The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-12-04
THE MINT.
The Gist of Director Burch.
ards Report

1 OF Inc EECllC OOa5b nas HSASAOAy NhSSeIo
both the amount of deposits and eonsge
at the San Francisco mint. and glees the
! following figures: Value of deposits dur
inc the fiscal wear of 1880, S39, 1897, 949;
amount OF coinsge, S36, O5S, 600, show
ing s decrease, as compared with
tie preceding year, Of little more
than $4,000, 600 deposits, and almost ex-
act ' Sc, O00, 00e in c0ia age. The coinage
at the mint in 1880 was S137. 00O,000 less
o. gold, and 81, 600. 600 less of silver than
in 1873. Director Burchsrd also saws,
concerning the San Francisco mint: I'm
provements in refining Of bullion, in the
| appliances used, and the arrangement OF
apparatus, have been made ard expert
ments instituted TO ascertain the most
economical and desirable processes for
parting and refining the precious metals.
[ made careful inquiry into the annual
wastage of the meter and refner and
! found, upon an examination of the chsr-
acter OF The deposits and comparison Of
the fneness of the bullion of the last with
the preceding year, that the amount of
| low grade and refractory bulliOn had
largely creased without any deduction
having been made rom the weight Of the
deposits for the protection at the govern
ment. As authorized by the instructions,
l directed that thereafter deductions
>hould be made on unusually base de-
posts of gold or siiver, suite ent to cover
he probable and unavoidable loss of
such bullion. There Is charged against
San Frzncisco mint upon the books of the
treasury, several deficits of officers. The
first occurred in '57, on account of the
melter and rehner, smountingto Sl52, =
III; the second, $500, 900, in '66, in the
accounts between the coiner and treas
ur-T; the third, $40, Cos, in 81, in the
accounts of melter and refner; and the
last, SIC, 374, in 20, in the acc uRts Of the
conner, the total being Sly9, 266. a de-
ft;It of 81 1852 exists by reason OF the
pYx coins Of 1865, 1866 and 1867, sent to
the PnIladelpnIa mint for trial at the
annual assay, be 1g used in paying 'or
upp es purchased and shipped 10 the
San Francisco mint, instead of being re-
stored to the account. Besides these
sums, the loss on the -ae IF sweep and
| he wastage OF the operative Ulcers for a
number Of Years prior to 1871, (athough
W thin legal limi. of the allowance
amounting to Sl95, l5S, were not paid, as
they should have be n, out Of the annual
appropriation, and 1t appears, therefore, as
= deficit on the accounts. The losses all
occurred prior to the organization Of the
mint bure4u and the appointment of the
] present off ers of the San Francisco
mint Their accounts have been Sn-
nually satisfactorily adjusted. and as
there Is no nope of co Letting the amount
from the former officers or their sureties,
l recommend that legislation BE- pro-
| cured TO au hOrize the cancellation OF the
Indebtedness by an Appropriation OF the
necessary amount from the profit on the
coinage of silver or from the moneys IN
the treasury of the Uni.ed States.
Director Burchard makes tue following
remarks respecting the suit cOm-
menced by John Reynolds in
the United States circuit court
against the officers of the San Francisco
mint, for alleged infringement OF patent
Issued TO him IN 1866, for improvements
in refining bu lion: TIE process of
parting a. the mint has been in use since
its organization, and was continued by
the present sup rintendent solely for the
benefit of the United States, and if any
advantage mas occurred, it has been to
the United States and not to these
officers. They ought not to be required,
either TO pay or even to be called upon TO
defend Themselves q. their own expense
in this suit. The plaintiff juitifes his
personal suit for the alleged reason that
the court had no juri- diction of any suit
he could bring sg4i It the Un ted States.
| respectfully recommend that the juris-
| dlctiOn OF the Court OF Llaims be extended
to enable it to hear this case, or that
such other legislation be obtained AS will
enable tue patent5e to test tbs validity Of
his claim and make government and not
the officers responsible for the benef 8, if
any, it may have derived from the use OF
the process in Case he su5stantiate his
p teht and its infringement a. the mint.
The value of bullion deposited at the
arson mint during the fiscal year 1880,
was SOL $50, ar d the amount of coinage
S654,790. Owing t. the great reduction
Of the stock OF built at tnis mint, the
coinage was suspended from October
1879 10 The middle of last April. The
appropriation recommended for the San
Francisco and Carsons minis for the next
fiscal year are precisely the same in
amount as the appropriations made at
at session Of Congress for the current
vear; namely: San Francisco-salaries
S2i, 900. wages of workmen and a5justers
s265, 600, incidental expenses S GOO.
Car-On-salariar S23, $50, wages ST., 900,
incidental $50 GEO.
The production of gold and silver in
the United States during tie fiscal year
is estimated at $4,000, 900 in gold and
S37, 7OO, 600 in silver. II is e-timated that
probably So 100000 gold and 81 900, 600
silver OF domestic production, together
With &, 500, 600 gold ard $780, Coo of the
silver OF United states coin, were used in
manufactures and arts, besides melting
Ma
bullion sufficient to make a total con-
sumption in the United States of $40, 00O,-
600 in gold and 1000, 900 in silver. The
most interesting portion CT the report of
the director Of the mint relates to coin
circulat on. The estimates, starting with
SlS5, 0Ue,000 gold and s. 600, COZ silver
coin, in lS7 and which have been con-
linued to Nov. l, 80, by adding yearly the
coinage, less tn recoinage, and coin i'm
orts. less exports, show an increase IN
c in circulation for the whole period of
S240, 1923, SSl gold, and Sl47, 277, 544 silver
coin. The gain in coin in the cou try
and of bullion in the minis since January
LIST, 1879, the date fixed for resumption,
amounts to S227, 399, AS, of which SI75,-
70l 904 is in golt end S5I 697 524 in
silver. On June 80, 1880, the amount of
gold coin in the couutry was 1888 95S,-
69l, and of silver Gin Sl42, 597, 020
These amounts were further increased by
NOvemb-r LIST. $50 by The net coinage
and import of SIG, 365, 100 gold and
$3.50 5z4 silver, making the total of
United States coin at the latter date
527 COL, AS, of which 375, 1888 l was in
gold and l52 2I7, 544 in silver. The minis
and assay Offices held in addition. bull
lion Which Is being coined as rapidly as
the facilities will admit, to he amount of |
rs, SOS 81 il gold, and 6, 043, 1867 in silver.
making a grand total Of coin H. ciTcula- |
ton and bullion available for coinage on |
he 1t OF November of 6I2, 203, sos. 49, |
5S2, 692 OF which is geld, and l5S, 800 glI |
-ilver. OF the amount of United States |
gold coin 10 the country on Move Der LIST, |
81 l67 IA wAs j. tho trea ury ll2,777, 6g2 |
held by banks, and 200, 379, 13S IN private
hand. OF silver coin IL, 1854, 459 in stand |
ard dollars. and "a 629. 4S9 in fractional |
silver were held by the treasury. The
lstional banks report $780, 57 as the |
AMOUNT of silver held by them, leaving
8, 233, 239 in other banks and In general
The treasury gold reserve
las dim nished 10 the amount of 81. 49,
'29 in coin, but holds over IS. COO coo in
,UlliOn. The silver com in the treasury
las increased to the amount of q, S24,-
IS; baf ks have increased tn ir stock of
ON to the amount Of SO 147 SS4 in gold.
nd All, OLA in silver, and the amounts in
,-ivste hands have been increased by
5, l79,0S0 gold and 9,0S5, SIS silver.