New-York tribune., 1905-02-06
CROOKED AGENTS SCARED
Exposure in The Tribune Creates
lStir-Mr. Keatingls Suggestions.

discontinued their criminal practices, or at
least operated with much more caution. AL
though the opportunity of doing business on
the Sabbath is limited. the runners for disorder
" houses have not infrequently taken advan-
tage Of the day, and under the pretext OF
Quoting immigrant girls from the boarding
house agencies to places of worship, led them
into houses of i'll repute.
F. L. c. Heating, the Commissioner of
Licenses. spoke with much feeling last night to
a Tribune reporter of the manner in which he
says he IS handicapped by the present law re-
lating TO licenses. He declares that it should be
amended so as TO make it fair TO all concerned
IN the agency business.
MY idea OF the Improvement of the present
law" said the Commissioner would be to
divide il into sections TO cover the different en-
ployment agencies. for the present law cannot
cover them all equitably. For instance the
first group should be the intelligence offices pure
and simple, where servants may be hired; the
second group should cover the contract labor
department. where different receipts and DIFF
ferent scales Of refunds and fees should be used:
the third group might cover the theatrical
agencies, which should not be classed with
either Of the others, but should have q separate
clause or law recognizing them; a fourth group
should regulate the alleged educational agencies,
where governesses tutors and companions may
be obtained"
HE RECOMMENDS A CLASSIFICATION, (
The size of the fees. the tCohnmissioner con
sidered, should govern the distinction. for the
fees that q 5th-ave. agency was entitled to
charge must necessarily be larger than thosa for
cheap labor the East Side. Under the pres
ent law, he said, there distinction. '-'Ler
every agency have its own Scale of fees said
he, but they must be uniform, to the extent
that they must be printed on card in different
languages and be vised by me- and a duplicate
Of the original filed in my office. They should
ne null and void If this is not done In case of
disputes the rate Of fees charged would be
based on the printed cards, and they would
have 10 refund in conformity with the card or
be guilty of a misdemeanor"
I have important suggestion to make"
continued Mr.. Heating. There is nothing in
The law that provides for a deputy commits
sioner. II / am taken i'll everything stops
am the only one authorized TO do anything
Another weakness is the fact that I have not
the right TO refuse TO issue a license except
where one has been revoked. The greatest crirni-.
nal in Chicago for instance might come here
and. after filing his bond, demand license TO
conduct an employment agency and, although
I knew him 10 be a criminal I should be
obliged to grant his request. Again, there is
40 provision in the present law for compuIsion
Of attendance of defendants charged with yio-
lation Of the law. or Of witnesses The COM
missioner should have the power to issue sub
poenas TO compel the attendance of such per-
sons. without having to wait and get them
through the courts"
The Commissioner told of a new case that
has just been Investigated by him the result
OF which will be watched with interest when II
comes before the Supreme Court for a decision
The Agency law says that no agent shall ac-
foa
old statutes permitted him to do So A man
named Ryohe told the Commissioner short
time ago that he had paid $50 to a man named
Schwartz, who runs the Atlantic Shipping Com
pany, for obtaining for him q position on
ship bound to South Africa, to take care OF
horses. Ryohe decided before the ship sailed
that he did not want the job and asked Schwartz
for the return Of his money. The request was
refused I sent for Schwartz said the Com
missioner, "and he admitted having taken the
money. He brought lawyer named Shicht
along, who has always represented these men
under the old law, and in the Supreme and
United States courts Shicht admitted the facts
He said that Schwartz got no order from the
owner of the ship for cattle helpers His>order
came from a Mr.. Fricando who has a COM
mission to ship cattle to Cape Town Fricando
Il is said, paid for the privilege of getting the
men, and then divided the money with Schwartz
who says he paid some Of it out for advertising.
COMMISSIONER KEATINGs RULING.
Ny ruling is that when Schwartz accepted
IN order from Fricando for men, he was re-
ceiFing a fee indirectly to supply help to the
cattle company which Fricando represents
They We're looking for workers 1t made no
difference 10 them that the man wanted to go
The case has now gone before the Supreme
Court for its decision
The effect Of The Tribunes exposure Of the
fraudulent agencies was learned yesterday from
investigator who visited the East Side and
The Battery Place district in search Of viola
lions among the employment agents. He said
yesterday:
l started out late this afternoon and made a tour
ot the fraudulent places along Greenwich. Wash
IN this district that no applicants would be re-
celEed and no help secured on Sunday. / loitered
about four agencies short while and in several
places The Tribune exposure was discussed In one
place an old man read copy Of The Tribune with
large magnifyng glass and slowly translated each
me IN the slav tongue When the translator read
The story Of the attractive immigrant girl who had
been forced by employment agent to spend a
h3ght on board a tugboat the proprietor turned 10
out They know. But We never did bad as
was not surprised find that news of the ex-
4osuite hso circulated quickly among the agents.
pretor employs as an interpreter a Young man
american born, who knows the Yiddish Polish and
IS carefully read for the agents that tbev ppeI nsv
Kno~ or the immigration news, which includes the
ACCOUNTS OF oeportauons, arrivals of steamers and
also the employment advertisements. In a few in
stances the proprietor himself reads English In
some agencies which supply help for mines "a n ~
roaas ana quarrles out OF the city number OF ONT
o. town newspapers are read - - 80 !,
visited place to-day. where the story OF The
lIpohes exposure Wss discussed for a half hour:
private ONCE in The applicants room WAS in an
be heard by the immigrants When tsesa sa cSTS 6r
4esSss 4Boi,sS were reSched the tongue changed from