House

This action was brought by R. P. House, the respondent here, to recover four hundred and sixty dollars and fifty-six cents, for services rendered to the county of Los Angeles in the collection of money on account of delinquent taxes, in cases where real property had been sold to the state of California and no redemption had.

The plaintiff in his complaint sets out a contract in writing, entered into on the fifteenth day of December, 1891, between him and the ■ controller and attorney general of the state of California, in which the latter appointed the former to collect and cause to be collected or cause to be redeemed, or to cause the payment of all moneys necessary to redeem all property sold to the state for taxes from 1870 down to and including the forty-second fiscal year; and to take all necessary steps *75 to cause said property to be redeemed; to serve all notices, etc.

In consideration of which said House was to receive: 1. All fees allowed by law for notices served; 2. Such sum as the state board of examiners may allow on all moneys collected and paid to the county for the state, not exceeding fifteen per cent of the amount collected, etc.

The appointment was for the…