The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-09
CHANCES OF ROBBERY.
UNCLE SANS LOOSE PLAN OF
CARING FOR MUTILATED COIN.


Might be Duplicated.
From the Pitts5ur0 Dispatch.
WASHINGTON. Dec. S1.-United States
Treasurer Nebeker has found a great big
loop-hole in the system Of accounts kept OF
the money issued by tbs government. He
has made IL the subject OF the most interest
ing recommendation to be found in his an
nual report which was made public recently.
In this report. which was sent out In synop-
sis by the press association, Mr. Nebeker
suggests the advisability OF checking the
money sent in for redemption by number as
well as by ser es aud denomination.
Under the present system of his office,
when money comes in for redemption, il Is
classified according TO the series and then
according to Its face value, and a record is
kept OF the number Of notes redeemed Of
each denomination. Now each treasury
note or United States note or national bank
note or silver certificate, which is printed at
the bureau of engraving and printing and
Issued from the treasurer'S office, has a serial
number printed on it in blue. These num-
bers run up into the millions.
On Dec. 10 the bureau of engraving and
printing had delivered and the treasurer
office had stamped 100000 treasury notes
of the denomination Of 81 of the issue of
SSA
1891 under the provisions Of the same act.
BIG ISSUE OF NOTES.
The total issue of treasury notes of the
series of 1890. including the denominations
81, So, IS, $40, $50 and 81. 900, at that time
was 23.9l6.00O, that is, that number Of
pieces Of money of that series alone had
been issued at that time. Now, IL Ii had
happened during the two years and a half
in which these notes had been issued that
hi - oI,.N- s~Ao
| than Capt. Meredith had been in charge
OF the bureau of engraving and printing,
and that the assistants OF that chief were
less honorable than the gentlemen who
helped Cant. Meredith to run the bureau, it
would have been possible for these people to
duplicate great part of this issue Of United
States notes, and II the crime had not been
discovered the government would have &C.
cepted the duplicates and issued good notes
for them as soon as they had become suffi-
GENTLY worn to be offered for redemption
When you consider that one package Of
81, 900 notes, as these notes are put up in the
treasury department, would represent
"a 900 900. the enormity of this risk can be
better appreciated.
NO SUCH CRIME DISCOVERED.
No crime of this kind has ever been dis
covered in the experience of the treasury
department and there is no reason to be-
tempted; out 1t is mot The business of the
treasurer Of the United States to punish
crime, this is the privilege of the chief of
the secret service ana the department of
justice. 1t is the business OF the treasurer
Of the United States to provide safeguards
against the commission of a crime which
would rob the treasury. 1t is with this
| object that Treasurer Nebeker has sug-
| gested to,the Secretary OF tue Treasury in his
| report the advisability of establishing this
| additional safeguard.
There is another posi- ility connected
with this weak spot in the treasury system
and it is altogether likely that this posi-
bihty has been realized more than once,
although there is no positive way of discov-
erIng the fact. The bills which come to the
treasury for redemption are in such a worn
and tattered condition that it is with great
| difficulty sometimes that even their denom-
nation is proved.
| A GOAT AS BANKER.
Sometimes the fragments of half-burned
| bills are sent in-sometimes bills that nave
| been gnawed by rats, and there 10 even on
record a case where a billygoat swallowed
S42 IN bank notes, and they were presented,
after the summary death Of the goat, iden-
| titled and redeemed. Now, it is lust possi-
BILE that some of the badly battered cur
rency which comes to the treasurer's office
is counterfeit. Chief Drummond Of the
secret service has in his possession a great
many counterfeit bills which would almost
deceive an expert when fresh from the
| press
It would be next to impossible for even
the hAwk-eyed clerks of the redemption di-
vision of the trea ury department to iden-
tlfy these counterfelts as spurious. There
| are several cases on record where the clerks
in the treasurer's office have let counter
| feits slip through their hands, and they
| bAVA haPn dafaOf6h altar ward WI he
notes went TO the office of the secretary or
| the Office of the register of the treasury.
How many have passed not only the clerks
in the redemption division but the experts
in the offices of tie secretary and the regis
ter no one will know.
LOTS REDEEMED EVERY DAY.
The number Of notes to be redeemed which
the treasury department receives every day
will average according to the cashiers
Office $700,O00. Most of this money is in
small bills and it may represent SOC, 900
pieces. These notes for redemption come
from individuals, banks and sub-treasuries
Banks or individuals can get fresh money
for money that is old and worn by present.
ing it at any one Of the sub-treasuries.
But if a man does not live in a city
where there is sub-treasury, he must
send the money to the treasury depart
ment by express. and receives good money
in exchange for 10. But he must paw the
express charges both ways. II he lives
within the territory which is reached by the
United States Express Company, he can
ship this money at the rate of Is cents per
81 900 each way. This is the government
contract rate. If he lives outside this dis
trict, he will pay much higher rate This
explains in part why there is so much silver
in circulation in the west.
THEY WANT TO GET RID OF SILVER.
The treasury department ships silver TO
any part of the United states and prepays
express charges on it for the purpose OF
getting 1t in circulation. When the ma
tional republican convention was held in
Minneapolis last June the people from the
east who attended it marveled at the
amount of silver in circulation. The peo-
pie of Minneapolis marveled no less at the
fresh, crisp paper money which the people
from Washington brought with them.
This paper money seemed to be q great
curiosity TO the snopkeepers of Minneapolis
and they put 1t aside TO treasure up and ex-
hibit to their friends. Meantime the
Washington correspondent and the occa-
sional congressman who went in a drug
store To buy 5-cent glass of soda water
found himself burdened with four big silver
dollars and IS cents in small change when
he went out
II the treasurer did not follow this plan
to keep the silver in circulation there would
be much less OF 1t outside the treasury
ya,tirs Very often bankers IN suh-traasury