Kishi v. The British Steamship "Willesden."

4 D. Haw. 407
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedDecember 22, 1913
StatusPublished

This text of 4 D. Haw. 407 (Kishi v. The British Steamship "Willesden.") is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kishi v. The British Steamship "Willesden.", 4 D. Haw. 407 (D. Haw. 1913).

Opinion

Clemons, J.

This is. a libel in rem against the steamship Willesden, a foreign vessel, to recover compensation for meals alleged to have been furnished to its passengers, alien immigrants, at the port of Honolulu, pending their examination by the United States immigration inspector as to their admission into the country. Two causes of action are stated, one in the nature of a quantum meruit in assumpsit, 'based on the furnishing of meals to these passengers at the request “of the agents and servants of said ship acting for and on behalf of the owner thereof,” and the other based on an obligation implied by law by virtue of rule 26 of the rules pertaining to immigration, which provides that “owners, masters, agents, and consignees of vessels bringing aliens shall pay all expenses [including maintenance] incident to or involved in their removal from the vessel or their detention . . . irrespective of whether the aliens removed or detained are subsequently admitted or deported.” Bureau of Immigration, Rules of Nov. 15, 1911, 3d ed., pp. 40-41. The first cause of action alleges the meals to have been furnished to passengers “while detained” at the- port of Honolulu, for the purpose of examination as to their “eligibility to admission” into the country “and until admitted,” but does not state just where these meals were furnished, whether on board of the vessel or ashore. The second cause of action is for meals furnished at the immigration station at Honolulu where the passengers had been “temporarily removed for examination,” during which examination these meals were furnished at “the price privileged to be charged” and “under the direction of the inspector in charge of the port,” by the libelant as holder of a special license to furnish meals there.

As, under both causes of action, the meals for which compensation is sought, are alleged to have been furnished between December 22d, 1911, and February 12th, 1912, and as the same bill of particulars of meals furnished, Exhibit [409]*409“A” of the libel, is given for both causes of action, the inference is warranted that the same meals are the subject of the two causes of action, and that, as alleged under the second cause of action, they were all furnished at the immigration station where the passengers had been “temporarily removed for examination.” Also, the meaning is plain, under the allegations of the first cause -of action, that these passengers were finally admitted. Such pleading, the allegation of facts by indirection, is not to be encouraged, but, as no objections are raised against it, the libel is read, for the purposes of the decision, according to its obvious, though implied, intent.

The claimant's exceptions to the libel raise the following points:

1. The want of showing that the. passengers were brought to the United States on the steamship Willesden in violation of law or that any of the passengers were not legally eligible or entitled to enter the United States.
2. The want of a law or of a valid rule or regulation requiring the cost of maintenance of alien immigrants not brought here in violation of .law, pending their examination as to eligibilty to enter the country, to be borne by the vessel's owner or to be borne by or made a charge against the vessel, or giving a lien upon the vessel or a right to proceed against her in rem.
3. The want of specification by name, description, or identification of the persons brought by said vessel in violation of law or not entitled to enter, for whose maintenance' the libelant has any claim or lien against the vessel.
4. The want of showing that the meals were furnished to-said vessel or for its account, use or benefit, or that they were necessary to or for said vessel;
5. Or that they were furnished by reason of any request, direction or authority of the owner or of any person having authority to request, direct, or agree for the same in his behalf.
6. The showing by the second cause of action that the meals were furnished at the special instance and request [410]*410of the inspector in charge of immigration, irrespective of and without any authority of or direction by the owner, master, or any agent of the vessel, and that the meals were not furnished on the credit of the owner, master, or vessel.
7. Inconsistency, duplicity, and multifariousness, in that the two causes of action are separately set forth, each inconsistent with and independent of the other, and based upon different grounds.
8. Defect of parties respondent, in failure to name or join the owner as respondent, without jurisdiction over whom (not here acquired) the court cannot proceed and cannot make any valid decree of condemnation against the vessel or other property of the owner.
9. Failure to state a cause of action within the court’s jurisdiction.

[la] The first two points constitute the claimant’s main contention as to the second cause of action, which is- that the Immigration Act (34 Stat. 898, am. 36 Stat. 263) provides only for maintenance of passengers by the owner of the vessel in case of “aliens brought to this country in violation of law” (sec.’ 19), and that any rule of the Department of Labor charging the vessel with maintenance of passengers not brought, here in violation of law, is invalid. The same point was made in the parallel case of United States v. Holland American Line, 205 Fed. 943, 946, in the southern district of New York [affirmed, 212 Fed. 116], and the decision of Judge Mayer ruled against the ship-owner’s liability, after a discussion so thorough and satisfactory, that it is unnecessary to go over the same ground again here. The principle of expressio unius, exclusio alterius, justifies his construction of the statute.

“The act of 1907 specifies with great care the cases of instances which impose obligations or penalties upon the steamship companies. This, section 19 provides that all aliens brought to this country fin violation of law’ shall be deported on the vessel bringing them and that the cost of their maintenance while on land as well as the expense of the return of such aliens, shall be borne by the owner of [411]*411the vessel. The act will be searched in vain for any provision which imposes expense upon the owners of vessels where there has not been neglect or. a violation of law.” Id., 946.

[2] And, further, the legislative will being so construed, it may not be set aside by a rule or regulation of an executive department of government. See United States v. Two Hundred Barrels of Whiskey, 95 U. S. 571, 576, in which it is held in regard to departmental regulations: “They may aid in carrying the law as it exists into execution, but they cannot change its positive provisions,” — “the law as it exists” being, of course, the law not only as plainly written, but as, perhaps, less plainly construed. Especially is this so when a. penalty is involved, as is in effect the case here. United States v. One Package of Distilled Spirits, 68 Fed. 856, 858; United States v. Three Barrels of Whiskey, 77 Fed. 963, 965. See, also, United States v. Hemet, 156 Fed. 285, 287-288; In re Kornmehl, 87 Fed. 314.

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Bluebook (online)
4 D. Haw. 407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kishi-v-the-british-steamship-willesden-hid-1913.