The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-08-25
INDIA RUBBER SALARIES.
REMIRKiBLE EL1sTICTTY OF Gus
TOM-HOtSE S1IPENDS.


Iicv ChicfCicrk Makes n salary ofs9,5OO
worth s2J, OOO-Operations Of the sharks
Shaving Pay Rolls at 10 per Cent. n
Month t'ctting salary Three Times
over for single Month -specuIatinR in
Seizure Ciaims-The Auditors Opinion Of
such Transactions.
Mr. Francis b. Ogden is Young nayied man,
Of q ,oMs. or ihereabouts, somewhat inclined TO
rapidly II style in lis living and surroundings, In
,oylng an expenditure considerably exceeding
l.ssircnd Of t2t00, generously accorded him by
tie Government, for acting A. chief clerk Of his
father, the Hon. Samuel q. Ogden, Auditor Of the
Custom House. Frank resides at Flushing, L. l.,
where he has hitherto kept up stunning establish.
nent. with flno horses and elegant carriages in
which to air himself when relieved from the cares
md pcrplcxtes OF his Official duties. The common
llrons OF young In receipt Of salaries equal to
that Of Young Ogden, were greatly perplcxed to
know how he managed to support
so Much DISPLAY on so SMALL AN INCOME.
But the mystery was partly explained by Frank
casual remark to a certain Custom House broker,
that his place worth $4,000 year to him. And
tits is the way in which salaricd position in the
New York Custom House Of $4,000 year is made
worth s25OO 20 the incumbent
There are q set OF sharks about the Custom House
pfcorNriNG OFFICIAL FAY ROLLS.
II ari,ky business /, ia true. az sometimes the
ofhcia loses his head before the maturity oil his pay
roll, In which the party who has made advances
on it loses his money. And again, the Government
does not recognize as valid the assignment OF a pay
roll, and, in the Official chooses to be tricky
after assigning his roll TO broker and receiving the
money on 1t from that source, less the usual dis
count OF ten per cent Per month, he may, when his
pay is due, demand It in person at the Custom
House, and leave the broker to whistle for IT, To
guard asunst these and other accidents the brokers
engaged in this business find IL convenient 10 have
SILENT PARTNER IN THE CUSTOM HOUSE
to look after their interests. The regular way OF
getting pay is to make up pay roll which Is check.
ed by number OF higher officials in the Surveyors
Naval Officers, and Collectors Offices and Is finally
deposited, with oath to its correctness and that
1t has not been assigned to any other person, with
the chief clerk OF the Auditors oGice. This chief
clerk then draws up check on the Assistant Treas
urcr for the amount due which is presented 10 the
Auditor for his signature. and the payee then draws
his money at tue sub-Trcasury Thus the Auditors
chlei cIetk becomes valuable ally TO the sharks
draw 81, p pa ne E rG No Scsr can
age II an ofcial presents himself for payment who
hss assigned bis ron to a friend OF the chief clerk,
While that iuneiionary cannot withhold bis pay he
can delay II until the assignee is notified and az.
pears to protect bis own interests. o; course such
services are valuable TO the brokers' and should moi
60 untewarded. Here, then, is one Of the means
~ which salary Of S2,500 is eked out to Gas OO0
THE MUTUAL BENEFIT SERVICE.
Another Of the facilities enjoyed by the Auditors
elhci clerk grows out Of this same demoraliEng
he AUDITORS chief clerk. They find IL to their ad.
vantage to respect him. Indeed, so close are their
Ielstions TO him that they dare not refuse him
favor. Il seems that Frank Ogden has been in the
unfortunate position OF frequently wanting the iavors
OF these 10 per cent amonth sharks and nom AZ ac-
counts, has received them freely and duphcately.
Ihat Is 10 say! he has been In the habit according to
the accounts Of the now indignant brokers, OF ore.
senting hi own pay roll to them for discount; and
not content with having IL discouu ted by one Ias
duplicated IL and had II discounted Tor the same
monih by more than one broker; and, finally, has
gone back on all Of them, drawing his pay himself
and leaving the friendly financial assistants In the
i inrch rms Is good way OF getting paid two and
thfee ilmes over, and materially assists 10 stretch
Ing S2,5OO per year out to $4,000.
