An Act Authorizing the Collector of Customs of the Islands to Select a Responsible Person or Company, of Good Character, to Land Passengers and Their Baggage from Incoming Ships

September 5, 1901

ACT NO. 219

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS OF THE ISLANDS TO SELECT A RESPONSIBLE PERSON OR COMPANY, OF GOOD CHARACTER, TO LAND PASSENGERS AND THEIR BAGGAGE FROM INCOMING SHIPS

SECTION 1. The Collector of Customs of the Islands and of the chief port is hereby authorized to select a person to do all the business of landing for hire at the port of Manila from incoming ships, passengers and baggage at reasonable rates, and to issue an exclusive license authorizing such traffic to the person so selected for the period of one year.

SECTION 2. The person shall be selected after the Collector of Customs shall have advertised for bids of the prices at which the work of landing will be done, the bids to cover the cost of landing passengers per person and luggage per piece, large and small. The person offering to do the work at the lowest prices, who shall be, in the opinion of the Collector, of good character and responsible, shall be selected. The person so selected shall, before entering upon the discharge of his duties, enter into a bond to the Philippine Government for the benefit of whom it may concern, that he will acquire a sufficient equipment of launches and other means of conveniently landing passengers and baggage, that he will land all the passengers and all the baggage required during the entire year following the execution of the bond, and that he will promptly pay all losses of baggage or other property accruing to the passengers through negligence in performing the contract, the amount and liability therefor to be finally determined by the Collector of Customs: Provided, That nothing herein shall exclude the right of passengers to recover for personal injury in the ordinary tribunals. The amount of the bond shall be fixed by the Collector, and the sufficiency thereof shall be approved by him.

SECTION 3. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the landing of passengers and baggage gratuitously, the intent of this Act being to limit the business for hire of landing passengers and baggage to the person selected in accordance with this Act. The word "person" used in this Act shall be held to include firm or company.

SECTION 4. The Collector of Customs shall have complete supervision over the execution of the contract, shall make reasonable regulations in regard thereto, and shall have the power upon breach of the contract or regulations to revoke the license before the expiration of the contract, and award a new contract to another person in accordance with section two.

SECTION 5. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on its passage.

ENACTED, September 5, 1901.