Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-26
THE EARNINGS OF THE MINT.
In Making Money Tor The Use Of Others Uncle
Sam Grows Thrifty.
New York SUM


II is supposed generally that the
United States mint and the government
assay offices and refineries are main
tanned for the public convenience and
that the mint, like other branches of
departments of the extensive treasury
service. is run pro bono publico. the
government making up by appropria
tons the shortage of each wear. The
recent public report of the director of
the mint shows that Uncle Sam has a
thrifty interest in the operations of the
mint and its branches and makes a tidy
profit from their operations each year.
Last year the gross earnings OF the
mint and assay offices of the country
there are mints in Philadelphia. San
Francisco, Carson City and New Or
leans. assay offices at Denver Boise He
lena, Charlotte, St. Louis. DeadwoOd and
New York-were 4,495, 900, of which
Sl13,6l4 was for parting and refining
bullion. $l0,0i6 for copper alloy, and
Sl5.S2l for melting, assaying and
stamping charges. The seigniorage on
the coinage of silver was $3,O73,95S. on
subsidiary silver coinage S2S6.3ll on
minor coinage sl,031 600 and on the re-
coinage of minor coins $1S,3S3. The
value of the deposit in melting room
grain and sweeps" removed was sS72S:
the value of the surplus bullion return
/ ed was $53,02i, and the gain on bullion
shipped by the minor assay offices to
the mine for coinage there was $6615
The expenditures of the mint service.
including wastage, loss on sales of
sweeps and expense of distributing
minor coins, was $l.26S. 1873. The net
earnings for the year were S3432 664
some of the items of expense Uhe chief
Of which is. of course. salaries and
| WageS) illustrate the curiously compli-
Gated work of minting. which requires
not only knowledge of chemistry and
metallurey, but considerable exactness
in the use Of materials and in the adap-
tation of dies and designs. For acids
used in the minis and assay offices
$1,000 We're expended by the govern
ment. last year; for chemicals, $500;
for wood, $G6I5: for copper, $4,000; for
friedrich. $500; and for zinc. s2166. For
gloves and gauntlets required by the
mint workers, $500 was needed; for
gas. an aid TO metallurgy. sl4 700: for
| charcoal, s3740; for oil, sll00: for hard
ware. Sl400; and for crucibles and me-
chanical appliances, 800.
Varied as these items are, they dc
| not exhaust the number Of things re.
| quired in the mint, for $4,000 was ex
| pended in lumber, S1400 in ice. $500 fol
salt used in the refineries. and a small
charge for flags needed as designs
Apart from gas. the fuel needed fol
mint and assay offices was of tire,
| kinds-charcoal at an expense of $1,000
coke at an expense of $500. and coal
! at an expense of $500. One item. which
TO the uninitiated seems large. is tn,
item of sewing. S3425. This sewing il
required for the bags containing tn,
metal or coins, in addition TO 1868 70
barrels and $3.50 for bullion boxes.
Uncle Sam in his liberality made no
! appropriation for soap. it would APP
pear. but the expense OF laundering
the towels presumably 1t was given
out') was $4,000. and $4,000 additional
! was paid for water. The iteLl of vast
! age. so-called. arising from work at
| the mint, and which is not a large one
| when compared with the enormous
operations of the mint. was $4,000, and
! some other minor items brought up
the government whole expense in the
| year to 81 $50, 000 or about % per cent
represented by the other - per cent