The San Francisco call., 1899-04-12

He then exhibited paper signed by sew
eral brokers for Chinese in the following
language as near as Mr.. Schaertzer was
able to remember:
We, the undersigned, hereby agree that the
following prices shall prevail in the matter of
obtaining duplicate registration certificates for
Chinese For preparing papers, $40; for search
ing for papers where the number is given $40;
total, $40. For preparing papers where the
number is not given, $40; for searching for pa
pers where the number is not given, SIS; total,
extra time is required to ascertain the number
a proDortionate amount will be charged for
services
The lawyer decided that he was up
against a skin game. He turned to Wait
and fatty refused to be bled even to the
extent of nickel. He then went to his
ofhce, whittier he was followed by the
persistent Wait
How much are you getting for this?"
your business replied Mr. Schaertzer.
Il am getting more than the price named
in your schedule, but l don't propose to
give you dollar"
Then Wait, glancing at the number of
the Chinamans certificate, said that the
number was incorrect and that the name
had not been rightly given. Having thus
raised the proper feeling of alarm Wait
fired another shaft which he expected
would find the mark.
Collector Lynch will not allow any,
body else but me in that vault to handle
the certificates, and he is willing that |
should collect something for my
trouble"
The lawyer fatty refused to enter into
negotiations with the favorite of Col
lector Lynch, and the interview termi-
mated.
An hour later Collector Lynch was
asked whether he made any charge for
issuing duplicate certificates of registra-
tion or whether he had authorized any
one to issue them for a fee. Mr. Lynch
replied that there was no charge for tba
dnDlip1tp hp
lied any one to make any charge for the
service. When told that Wait had been
acting as an agent for the issuance of
duplicates and had represented that he
had exclusive privileges in handling the
papers, Mr.. Lynch, with a show of indig-
nation, said that he would bar Wait from
aware that he, the eX-indeXer, had been
making money out of the revenue office
In the next breath Mr.. Lynch said tnat
Wait was poor man, and that he had
assisted lawyers and others i'm getting
out the duplicates. and ne Oynch) had
not desired to stand in the way of the
old man making living, but he did not
indorse Waits making a charge for his
services: The inference was drawn from
the Collectors remarks that Wait had
oeen receiving a gratuity voluntarily be-
slowed by the lawyers and brokers
whom wait had assisted by his knowl-
edge OF the Chinese certificates and the
method OF picking them out
won let him in my office any
more" said Mr.. Lynch. Then he pro
ceeded to tell that only a few days be-
fore he himself had gone to the bindery
Tor Chinaman who was in a hurry to
leave the city and had got a duplicate
Tor him-Just to accommodate the China
man.
Deputy Frick remarked that that man
Wait had bothered him a good deal, and
ne wished that he could be kept out of
the office.
About a year ago, before Wait and an
other man had been EMPLOYED to index
the certificates, The Call learned that
some clerks in Collector Lynch's office
had been charging or receiving fees of
80 each for finding certificates and issu-
ing duplicates. One of these clerks was
said to be Dillard, the colored messen-
.eX-Collector Welburn. 1t was reported
that billiard used to work overtime in
getting out duplicates, and that he was
paid by the brokers for his trouble, but
billiard denied that he ever received a
cent The Calls expose at that time
drew the attention of the Secretary of
the Treasury to the matter, with the re-
suit that an appropriation was made for
the purpose of having the certificates in
dexed so that duplicates could be issued
of the certificates have been indeXed, and
they have been arranged and bound ac-
cording to their numbers, so that a GER
tificate can be found by its number in
not more than two minutes.
In the meantime Schaertzers client
must postpone his trip to the salmon
fisheries of Alaska until the binding job
is finished and he can get his duplicate
which will be some time next week. The
present exposure win have the effect of
from $50 to Si0 there being no necessity
for continuing the $40 fee to Mr.. Wait
faffO do cITif ,Ia