming in and
bailed up going out. To me it seems farcical that
such an unnecessary distinction should be made
in this state.' The boarding officer who was on
duty subsequently made an explanation.
...and subsequently boarded a barque.While
he was preparing the stores list and
sealing up stores on board, he learned of
the arrival of the Yongala, and as it was
impossible to leave his work half finished.
He completed it hurriedly, but without risking
the accuracy of his check, and then
steamed away to the Yongala— the trip
thither occupying 20 minutes. He did not
note the time, but believed that the vessel
was not delayed so long as Capt. Sim had
stated. There was more than a couple of
minutes' work on board, as there were 10
bags of mails to be transhipped to the
launch, which he had to check. In the
circumstances the Yongala, he thought, was
given every possible dispatch. The other
question as to why steamers like the
Yongala should be boarded at all outside
remains unanswered.
This report gives us an impression that the Interstate steamer service, and in particular, the Adelaide Steamship Company regarded itself above 'unimportant sailing ships' - a prestigious passage option offering luxurious, fast steamers. Keeping schedule was as important to their reputation - see previous post:
http://yongalarevisited.blogspot.co.za/2016/08/mishap-to-yongala.html
The complaint seems unreasonable and if nothing else there was the practical matter of '10 bags of mails to be transhipped to the launch' whether Yongala made port or not. The Adelaide Steamship Company was based in Adelaide and yet this was the only alleged port where ASS steamers were expected to 'endure' this process. Was there, perhaps, also an undercurrent of disenchantment with the Company ??
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| Semaphore Esplanade and Jetty C1890. Photo courtesy of State Library of South Australia B17600. |
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