The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-13
TIE NEW LEGAL TENDlR NOTES AND
CURRENCY.

|
Printing Shabby-1mproyed Mana cement Of
the Engraving and Printing Establishment
in the Treasury Department.
/ WASHINGTON, Now IL, 1859.
II Is not precisely news to stale in a letter from
Washington that the new legal tender notes anu the
new FRACTIONAL currency are not what they ought 70
be in point OF fine Workmanship, beauty OF design
| ana quality Of paper. Yon have seen Tie miserable
| specimens recently issued fiom the Treasury and
! have passed Jud gment upon them doubt, ana
your judgment must agree with that OF the general
public-partcularlY the artistic portion--which Is
| decidedly uniavoranle. My object IN calling aten-
ton 90 the matter ~ not altogether with view of
cntcising the work. White wish 10 make some
general observations the subject o! the workman
ship OF the new notes and currency, also wish TO
correct some popular errors regarding who are
responsible for the numerous defects ana to place
the blame where, as / am informed, II properly
belongs.
BOUTWELL, AND M'cARTEE NOT TO BLAME.
1t is q common thing to saddle the whole respon
soility upon Secretary Boutwell, and sir. George D.
McCartee, Superintendent OF the Bureau OF Printing
and Engraving al the Treasury Department. Cover.
nor Boutwell, may have many Sins to answer for
bur he IL innocent OF this one. The energetic
McCartee IS less immaculate. The fact 49, neither
Boutwell, nor McCartee has had much control over
the matter at all. The contract under which the
work has been done was given out under the former
regime, and had to be stuck to, good or bad. No
part Of the fractional currency done In the Urea.
sury, except SIMPLY putting OH the SEALS The backs
or the currency were designed, engraved an1
printed by one bank note company, and the fronts
or faces by another. The National Bank Note Com
pany and the American Bank Note Company are
really the culprits They did the whole ioo, minus
the sealing, and they must obtain the praise or
bear the blame, may be.
AS to the legal tender notes, only
the faces ana sealing have been done
In the Treasury, and 1t is worthy OF note that this
part or the work is the only part that viii bear close
criticism. the engraving OF the legal tender faces
really very fine, though perhaps not the best the
world anu the designs quite tas,efui appro-
prlate Tne Treasury Printing ana Engraving
bureau need not be ashamed Of its portion or the
job The other portion, however, the designing en-
craving ana printing OF the backs, Is done by the
pank note companies and, under contract IS be-
yonl tue coutrol OF he treasury Department, except
u course SO lar as prescribing safeguards Tor the
protection OF the government against countereiting
loss Of pates, &c. Let any Que take up one OF the
new notes aAd compare lis back with the lace ana
tie Judgment must be In FAVOR or The government
engraving aud irinting TO start with the paper 10
snanas. bal The nauk note companies are not TO
buule 1or that.
THE DEFECTS OF The LEGAL TENDERS POINTED OUT.
lns cngray.ngs aud designs Vi the Gusts are not
reuiaraaoo iof either good taste. ordinary wora.
coorng Is too heavy Tor the poor paper and Diurs,
notn batis and ifoA', III tae printing. Tue green
t,a,lug on tho faces Is also aoDe by tue bank
companies, ani Is detective. indeed, SO complete Il
TIE Dissatisfaction 81 tue department. rs wei as tie
puolc WIKI vie wofk taat taere - Serious talk of
des.royin, al the new issues aud OF gettag up
dejgis and e,sraviigi and oI printing tlen en-
trey IN HE treasury.
WHY MAKING PAPER MONEY SHOULD Be DONE EN-
TBELY ~ THE CONVENIENT.
