But other causes had long been at work to render necessary a revision of the laws relating to passenger ships. The rate of passage being generally higher from Ireland than from Liverpool, on account of the difficulty of procuring cargo, most of the Irish emigrants were shipped on the decks of the coasting steamers to that port; thence, they either secured their passage through the Irish agents of the Liverpool brokers, or they found their way to that port at their own expense, and procured tickets for themselves. Others again, for they were nearly all of the very poorest class of persons, many of them having no means whatever after their passage and their little outfit were paid, acted on orders sent home from New York, their passage-money having been prepaid by their friends or relations in America. [Sidenote: Frauds practised on emigrants.] In the first case, instances occurred where emigrants had paid their passage-money, or a part of it, to unauthorized or insolvent parties, and, on arriving at Liverpool, found no ship, nor any broker liable for the passage. In the case of orders remitted from America, the emigrant was of course liable to a similar fraud, with the additional aggravation that, the offence having been committed in a foreign country, there was no chance of obtaining redress for the sufferer or of punishment to the offender. When, however, Irish emigration became so important, and such large sums were remitted from settlers in America, the business became more systematic and fell into more respectable hands. [Sidenote: Runners and crimps.] The moment, however, the emigrant set foot on the quay at Liverpool he was beset by a crowd of runners and crimps, one of whom seized his baggage and carried it to the lodging-house in the interest of which he was acting. This runner, besides plundering the emigrant to the extent, at least, of exorbitant charges for lodgings, received 7½ per cent. on the passage-money from the passenger broker; and, indeed, at one time, obtained this without any communication with the passenger. Although a clause in a previous Act[152] had been inserted to check so great an extortion, the system proved stronger than the law; and, notwithstanding further steps were taken to remedy this evil, the percentage was still demanded and paid, though the service was performed without authority. The passenger broker reimbursed himself for this tax by charging the exorbitant commission of 12½ per cent. against the charterer or shipowner; the charge ultimately falling upon the emigrant in the shape of an increased rate of passage. The emigrant was further persuaded by the runner that it was necessary to lay in a stock of provisions for the voyage, together with other purchases, on all which the runner got a percentage. Great frauds were also perpetrated in “dollaring,” that is, in exchanging money, in which the emigrant was robbed at least 20 per cent. [Sidenote: Remedies proposed.]