Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-04-11
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial Correspondence !

Thousands OF dollars in counterfeit
notes and plates and dies which have
printed millions of dollars Of govern
ment bonds and greenbacks went up
IN a great cloud OF smoke at the Wash
ington factory a few days ago. From
the tall chimney of the gun foundry
curls of green smoke poured out and
told the 5000 workmen i'll the yard
that the government was having its
| annual destruction of property from
the bureau of engraving and printing.
These plates are cast of, and, instead
of melting them for their metal, they
are allowed to disappear in the great
furnace Of the gunShop, while the
counterfeit notes of ali denominations
go up the chimney in smoke.
Once every year the treasury Off
cials in charge of the departments Of
bonds and notes proceed to the navy
yard, whittier the dies and plates and
green goods are hauled in wagons
guarded with the greatest care. The
big furnaces are stocked to their fullest
blazing capacity, and then the destruc-
llOu DtSluS~ llt COulltlltll illOh1g
is first burned, then the dies and last
the plates. The operations last an
hour or two, and when it is over pa
pers are signed for the government,
showing that such dies and plates
have been destroyed by fire. Any 9th
er course might lead to the plates be-
ing secured and used by unscrupulous
persons.
High Salaries For Experts.
Mr.. Milton Whitney, chief of the
division of soils, department of agri-
culture, was before the industrial COM
mission the other day. Mr.. Whitney
said that there is still a tendency
among young men reared on farms to
leave agricultural pursuits in order to
20 into industrial or commercial pur-
suits, but a change is taking place in
that respect, brought about by at
tractive salaries to be obtained by agri-
cultural experts. 1t is a common thing
now, he said, for a tobacco expert to
be paid 5000 or $4,000 n year. These
experts are not college bred men and
frequently have deficient general edu-
cation. but have become efficient in
the practical work of tobacco growing
and allied industries. Such salaries
are now often paid men who are eX-
perts in the manipulation of soils OF
various kinds and in the management
of large truck farms. Recently Japan
gave a salary of $4,000 year to to-
bacco expert of the department of agri-
culture, and still more recently that
government offered $1,000 a year for an
expert of that kind to go to the island
of Formosa. A large beet growing
concern had paid $4,000 year to a
man who could successfully treat the
alkali soil with which it has been trou-
bled.
Increase In Postal Receipts.
The monthly balance sheet for the
80 largest postoftices in the United
States for February, 1901, shows the
total receipts to have been $4,011, ,539,
a net increase of $461, ,151 over the re-
ceipts for February, 1900, or 1872 per
cent. Out of the 80 Offices only one
showed a decrease, Syracuse, whose
receipts were $23, ,131, a decrease Of
1,15O, or Al per cent For all the
other offices the showing was very
favorable, especially when it is con-
sidered that February is not one of
the heavy mail months.
Chicago, as usual, leads the list in
the amount of increase, its receipts be-
;,r ccOE nf &1(l4 GAG
or 20 per cent. New York remains at
the head in amount Of receipts, $685.
TT, an increase of $S9, $50, or 12.2 per
cent. Greater New York would OF
course lead Chicago by many thou
sands, as Brooklyn shows receipts of
S123,S05, an increase of $S,362, or ~
per cent. Dayton, O., ranks all the
cities in percentage Of increase. Its
receipts for February of this year are
S23,OO1, an increase Of $6,429, or 3S.7
per cent.
A Great "Graft."
Perhaps the slickest game that was
ever worked upon members Of congress
was that used a short time ago by
colored employee OF the house who was
assigned to duty in the members toilet
room. This enterprising individual OBJ
tanned a roll call which gave the name
of every member entitled to vote. He
tapped each and every one Of them for
the uniform sum of 50 and worked his
graft" so successfully that during the
last year of a service in that particular
place he succeeded, according to ac-
counts, in securing something like 5000
from 300 representatives.
Two dollars was not much to lend,
and this enterprising African was care
full never to strike the same man twice.
He probably would have kept the game
up had it not been for one member who
suspected that he was being worked
and who insisted upon repayment Of
the loan. When he spoke to this color
ed gentleman's superior, the whole
scheme was given away, and the enter
prising African was promptly dismiss
ed.
Reading Matter For Soldiers.
There is a great demand for reading
matter among the troops stationed at
distant posts in the Philippines and
those stationed in Alaska. The Army
and Navy league of this city is endeav-
oring to meet this want as far as possi-
bic and has invited contributions of
books, magazines, etc, from the citi-
Zens. Mrs. Bird, wife Of General Bird
of the quartermaster's department, is
chairman of the special committee ap-
pointed to forward this movement. All
such donations will be forwarded to
their destinations by the government
free of cost.
The president has issued an execu-
tive order creating a new internal rev.
enue collection district by detaching
the states of North Dakota and South
Dakota from the Nebraska district and
making them a separate collection dis
trict. This order will go into effect up
on the appointment and qualification Of
the new collector.
CARL SCHoFIELD.