Evening star., 1897-03-20

the treasury, and, moistening the tip of
his finger, turn up the end of one after the
other SO rapidly that his eye could not fol-
low them, and his count was made by the
sense OF touch. The expert counters in the
treasury take the bundles of notes from the
vaults and count them in this way. Each
bundle contains 1900 notes, and 1t takes
only minute or two to count each. or
course 1t Is just as easy to count 1900 81
bills as 1t is to count package of $4,000
bills worth $4O,OOO,OO0 So the face value
OF what Is in the vaults is no indication of
the difficulties Of the count. The number
or pieces of money regulates the length of
the counting
The bonds are larger than the notes. and
they are counted like the sheets of un-
finished notes in the bureau of engraving
and printing
1t takes at least three months to count
the money in the treasury. The new treas
urer Is not kept out of office while this
work Is going on. He qualities as soon as
he can give his bond for $3.50, ,OOO-and that
is no small matter-and he does not bee ono
responsible entirely until the count is I'm
ished and he gives a receipt in full 10 his
predecessor But virtually the responsible
tiles change when the new man comes In.
for any shortage occurring in the three
months when the count Is going on would
be charged to him, and any shortage dis
covered after he went into office, no mat
ter how old. is charged against his prede-
cessor and not against him If 1t can be
traced back beyond the day when his bond
was filed and he took the oath Of office.
The Question of Bond.
There has been much talk about bonding
the clerks of the treasurer's office. from
time to time; but nothing has been done.
The employees of the subtreasuries are
be nded, but that is a matter between the
assistant treasurers and their clerks. The
treasurer of the United States could bond
his clerks If he chose to do So though there
is no provision of law to warrant it, But
1t would be hopeless business. 1t would
De impossible to get an adequate bond from
the clerks having the highest responsibility.
Take the paying teller in the cashiers Of
flee. for example He handles about a
quarter of a million dollars every day
The receiving teller handles a like amount
but most of it is in checks and not con-
Vertfble. How could either of these en-
ployes be expected to give bond sufficient
to protect the government from breach Of
trust? Neither of them could raise that
oon6 among their friends, for even the
treasurer of the United States who is a
man of wealth and business standing finds
1t difficult to obtain sureties for himself
II tney mad to pay a surety company to
furnish the bond, their salaries would hard
ly cover the fees. The paying teller with
"hom the government trusts a quarter of
million dollars every day. gets a salary
OF only 1880. 1t would be possible of
course, for the government to increase the
salaries OF the tellers and clerks SO as to
- " Aeee VI t!ie surety companies, as
Is done by some business concerns But
tnat would not be good policy. The busi-
ness houses virtually pay the surety com
panies to exercise surveillance over their
employees. The government has its secret
service and can attend to that business
FOR itself. Under the conditions, the only
tnlng Tor the treasurer to do is to be sure
at MS clerks are honest. Most of them
are Old employes-the paying teller has
been IN the treasury thirty-two years-and
every one of them has the fullest conf
dence of his superfors Mr. Morgan wonId
not hesitate to give a million dollars into
night. e'