The Washington times., 1904-01-03

! business of the country is in flourish
ing condition. and I must say that No
vember was the banner month for work
done in this branch. The great demand
! for treasury notes from one 10 twenty
dollars denomination and internal reve-
nue. stamps oblige US to work day and
night
Counting and Printing Process.
The building is open to visitors daily
from until o'clock. A corps Of train
ed and weIl-informed guides is on duty
to explain the details of the money
making process from the time the pa
per on which the securities are printed
leaves the mill until the completed note
is put into circulation. The paper used
is manufactured at Dalton, Mass. for
the Government exclusively.
This paper, distinctive from other pa
per. is made from little bits of red and
| blue silk fiber. distributed in two lines
across the paper about two inches from
! the end of the note Although this paper
is made under contract. the Government
superintends and guards the making
and only the skilled and trusted opera
In this way the Government exercises
absolute control of it in the various
channels through which it passes until
It becomes public money.
The paper on which this money is
printed undergoes sixty-three separate
counts FROM the time it is manufactured
until it is transformed into money.
Upon reaching Washington from Ddl-
ton. the paper is changed from its rest
ing place in the express car TO huge iron
vans. in which it continues its journey
through the world by being turneG over
TO the divisions OF loans and currency
Of the Treasury Department. There it
is recounted and examined by experts.
The perfect sheets are then held subject
to the requisition of the Bureau Of En-
craving and Printing When the bureau
calls for st. it is again put in a van and
removed to that building. where it Is
counted before it is placed in the
hands OF the printers.
The visitor sees it piled in great stacks
in the wetting division. then in the
press room, where each sheet contains
an impression of four notes, again in the
drying division. and so on through every
stage until it reaches the numbering
division. fully engraved and complete
with one exception 1t becomes legal
tender only when II is returned 10 the
Treasury Department and stamped with
the Great Seal of the United States.
Before 1885 the sealing was done at
the bureau, but Treasurer Jordan de-
cided that there was too much risk
incurred in carrying such vast sums Of
complete currency through the streets
of Washington and insisted that the
seal should be applied in the Treasury
building. This applies only to the
United States notes National bank |
notes are sealed at the bureau and de- |
livered to the Comptroller of the Cur |
rency and by him shipped to the banks
in sheets, so that the bank officers may
sign them and complete them for cir
culation.
Congress has made it a law that the 1
Secretary OF the Treasury can. at his /
discretion. change the style Of any issue /
OF notes or bonds. Ordinarily fl takes 1
from three to six months to engrave /
print. and put into circulation new /
issue OF notes. Under pressure the work /
can be accomplished in a much shorter 4
period. During the spanish-American
war internal revenue war-tax stamps |
were got out IN seventeen days. This |
required the engravers and printers to |
work day and night.
For practical use experts I'm the man
ufacture Of money agree that the less
engraving there is upon a note the more /
serviceable It is. While John c. Car
Isle was Secretary of the Treasury he
authorized the issue Of a series Of notes
generally known as the historic series.
The notes Of each denomination of this
series contained an elaborate illustration
Of some historical event.
When Mr. Carlisle first decided 10 have
these printed many of the most skilled
artists OF the country were invited to
submit designs. and for several months
afterward designs of all kinds. some
good. some bad. some Indifferent. flowed
I'm upon the Treasurer. a design was
finally decided upon and the dies cast.
the notes were very beautiful to look
upon when complete. but there was so