Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1883-04-02
Mr.. Gilfllan Turns Over the
Treasury to Mr.. Wyman,
His Successor.
A Committee Appointed to
Count the Cash and Give
Him a Clean Receipt.
How tho Counting Is Performed
Daley Balanoss-Shorts
and Overs.

States Treasurer Gilfillan has sur
rendered his Office aud turned over to
his successor the vast amount of
moaey and bonds stored In the treas
ury vaults. Sitting at his desk the
o.her day, he was looking over the
stores Of matter suitable for destrac
ton which accumulate on tho hands of
even the most systematic of men. He
came across o stray telegram dated
New York, which ran: "We have got
him"
"What do yeu supr ose that meantF'
said the busy treasurer. ut means
that I was privately called to New
York as an expert In handwriting to
make some Investigations as to the
All hor hip of the Morey letter. For
pablo reasons did not 60, and soon
after l received this telegram. Toe
I'VE have got him meant that they
thought surely they had detected the
forger.'
DELIVERING THE KEYS.
"What sort of o process do you 60
through to deliver the key of this
great place to your suooessorP l
asked.
''The process is very simple one"
replied the treasurer. "a committee
is appointed to inspec' the counting of
the money. 1t Is appointed by the
secretary Of the treasury, and has gen.
orally consisted of two persons, both
familiar with money. One Is taken
from some branch of the treasury SER
vics not In the treasurers offi,e, and
the other from bank accountants out.
side. This committee of two may ask
to have as many expert counters de.
tailed as they need. The balance will
be closed at the end of business hours
or the 31st Of March, and very pos
sibly the count may be completed by
midnight. That depends on the com.
mIttee. When I received the office
tho work began at 4 o'clock p. m, and
Ii was turned over to me at mid.
night"
CHOW much actual money is there
to count2"
"The money ordi aarily runs about
$40, ,OO0, 900 In the vaults here. This
Is mainly in what are called the
reserve vaults, and the money Ia all In
sealed packages, which has been
counted and certified. These packages
ars not continuously the same by any
means. They may be said to be
changing almost daily. Every load Of
M y that comes from the bureau of
engraving and printir 6 is sealed with
tie counting check of that bureau. 1t
Il Immediately see(ed, recounted,
and II correct sealed up again, and the
count again certified. and placed In the
reserve vault. The stores In these
reserve vaults are used only as they
are needed In the ordinary disburse.
n.e,lts of the treasury"
'"What are the average disburse-
merits daily Of the treasury proper
here over the counter, aside, of course,
tror. the payment of bonds and Inter
' est2' -
"We probably pay out over the
counter $4O0, 600 or $5OO,O every
dsy. We pay at least $500, 900 every
month In salaries, which are disburuet
right here In this District on disburs
ing eff ,ers' checks the salaries O.
congress men, of the host of employees
In the different departments, the arm!
and navy, and the District govern
ment, We recsivs about 1 $50 differ
ent checks aud drafts during the day
which have to be carefully inspected
and 1t isa very great work, as AM
one acquainted with money operation
will understand. Every night, directl!
after the close of Office hours, tn
cash is balanced, each teller balancin!
his own cosh, and his balances ar
carried to the principal book. keeper
who Is req1irsd to take the whole day
business balance. No one employed
In the ca,h room can leave until tn
balance |, struck, or If there is trifiin
shortage, or an 'over, the amount O
it definitely sscertsined and the plac
where 1t originated located"
SHORTS AND OVERS,
"Do yos ever have shorts and overs2
"Of course we sometimes do, bu
since the days of the large defalcatio
of $4,000 under the old method
which are very different from tn
~ methods which are now In use, "
rarely have any shortages. Once In
while q teller Is short dollar or two o
five dollars but generally the shortsg
can be accounted for and recovere
bact. The errors for the most par
ari,e with banks, and 1t Is q curious fac
th,t where there are mistakes they ar
generally overs. Honest money, wher
tlere Is an error at all, Is general
ever. THIS fact is so general that
has become an axiom In the treasury
and 1t Is one of the principles by NEAR
lcf which we detect party theft
We keep ledger account of court
nth every bank which makes Il
Exchanges and redemptions. Occas
lonly a bank is So short In Its ow
account-sometimes good deal MOI
than that. The bank Is Immediate
notified, and often when It's remittan,
Is short 1t protests that its accouI
could not have been wrong, and tn
the money must have disappeared
ths treasury. But banks, as q rul
have discovered that our methods a
SO accurate they cannot generally
questioned. Not long ago a bar
whose package was short So or SO W
tery emphatic in announcil
that It's count must have be'
torroct. Now, We keep rcco
bf all the "shorts" and ''overs" wi
III the banks running back for maj
years. We Immediately turned to \
record, and, sending to the bank a Il
: of the very large number of erro