New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-16
BANK-E0EE PRINTING.

NETWORK COMPANIES ALMOST IDLE.
THE BustSEss CRIPPLED BY THE LOSS or GOVERN
MRNr OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES IN srEEL-PLATE
PRINTING-THE GEoMETRIC LATIIE-PRISIiNG IN
cOLoRs.
What does bank-nOte company ma 10 90
now was asked the other day. OF prominent oihoiaI
in one OF the New York companies
Practically noIhing at ALL" was the reply. oar
business was ruined by tho establishment OF the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing In the Treasury Department.
AT Washington and the removal TO that city of the BANK
note printing formerly done in NewYork Last noVom
ber when the last remnant Of work-the printing OF
fractional paper currenoywas taken from u.s. we were
left with a large force OF skilled workmen whom We
had been obliged to engage for term %
years. and with largo collection OF costly
machinery The Government first compelled us 70
secure these facilities for carrying the printing ana
then took away the contracts, and left us to SHIFT for
ourselves We have had foreign work TO do, and
little OF 1t s remains Foreign contracts are not very
table, however We have to sustain agents abroao
and to compete with foreign companies who are wiling
TO do the printing at ruinous rates We had IN Deer
times some good Jobs do for insurance companies and
private banking houses but in these times, when sueh
concerns are going bankruptcy every week and the
cry retrenehmen is raised all Sides there are lew
companies which afford 10 spend money IN expensive
printing We cannot compete for commercial work Win
tho photographic establishments and ype-printing
part Of the expense and with much greater rapidlty
What we are doing now done simply to keep our ma
chnery from rustng and to furnish employment to our
workingtnen whom we bound TO pay until our con-
tract with them expires The work hardly meets ex-
penses Our stock which once paid handsome diVF
dends Is no only 80 many millions OF idle capital
The companies have lately devoted their energies
10 the requirement OF greater skill 10 engraving steel
mates and 20 the pereeng Of inventions in print
ing The engravers given fine drawings IN erayon OF
In India INK which they required to reduce IN sSe
untiI they can be used bank notes and to engraVe
them with great care Plates are thus being aecunu
lated that are worth far than their weight IN gold
nv reason OF the labor expended them Some OF the
original drawings are the works OF Pr9Dihent IA 5sS
one OF the engrayers OF the naton rcnpesentnr
Steam-Spirs of fro and water prope Wneel over
80 toScy that several artists who saw
the sketch protested against "a ha tdns GOOD for
on s bank Roa note repIie SO'h ths artist NJ Mac
donongh, who Is trustee and vicepresident OF me
company. Expensive engraving has been made heces
ss on account OF tho extent which bank notes nave
been cOuuterfeted. Skill in cOunterfeiting mas nearly
eeenes have found that The only safeguard against
coupterfes Is make their notes OF 80 elaborate oe
signs that the cOunter.eters are unable except az
cost 10 produce limitations that cannot be read
y detected In the rapid execution OF tnese S.avo.ee
designs that wonderful piece OF machinery the gsom
% lathe s of great Importance. 10 Is able to produce
I'm a few hours designs that would require seYeIal
months Of careful labor II produced by hand y means
OF eceentrcs attached to moving aXles curved ana err
cnlar motions in well nigh endless variety, are given 70
the steelpate contact with the cutting tool OF tne
MACHINE In looking at the machine in operation II Is
hard 10 believe that sOlOwing any design so uncertain
do the motions of the plate appear; but When he pas
IS taken from the machine there IL found TO be traced
upon IL beautiful figure made up OF endless curves ann
pterwoyen lines. Most of the elaborate designs whe1
arc displayed freely bank notes are how produced
by the eeometFic lathe. great number OF eocehlcs
differing in size and shape, accompany eaSh mae4e,
and each change I'm the arrangement OF the eeeentrcs
produces a ngure or mobilization OF Lhe orginhi
figure geOmetrtc lathe costs more IMAM 9IVOvO anu
s therefore beyond the reach OF most eounterieitef
As all designs produced by the lathe are determined Dy
mathematical calculations the machine can DC opera'ou
only by experienced workmen. ,.,- 4. .
out and Intricate designs on tne Iahe une l'om
York banknote companies have taken up some classes
of commercial printing which 90 niue more man 70 ri
pay the cost OF she labor expended bihnk eheehs ad
drafts for in banks, insurance poncles' rasOau
bonds aud bonds for foreign governments are orna.
menfed with lathe work. and thus made proof
AGAINST imitation The Continental BankNOte Company
some time ago began to print railroad tickets 0rha-
mented with lathe work, ana me rsut mas Deeh
90 produce a steadily increasing uehlhu ani99ng
nesets TO about nfty railroads in different parts OF
the country Printing In eoiors on Dahh hoees
seporse impression FOR each color This process
qures multiplication of plates according 20 me na
her ~ roOrs prOduced and makes the task OF isung
bank notes both slow and difficult The National Bak-
Note Company Is at present engaged ln pesieeng m 10
NAV be printed a bank note at a single IMPRESSION
Specimens are shown IA which MY 1isnees eoots ~
ranged 20 look like mosaic work, are printed ~ single
impression common handpress Ihe INES OF sepaIh
lion sharply defined tnat y = t9 70 soT
eolored prints produced by several impressions Inc
Trustees OF the company believe that their invention viii
proye a new safeguard against cOuntoreltng whle II
will also serve to improve toe appearance OF BANK notes
The Invention Is kept close secret only -FOUR OF the
company's employees being allowed 10 enter the room
where experiments conducted 1t Is expected that
practic application Of the invention will be made m
Jew weeks by displaying variety or eoors on notes 70
be printed for banks IN Honduras, Central America.
Homer Lee & Co., banknO engrayefs AZ NO 90 lad
ertyst have recently utilized process ny whlcl steel
plate engavings reproduced ON type metal Tor use
on common printing presses Elaborate designs used on
college CON invitations and ball programmes
are thus produced reduced prices, aud with unsh
nearly equal 10 that OF printing from steel plates