Evening star., 1898-12-06

itaat sum in currency by fire in the cashier
, vault in June 1893.
The deficit in the accounts Of the mint al
Philadelphia is sl3543.s2. OF this sum
! sl2,S1o,S2 is a balance of gold bullion en-
| bezzled by. the weigh clerk in 1S93. not re-
| covered, and S7s3 a shortage found in the
| account of silver dollars on storage.
| The deficit in the bullion accounts of the
! mint at Carson is si5,54?.7J, and is due 10
| the embezzle!nent of that sum by former
! employees in the melter and refineF's ONCE.
and was effected by the abstraction and
! substitution of metal of low fueness In gold
for metal OF higher fineness.
| The weigh clerk of the mint at Philadel-
| niiia guilty Of embezzling gold bullion and
! the assistant melter and retiner and the sill
! yer discover at the Carson mint are now
undergoing terms of Imprisonment for their
| crimes.
These deficiencies are classed unavail-
! able assets Their designation, year after
| year. as assets of any kind IS Objectionable.
| The amounts they represent are gone be-
| yond reasonable possibility Of recovery. 1t
does not comport with the accuracy which
| should characterize good bookkeeping and
! well-ordered accounts and the example OF
| precision which the government should AZ
| all times maintain that these so-calied as
/ sets. which not such in any sense OF
The word. should he kept on the books for
| periods varying from five to more tnan
| forty wears. 1t is recommended that Con-
| gress relieve the treasurer of the United
! States and the respective mintS from car
| accounts.
BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINT
| ING.
If any justification were needed for the
| maintenance of an establishment of this
| kind in connection with the Treasury De-
! partment. it was fully supplied by the
! prompt manner in which the bureau fur-
| nished the stamps and securities required
| under the war revenue act. This act was
fHapproved June 13, 1S!,S. and took effect i'm
mediateiy upon its passage as to the change
| of tax on beer tobacco cigars. cigarettes
and snuff. thus practically destroying the
three-months stock of stamps in the hands
| of collectors of internal revenue and the
! commissioner of internal revenue, besides
completed and incompleted work in the bu-
reau.
1t is desired to emphasize the necessity
| for appropria ton for substantial brick
outbuilding for the bureau, to take the
! place of the temporary wooden sheds now
| used. This matter has heretofore been call
ed to the attention of Congress, and ful1
explanation of the necessity for the appro-
priation has been made in the annual re-
ports of the Secretary for a number of
years.
PUBLIC MONEYS.
The momentary transactions of the gov
ernment have been conducted through the
treasurer of the United States, nine sub
treasury officers and 1914 national bank de-
positares. The amount of public moneys
held by them on June 80. 1898. including
those to the credit of the treasurer's gen.
eral account and United States disburSing
officers, was s'S, 743,0l7 an increase since
June 30, 1897, in amount of holdings of s22,
ISi 2S:35.
Since the beginning of the present fiscal
year deposits on account of the new per
cent war loan have been received to the
amount of s2o0,000,0oO, and in order 10
avoid dangerous stringency which might
be created by a too rapid absorption of
funds into the treasury, a large number of
national banks were designated, under sec
| ton 5153 Revised Statutes. depositaries
of public moneys, and public funds deposit
ed Herewith temporarily, thereby increas-
ing the holdings of such depositaries to an
amount exceeding s9o.tao.0W.
NATIONAL BANKS.
During the existence of the national bank
ing system up to the close of the year
ended October 81, 1898, ), 151 national banks
We're organized. The number in operation
is a.5as. OF the closed associations, 1,194
Were placed in voluntary liquidation by the
shareholders, and $50, insolvent, in charge
of receivers. On October 81, 1897, there
were in active operation 3,617 associations
During the past year fifty-six were organ
lied sixty-nine placed in voluntary liquida-
slon, and seven at-ed, incluuing one Of this
banks in liquidation, above referred to-
making Il net reduction during that period
of nineteen banks.
The authorized capital stock of the banks
on October 81, 1898, was si24,552, 195; the
circulation outstanding. Sgc;9 5i6,2S OF
which s21oof5. .4b6 is secured by bonds and
29,3n,s2a by lawful money deposited with
the treasurer of the Cnited States
count of liquidating and inSOlvent asSocia-
tions. and those reducing circulation. A
comparison of the circulation account on
October ~, 1898, with October II, 1887
shows increase of s3,5s2.771 in the total
ST. II, I16 in circulation secured by bonds.
Since July l., lss2, the date of the pass
age of the act providing for the extension
Of the corporate existence of national banks
charters of 100 have been extended,
their capital 2ggreSating si1i, ,J31 1lI In
the past year the corporate existence of
twenty associations, with capital aggre-
eating s., 1880. was extended. Three
SociatiOns, the corporate existence Of which
expired, liquidated, although two of them
reorganized under different titles. During
the coming year twenty-five banks, with
capital amounting to 50. 1JJ. .OoO, will reach
the close Of their corporate existence. The
capital and circulation Of the 1,l3i banks,
the charters of which will expire during
the ten years ending with 1905 amount, re-
spectively, to $l62, as, 100 and S44 s'3 1.ti.
The capital of the sXty-nine banks placed
in voluntary liquidation during the year, ex-
elusive of that of the one subsequently de-
cared inSOlVent, amounted to $l2, ,yg, ,eto
and the capital of the seven insoivent asso-
Citations 81 gU 900.
The last reports of condition Of the 1850
national banks, made September 20, 1S3S,
show that the aggregate resources were 81
003, 81 .044S7. an increase since October s.
1897, of $2!IS, 81 ,33I. 16 Loans and discounts,
including overdrafts, have increased sIo5,-
743, 1861 and they now aggregate s2.1T2.
$40, ,6l0.54. Government securities on hand
and deposited with the treasurer of the
United States to secure circulation and
public deposits amount to S55s l4o.217, an
increase of SSu, ,9nt ,35i. Gold holdings have
increased $5i, ,115,31S33, but, owing to the
reduction of the amount of currency Ger
tifcates, the net increase in amount of
specie and other lawful money is but S11,
$50, ,S2L3i the total currency held amount
ing to $420 I'D, S.39 The banks individu-
al deposits have risen to s2,o3l. .454, %,
an increase during the year of SITS, 105,-
4l1.19. The surplus and profit accounts
,nt,l nl- -1.A