The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-11

wrote Francois Villou long ago Where
are the cents of yesterday sets the inn
agination on web nigh as wild a froiic
Thousands are carried off by frugal trav-
elers and spent in cities where they are
, more in favor. Thousands more are hoard
ed in chldrens banks Great sacks full
go to Washington in settlements for post
age stamps and without doubt many are
thrown away by careless folk who don't
want to be bothered with them" Any
how, there is a constant cry for coppers
from the big retail stores.
I'VE furnish them TO the merchants in
lots of from $40 to $780," said the sub
treasury official "They call for them at
Irregular intervals and meantime get addi-
tional lots from banks and other sources.
So it is difficult to compile accurate sta
tistics of the demand
Where do you get your pennies?" asked
a Times-Democrat reporter of the cashier
of one of the largest dry goods emporiums
in the city.
1--WE have people who bring them to us
regularly. They are the vendors of penny
candy on the streets, the proprietors of
the slot machines and several office
peddlers. They bring in a few dollars
worth at a time ana altogether aggregate
| a considerable amount. Then as a basis
Of supply we get a few hundred day
The reporter asked a head salesman
whether the customers showed any re-
| luctance in taking the pennies
The women don't" he replied. They
want the exact change, no matter how
wealthy they may be, and we always give
it. But men don't like coppers, and fully
half the time they toss them to the cash
boy"
DO you receive many from purchas-
ers?"
VERY few
The cashier at another large house men
toned a curious source of supply
For some years" he said, I'VE have
been receiving few dollars worth of
pennies every week or so from a profess
slonal beggar He Is an elderly man and
works the offices. The pennies he brings
us are neatly wrapped up in rolls of fifty,
and his count is never wrong. Two more
of our regular penny brokers are sections
of churches. They are sent here once a
month with the spoils of the contribution
| box and bring amounts ranging from Sc
| TO $40. A LOT of good Christians seem to
think that heaven has a penchant for
! fractional specie"
What are the two churches?"
"Oh! really now, you must excuse me.
| 1t might wound the feelings of their gem
| erous Pensioners"
every day, and saves them for the re-
| tailers.
"They keep us pretty well drained"
said one of the telers, "and around about
holiday time we make a point of getting
an extra supply from the sub-treasury for
the benefit of our customers
Pennies are not used by the banks of
| New Orleans in the payment of checks. IL
a check, for example, is drawn for $16.18
the holder receives 1920. If the amount is
! $62 II he gets $6215 The split is made be-
tween the second and third cent, and the
system which has been in vogue for many
years, is very rarely the subject of any
complaint 1t makes an exact balance of
coppers at the end of the days business
rather unlikely, but the doctrine of aver
age operates to even things up within
few cents. In the long run about as many
checks break on one half Of the nickel as
on the other.
The chief local objection TO the war tax
on telegrams is based ON the nuisance of
making change for a cent. In most places
postage stamps or postal cards are used
for that purpose, and their adaptabihty
as a substitute for money recalls singu-
lar Renaissance by former empioye or
Wells, Fargo & Co.
"Twenty-five years ago." ne said there
was no paper money at all in circulation
on the Pacific coast, and no specie smaller
than a silver dime. You could get your
boots BACKED for that amount if you hap
pened to have a 10-cent piece In your
pocket, but If you gave the boy quar-
ter it cost you Is cents, because he couldn't
give you the exact change. In time the
demand for something smaller than the
dime became so imperative that strange
substitute was adopted. The soda foun-
tain people got together and adopted
general ticket good for one glass of soda
water at any shop, and these tickets were
instantly adopted as currency by the pub
lie.
Il remember distinctly when / carried
nv little bunch of soda tickets the same
as I carry small coin at present. They
were used for change by all the stores
and passed current for cigars, papers,
matches. fruit or anything else one want
ed, and very few were actually presented
at the fountains. All they required was
a basis of redemption to give them value.
The scientific part of it I'll have to leave
to some currency sharp, but I know they
were a complete success and In universal
use until the real nickel appeared"