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He first denied he wrote any bills at all, although there are seven in his hand-writing in that little packet and although I myself have seen I should think fifty, and I am quite sure I have only to go into the next room to find hundreds, and yet he would have us believe he takes all this trouble for nothing. Now, I tried to make him under- stand there is no great objection to his doing it, because it has apparently never been prohibited, and of course if you have taken all this trouble for these people there is no great objection to your being paid for it. If a man writes piles of bills for another man he is entitled to be paid for it. Now, I should like you to tell us the truth. I have greater hopes of you than of KAM CHU-SHEUNG. How long has this gone on and how
much is made?
·
A.—It has been going on for a long time, how long I cannot tell, because it was before my time, but as to charging the Contractors for the trouble, there is no such thing; they can pay as much as they like. I myself write out bills for Contractors. Sometimes I have received instructions from the Surveyor General to write them out, but as to payment, there is no fixed amount; they can pay as much as they like.
Q.--That is the rule in all Chinese institutions, is it not? In most cases the charges
are not fixed?
A.—They are not fixed, I have done it on many occasions to oblige friends.
Q.-But then I suppose the man feels bound to give you something, supposing he is not a friend?
A.-Oh, yes.
Q-Well, in all Chinese arrangements of that kind the thing tends to become a custom. For instance, each man is allowed to fix the postage he will pay; he writes on his letter so much postage; but then a custom grows up, and every one writes pretty nearly the same thing. Now, what is the custom? I suppose there is a custom?
A.-No, as far as I know there is no custom, but I know before my time they paid
five per cent.
Q. Hon. F. B. JOHNSON.--Five per cent on the amount of the bill?
A.-That is what I have heard. I cannot vouch for it.
Q.-Hon. A. LISTER. You never knew a case?
A.-No.
Q. What is the average amount now, taking one bill with another? Suppose you have a long bill, full of different items, and the total is $500. What would you expect him to pay?
A. He can pay what he likes.
Q.-But what would he be likely to pay?
A.-Only a few dollars; in $500 say two or three dollars. That is the average, but sometimes they don't pay at all.