IAPLcuSlosITY OF CUSTOM HOUSE OFFICERS,
Bat smother opportunity that seems to have been
u'lg'nuy Improved by Chief Clerk Ogden wus
NOR OF speculative nature. and possibly more re-
mlneratiye. The lower offeials In the Custom
House seem 10 be generally afflicted with impeeuni-
S'iy' Clerks, inspectors, night watehmen. and in
always just little short OF funds. Tie consequence
u thty no sooner discover pfospect.of receiving
something substantial. than they immediately set 10
work Negotiating a loan or sale Of the prospect
Thus, II an officer makes a scizure-and seizures,
bis or little, are made daiiy-he at once seeks to
discount MS interest In the proceeds. The value Of
his prospective Interest H. OF course, mere matter
OF estimate, contingent upon the expenses to be in
seized, aud the delay that occur in realizing on
u. but the final distribution OF the proceeds Of
hence the advantage enjoyed by tue chief clerk Of
tha ONCE IA specializing In this class OF claims and
thus again stretching his t25O Ger annum out
toward the more elegant sum OF $4,000.
sPEcuLATISG IN SEIZURE CLAIMS
When the chief clerk or any other inside man
becomes loaded With these ventures, he proceeds
as Frank DID, to the brokers, who take them on his
hands II hal r4'es. That is, the broker charges
Frank but hslf TIE percentage he charges original
G I re process is simply this An
i,n makes seizure OF twenty THOUSAND
s2VO. Allowing atty per cent for expenses OF
condemnation, The seizure is estimated TO be worth
Offering this prospective claim for discount or sale,
W. broker or purchaser will offer but about one
So S he might osr Or ." ,ns slslm sup
time nat { Is calculated viii siapss before The
sells out at the FIRST offer. and pockets his money.
now TO GET PAID TWICE FOR rHB SANE THING.
1t seems that Frank Ogden has recently rot over
loaded With this cass OF claims, and resorted to his
friends, the brokers, TO aid him in carrying them.
lie did not propose 10 sell them, but merely wanted
10 raise money on them, The brokers were ready
20 oblige him, aud advanced him various sums,
amounting IN the aggregate to 10000 or 1900 his
pledge Of his interest In the claims he agreeing TO
~ five per cent, month for the use OF tile money
nntil HE payments became due, when Il appeared
lht enterprlsng chief clerk had collected and re-
teived the seizure money and appropriated II TO his
own use utterly forgetting 10 reimburse the brokers
who lad made advances to him upon them. Thus
Inc claims were made 10 do double duty, and repre-
sent very respectable portion OF the $4,000 TO
winch salary OF t2rJOO was stretched.
BONE OF TIE VICTIMS or MISPLACED CONFIDENCE
Down In Wall street, Broad street, Exchange
pace, and other localities in the neighborhoOd oil
Tue Custom House there are now to be seen numeT.
"
the ,ad fall OF The chief clerk Of the Auditors Oicc.
md retain sundrY evidences Of the confidence they
pnce reposed In him. Among the bitten are T. X.
M'nship q Co, OF 81 Broad street, tS0O; Is, c.
MOdilon, S2t5, borrowed money Maltbie i Co., ~
brusd street, Hypothetical pay rolls seizure claims
Md borrowed money part adjusted by seizure OF
yOrng Ogdens horses and carriage), t2,O00: Wilcox
q White. tOO or 800, seizure claims: C. X. Law
renee, borroAed money $3.50; - Fulton, an ap-
pHcAnt Tor onlce, rom Maine, o. 800 In claims and
boroNCd money - Wells, a broker, anO unit IN
khCWni ana sundrY other parties.
fORcIsG 4 SETTLEMENT.
Messrs. Mabe d Co. Immediately on discovering
mat they had been outNitted ny the Chief clerk fol-
lowed him to Flushing aud demanded nm immediate
settlement OF their clalms, which Frank admitted
his inability to make. They threatened MIN win
nTCst and Imprisonment II lie did not at once REIN.
burso them, but II was all OF 10 use The money
had been received and spent, and there was none
tie representative OF the firm OF Multhie ~ Co dc,
IA W fln uiF - Enavt