Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-11-16
CHINESE LAUNDRYMEN.
WONG CHIN FOO Tells or rar
BUSINESS IN NEW YORK.

me Almond Eyed Journalist shows aa~
his connfrymen Are set UP rinancial,x.
The Mysteries Of the whey" or svna,.
eate4-The Laundryncn.s law.
ne question has frequently been asked
by Americans. do these Cbinana,, -
clothes III Gilman How Is IL that raarI.,
az WHO come here enter tie laundry h,.s?
nessf DO they love itg' No. thew do nnt
,ose y any more than any other kind 81
anor They did not even know what ,ba
MEXICAN mans shirt looked like much
TESS now to dress one, before thev come
70 America. Laundry work n China l.
invariably done BY women, and when 4
man steps into womans occuDat5or, ba
loses his social standing.
Iney become laundryfnen here simnlv
because there Is no other occupation ID
which they can make money as sur.Iy
ana quickly The prejudice against the
race has much To do with it. They are
me cooks. neat and faithful servants
ana above all. very skillful mechanics at
any trade they have a mind to try In
the western states. where their value ia
better understood. they are used IN AZ
many different positions as any other
foreigners. and the laundry business Is
occupied only by those who fail to find
other employment
NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE
But here in New York as yet there is
no other alternative Many en- able
Iinoed man as well as slsillful mechanic
who came to America to better his couai.
ton may be found WELDING the polishing
irons In a New York Chinese laundry
II takes from seyenty-fve dollars to two
hundred dollars 20 start one of these
chinese wash houses. and the way most
n these laundries are started would give
faluable tips even to an American Wall
street deacon The main expenditure In
a Chinese laundry is stove and trouph
for washing. and partitions for dry room
aud sleeping apartment. and sign.
AS rule. it requires 800 to open a
laundry in New York But this amount
Is fortune to a newly arrived China
man. and unless he starts immediately
into the laundry business. he would be-
come burden tc some Of his friends.
The Chinese immigrant, unlike his Euro.
pean compatriots. never comes here unless
he Is safely surrounded by friends or
relatives upon his arrival These irnme-
diately initiate him into the mysteries of
the laundry business. In some friendly
laundry the newcomer is placed under a
six months apprenticeship. beginning at
the wash tub, until he reaches the ironing
table. and lastly the polishing board.
These apprentices BEGIN with So per week
and board. and q gradual addition of 81
per week after the first months. until they
are able to take chargeof laundry them
selves Then if he has money he hires q
place and hangs out his sign If not. he
goes to one or two friends, and they will
call whey" or syndicate for his benefit
in the following manner
MYsTERIEs OF THE WHEY
Suppose have al established laundry,
and want to borrow $500 at certain per
centIm premium. bnt | cannot find any
one Ghinaman who is able to loan me the
amount. | put up a notice in Mott
street that upon such and such a day
wish tn make whey" of twenty men,
who all are supposed to be situated like
myself, each wanting to borrow $500.
u hen We twenty borrowers all come to-
gether we each put down $40. Then each
one secretly writes upon slip of paper
the amount of interest he is willing 70
give to get the $500 These slips are
carefully sealed and thrown into q bowl
at given time they are opened, and to
the highest bidder goes the $500, less the
interest, which is invariably deducted
Immediately from the principal
Frequently as high as S4 is offered for
the use of $40 for q single month. In
such cases each of the nineteen other Dor
rowers gives to tie lucky one only 81
apiece for the SO apiece which they
make him pay next month. Then the
next highest bidder gets the $500. less
the interest he offered, and SO on, until
the entira twenty, az twenty different
times, have obtained the use of this 5000
but the one that comes the last. having
offered the least interest of them all
reaps the harvest of the whey" Thii
method is adopted by most Chinese laun
drymen iii New York and other largs
cities to open new laun6ries. 1t partake:
of the gaming flavor which is captivating
to every true Celestial
No ChInaman can transfer his place o.
business into the hands of another with
| out at least thirty days notice in China
town. on Mott street, and the buyer i:
not required to pay him more than hal
OF the purchase money until the lega
thirty days are past This is the laun
drymen's law, made four years ago II
this city, to prevent a laundryman from
absconding from his creditors. Upon th'
completion of the thirty days creditor:
and debtors must meet at the transferred
laundry, and when all of the old debt'
are hquidated clear title of the laundr!
is given to the new owner.-Wong Chin
Foo in The Cosmopolitan.