And why shJald not such work be executed en-
TREY N the Treasury Engraving aud Printing Ba-
reau2 lnu~et,, IL IS doubtful MGetnef our govern
meat has aay rigat even to permit paper money 20
J., mate outside Treasury Department aay more
t04n metal money. IL mas never tnodsAC Itself III.
tnuttzet 10 delegate To OUTSIDE parties liz duty or
coming metal moaey. Way, tneli, ii has beea well
asked, should II delegate the power TO paper
money which Is aier all ony the representative Of
the otDer?
government taking the business entirely INTO its own
hands. II The urst place 1t would be acono.ay. l
nave heard II estimated that the bank note coinpa-
MES are aNtn on currency aone the neat profit Of
$1,000 per day. 1t does str1e IN ordinary intellect
that thar amount saved to the national Treasury
worth codsdering IL Is reasonable TO suppose that
the saving on the legal enaers would be proportion
are. III tAe secoua place, our government would
not be at tue mercy strikers, was recently the
case wnen the ate printers In New orK demanded
increased remuneration iof ther LABOR. The bank
note COMPANIES at that time IL Will DC remembered,
advertised Ior and employ ed snoemakers To do the
nice work oil plate printing Rather tnan submit to
the demands " the strikers. It eau easily seen
how. under such circumstances large portion
the work must be imperfect and large quantities
Sant 10 the department. IN u muiiated condition. in
the tard place, the WORK itself can be done better
altogether ~ the designers, eogravers ana Printers
OF the treasury, anu lar more securely.
FACILITIES foa Doing TIE WORK BETTER IN THE
PRINTING AND ENGRAvISG BUREAU.
Recently, through the pOeness OF Dir. McCartee,
the superintendent OF The Bureau OF Engraving ano
PrDtng, was enabled TO $50 through tAaJ extensive
estab!I snlnenf ana was auorded abundant EVIDENCE
OF Tue superior facilities for making paper money
over those pos by those huge honopoists the
bank note Companies. Tao sys,em inaugurated oy
Met artee, Is admirable Tue checks ana safeguards
are sucn as wonid seem to make 1t almost inDoss
bic Ior anything wrong to be doue IN the business OF
engraving and printing, and III the matter OF safety
IN tue keeping OF the plates, rolls dies, &c. MI
hammond, the gentiemaniy and very reliable
todlan, pointed out the cnamoer where the plates
&c. are kept, and eXpained tne manner III when ne
Keeps ne accounts. His system seems 10 De pedecL
So much SO that the pHoac mag be assured that
PAD ue u inc plates dies Or rolls Will be made under
his supervision.
| REGISTERS FOB REcoRplSa THE runsaR or IMPRESS
sloNs TAKEN.
In the Bank q England they have in an
ingenious contFyance for recording tue number Of
/ Impressions taken on their printing presses. aud
! very Stnllar cCnLIivancs mas lately been put Ia
operation here 10 II Intended as II cheek mn f.e
pfnters and others engaged in taxing IMPRESSIONS
! from the plates, AND seems TO be perfect SAFE
| guard Tor the government these CONTINGENCIES arc
clleiregsters ana were adopted at tue suggestion or
| Mr. hammond the custouan u the PLACES, &c. the
| register consists Of little coGer or irou box
| attached to Tue printing press. Il contains four
| dlais TWO at each slice " tic box, which are so
Arranged that the dial hands VIII point out uaer-
the press lne two lower dias indicate the lmpres-
sOns that may be taken from No. mp to 100 lng
uPNei alals slp5 AhS h.a ~ vi AWAdke9a IreIa Que
70 twelve. whenever tue hands Of the lower ana 4
reach 100 the hands Of tho upper dtais marx one
| &c. 30 that the register - capable Of record
! ms LOO impresston3, which l. about the
quantity Of impressions that an expert printer can
execute in day. Y he register res 1Dlbes somewhat
the recorder On II gas meter. The box containing
tue register u kept locked so that the printer can.
| not tanper with 1t. 1t Is entirely beyond his ma.
| nipuat0n. Every morning the register IN set, AMI
al the conclusion of tie days work Is examined aud
| ITS record noted by person employed eXcnHYe,y
for that purpose. The number OF sneeis arc counted
1
dias. II they do not either tue printer mas apprO.
prlated sheet or more or Two sheets have stuck
together, or something else that IA wrong has oc.
Cured thorough search is Immediately made,
aud the discrepancy must DC satisfactorily accounted
Tor before any one leaves the ROOM IL Will DO
readily how almost impossible 1t "a for any lead
Or Othef hind OF impressions TO be taken on press
| supplied with this register without detection. The
register ~ the invention OF Mr. HARDY, the assistant,
smlerML elnent Oh Lie mncnlnn ahnu nj the hnrean.