The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-08-28
Printing Of Government Money.
CONCLUSIONS OF A COMMITTEE WHICH
HAS INVESTIGATED THE SUBJECT.

WARRINGTON, Aug. 17.-Cbairman
Wheeler, Of the House Committee on
Expenditures in the Treasury Depart
ment, to-day received from the Public
Printer the first copies of the report
on the bill. "To provide for printing
the Government securities in the high.
est style of the art" The bill is in
tended to do away with the use of
power presses in printing notes and
bonds, substituting therefor the hand
press, upon which it is claimed better
work can be done.
SIN the earlier stages of their inves-
tigation,' says the report, the commit
tee were waited on by the Legislative
Committee of the Knights of Labor,
by whom it was urged that the plate
printers OF the country were vitaly in
terested in the decision which the com.
mittee might reach, both as citizens
who were liable to be imposed upon
and subjected to loss If the obligations
OF the Government we're 30 poorly
printed as to facilitate, if not to invite
counterfeiting, and as handicraftsmen
interested in vindicating their claims
that the intelligence, training and skill
OF their brethren could not be equalled
by machinery"
The committee also found that at its
last regular session the New York
Legislature adopted the following
resolution:
Reso'ced, That all tGovernmeut
securities, such as bonds, notes, stamps,
checks, DC, should be executed in the
highest obtainsble grade and perfect
ion OF the arts of engraving and print.
ing, for the security of the Govern
ment and the people against error,
fraud ana counterfeiting, and that the
Senators AMI Representatives of this
State in Congress be, and they hereby
are, requested to use their utmost en-
deavors to secure legislation to that
end.
As to the character of the notes now
being issued by the Government, Chief
Bell, of the Secret Service division of
the Treasury Department, testified be-
fore the committee that we ba, a mis-
cradle lot of genuine bills, some of
which are easily and very skillfully
oounterfeited. Mr.. Graves the present
Chief OF the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, supported his claim that the
use of steam-presses was more economi-
cal by the statement that they had af-
fected saving of Is per cent. in the
cost of printing notes and bonds.
"But granting that Mr.. Graves's fig
ures are absolutely correct" says the
report, there remains the increased ex-
pense of maintaining the secret service
division of the Treasury Department
and the expense attending the prosecu-
tion of captured counterfeiters. But
the committee cannot agree that the
mere question of economy merits con-
eideration in this connection. In their
opinion there is but one point in issue
in considering this bill and that is the
duty of the Government to afford the
citizen the greatest attainable security
against counterfeit notes, and being
satisfied that this security can be OBJ
taired in greater degree by using the
hand-roller press exclusively they are
unanimously of the opinion that the
steam presses should be discarded.
As to the second section of the bill,
providing that hereafter the chief and
the assistant chief of the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing shall be either
practical engravers or plate-printers,
the deliberate conclusion of the COM
mittee Is that the chief or assistant
of the bureau should be qualified to de-
eide of bis own knowledge upon the
merits or defects of any piece of work
turned out by any of bis subordi1ates,
and be further able of his own know
ledge to point out how the defects can
be most effec.ually and expeditiously
remedied. The committee find further
that this abilitypcan not be acquired
without preliminary training and ex.
perisnce as practical printer or en-
graver, and that no amount of general
information, no degree of intelligence,
can supply this indispensable practical
knowledge or be an equivalent for
it.