The Portland daily press., 1890-11-19
KEEPER OF UNCLE SANS STRONG BOX
Mr.. Huston Tells What He Has Put
In and Taken Out.
Ordinary Revenues Which Have Been
Only Twice Exceeded
Postal Receipts and Expenaes-The
Affairs of the Banks.

WASHINGTON, November 1S-The treas
urer of the United States, Hon. James s.
Huston, has submitted to Secretary Window
his report on the operation and condition oi
the Treasury for the fiscal year ended June
80. The net ordinary revenues were $40S,'
0S0,9S2, sum but twice exceeded in the his
tory of the government The increase over
the year before was $16,090,923. of which
S11, ,725, ,191 came from the internal revenue
The ordinary expenditures were $297, ,636, 436
an increase of $15, ,739,S71 over the year be-
fore. There would have been falling off in
expenditures but for the increase in pen
siUns.
The surplus revenue was $105. .344,4 ,496, Of
which $20,3O4. 2S4 were paid out on premiums
on bonds purchased. The receipt:
of the Post Office Department were SOL ,106
OIL; expenditures, $67,01l. .263; increase be.
tween So. 100000 and $4,000. 600 on both sides
At the close of business June 80. 1889, there
was charged to the Treasurer on the books oil
the department $673, ,399, ,11S. To this was
added the receipts of the year from revenue
and on account of the public debt amounting
to $64S, ,375, 1868. Not much change has taken
place III tu6 LuON6LleuL Ol " UlC6u DbdL6S nOL6S.
Counterfeit notes representing an aggregate
value of $S,479 were presented at the office,
an increase of So, 200 over the year before.
An appropriation of $2500 was made in Sep
tember for the reduction of certain notes,
stolen from the office of the controller of the
currency prior to 1869 and fraudulently put
in circulation. There has been decrease
of less than $3,000.000 in bonds held on de-
posit to secure national bank circulation.
Seventythree banks were discontinued as
depositaries and eight new ones designated.
The redemption of bank notes amounted to
nearly $270 OOO, 900, a decrease of upwards of
$18,000,0 900 as compared with the year before.
Owing chiefly to lower prices ruling for
bonds, the deposits for the retirement of ma
tional bank notes amounted only to S11, ,000,-
goo. The amount received In these deposits,
to 25th July last. was nearly $479, 900, of
which $404, ,000,0 900 was paid out in redemp-
tion notes, and upwards of $20,000,000 re-
funded or transferred. The balance on hand,
$55. .30S, ,475, was deposited in the treasury by
treasurer's check.
to the condition of the vaults and safes in
the office with an appeal for means to pro-
vide others of modern design. Continued
embarrassment has attended the work of
supplying the country with paper currency
from delays and failures in filling the treas
urer's requisitions for new notes. He argues
that it is puerile to allow so small difficulty
as the printing of few thousand sheets of
paper to become an obstacle in the discharge
of public business and an annoyance to the
people in their money matters. He suggests
that greater fiexibility might be given the
currency If gold certificates of the denomine-
tions of S. and $40 were issued. The treas
urer claims the salaries paid the officers of
the treasury are inadequate compensation
for the duties performed, being less than
those paid in well managed private institu-
tions, and less than those paid in the SUBJ
treasury in New York. He adduces the
statement Of II the work performed pIas in the
parison with similar data relating to the
Bank Of England. The treasury pays an
average salary of $1212; the sub treasury,
$1625; the Bank of E. gland, $1400 The i'm
mense operations of the year were accom-
plished with the movement of about $780,
600, 900 less money in and out of the treasury
than was necessary the previous year.