Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-23
EMPLOYEES OF THE MINT.
Order for Them to Give Bond Suspend
ed for the Present.

John H Lands superintendent OF the
PHILADELPHIA mint, a few days ago issued
notice to every employee Of the mint, total
of about $40 people. that he would exact a
bond from each person in the future. This
order Of Superintendent Lands was based,
1t Is claimed, on an erroneous Idea he OBJ
tained after a recent visit to the Treasury
Department in this city. MT. Lands noti-
fed the Treasury Department of his order
and his intentions, and has been Informed
that for the present he is to defer his con-
templated action. George E. Roberts, the
director Of the mint bureau in this city,
is absent from Washington and Mr.. Lam
dis order to his employees will not be al
lowed to become operative until Mr.. Rob-
erts has had opportunity to pass upon IT,
1t is believed by treasury officials that the
order of Mr.. Lands will not become final
and that the bonding Of mint officials and
employees will go on as heretofore. The
solicitor Of the treasury has been consulted
as to the matter and it is informally the
opinion Of a number Of best posted men in
the treasury that the law will not permit
the wholesale bonding Of all kinds of en-
ployes of the mint. The law. as hereto
fore construed. provides that the supern-
tendent, melter ref1ner, coiner, assayer
and assistants and clerks to these officials
shall furnish suitable bonds, the surety OF
the superintendent being 100000.
For some reason or other Mr.. Lands has
recently come to the conclusion that the re-
sponsibilities of officials and others in
the mint are unusually heavy, and that
everything should be made safe by gen.
eral bonding scheme. His order, If it went
into effect. would make even laborers and
watchmen give bonds, when they do not
handle anything OF value connected with
the mint. 1t Is pointed out that every pre-
caution in the way of counting and weigh
ing is daily taken at the Philadelphia and
other mints. and that 1t would be almost
impossible for large theft to take place.
In the Treasury Department, for instance,
clerks handle thouSa ndS of dollars in paper
money and coin every day and they are
not placed under bonds of any kind. There
fore it would look out of place to require
minor employees Of the mint to spend money
in securing bonds when they handle no
great amount of valuables. Mr.. Lands
was formerly the coiner of the mint at
Philadelphia and is well acquainted with
the workings of the institution. II the
treasury should sanction his order 1t would
mean that employees in every mint In the
sity.
The officials Of the treasury and of the |
Philadelphia mint have for a long time
been endeavoring to secure profile photo
graph Of President Roosevelt from which |
a suitable engraving could be made for a |
dents are kept on sale at the mint and are
sometimes used for official purposes Medals |
of all Presidents are in possession of the 1
mint. In every case photographs contain |!
ing profile views were easily obtainable, 1
but this Is not so i'll the case of President |
been struck. It is expected that some ar
will soon be made for a profile |
picture or that the President will grant a |
sitting to the engraver Of the mint.