The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-05
WOULD ABOLISH A BRANCH MINT.

Director Roberts, of the Mint Bureau, rec
ommends in his annual report that the
branch mint at New Orleans be closed as
far as coming money is concerned and
operated hereafter simply as an assay Of
flee. The closing of the mint at New Or
leans would leave only three in the coun-
try, the parent mint at Philadelphia and
the branches at Denver and San Francisco,
but these are believed to be ample for the
government business. The branch at New
Orleans antedates any other except that at
Philadelphia which was established in 1892,
the one at New Orleans In 1885, the one at
San Francisco in 1s52. and the one at Den
yer, used heretofore as an assay office,
is soon to be opened for coinage
purposes. The closing of the mint
at New Orleans would wipe out
a historic landmark, but business changes
sometimes make such things necessary
The government formerly had branch minis
at Charlotte. N. c., and Dahlonega, Ca
Considerable gold was coined at both
places, but the business was not sufficient
to justify their maintenance.
Director Roberts bases his recommended
ton for the closing of the New Orleans
mint on purely business reasons. He says
that the opening of the new mint at Phil
adelphia, which was recently dedicated
with much ceremony. together with the in
creased efficiency promised at San Fran
cisco and the prospective opening of a new
mint at Denver, will provide much great
er coinage capacity than the country ever
had before and fully great as ii needs.
An existing law requires the coinage of
100000 silver dollars per month. but the
governments stock of silver bullion pur-
| chased under the act OF July IA, 1890, is
nearly exhausted, and when it is all coined
there will be nothing for the New Orleans
mint to do. When Director Roberts was
asked il he was hostile to the New Orleans
mint. he said by no means. but he thought
i 1T would be wise to transfer work now be-
| ing done there TO other minis more accessi-
! BILE 10 the bullion or more centrally located.
| Neither gold nor silver is produced any
where i'm the vicinity of New Orleans and
all the bullion coined there has to be trans
| ported at COuSluefdDie expense. Inc oil
rector said the fact that the law under
which 100000 silver dollars are coined
monthly, which has furnished most of the
! work done at the NV Orleans mint fol-
some time past, will soon lapse. would
render the New Orleans mint useless. II
is a foregone conclusion that no more silve,
dollars will be coined in the near futur,
| after the stock OF bullion now on hand 1.
worked up. and the minis at Denver ant
San Francisco will be equal to the coinag,
of all the gold produced in their respectiv,
vicinities. including that which comes from
Alaska and from the Orient to San Fran
cisco. The cost OF operating the New or
leans mint last year was s259.l5s so tina
closing IL would effect considerable saw
ing. The director calls attention TO tn,
desirability of concentrating all the govern
ment mintage In as few establishments Al
possible. Coinage" he says. "is monop
olized by the government. and the skille,
worixmen required are not picked I'D In tn