Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-16

THE United States leads all other ma
tons of the world in its coinage of gold
and silver" said Mr.. George Z. Roberts.
director of the minis of this country. Our
coinage during the calendar year 1904 was
equal to all the coinage of the government
during the first fifty years of its exist
ence."
Mr.. Roberts went on to tell just what
Uncle Sam is doing in furnishing TO his
people all the gold and silver they need In
carving on the billions of dollars of bust
ness they do among themselves and with
the other nations of the world each year.
He brought out the interesting point that
the government has not for many years
had so little silver bullion in its vaults, and
pointed out that in a short time we Will be
going into the silver market purchasing sill
yer for subsidiary silver. AS to the silver
dollar, its day for coinage is over, and the
director of the mint does not believe that
the government will turn out any more
dollars for many years to come, possibly
never at all There can be no more COM
age of the silver dollar until Congress fur-
nishes the authority for the purchase OF
silver for that purpose, and the gold stand
ard financiers of that body have no inclna-
ton to give the big round coin any larger
Mace in the circulating medium of the
country.
Coinage of Last Year.
Tast YEAR went on Mr.. Roberts, I'VE
coined 135, 1892, ISL pieces of money of all
kinds, valued at $3.50 ISL, 567. OF this amount
s233. 4o2. 42S was in gold, Sic, 1865 600 in silver
and 81 6S3 $50 in minor pieces. But our
gold coinage that year was in excess of
other years This was caused by the fact
that we began the year with a considerable
amount of gold bullion on hand. 1t had
accumulated while we were busy coming
money for the Philippine Islands and for
some of our neighboring republics in South
America and when the minis did get to
work they turned out the gold coins In
hurry We will probably not coin as much
gold this calendar year.
ENGLAND is next TO the United States in
the amount of coinage, Russia Is third and
Germany fourth. The total coinage of gold
in Great Britain and Australia for the year
1903 was s102, 420,66S, of which 500, lo6,0o4
was executed in Australia from the gold
taken out of the mines. None of the other
possessions of England coined any gold. OF
silver the coinage in England and all her
possessions. including India, the Straits Set
Elements and Hong Kong and Canada, was
ST., 1872 coo. This makes total coinage of
gold and silver of s1I3552,6 6S, much behind
our own figures for both metals.
.sRut II must be remembered that in Eng
land and most of the foreign countries the
big banks are not required by law to coin
their gold bullion before issuing notes upon
It, The Bank of England or the Bank or
France may issue notes upon bullion, while
in our own countrN no notes can be issued
until the bullion is minted
Canada to Have a Mint.
Isn't it peculiar that Canada, with her
gold in the Klondike and northwest, has
no mint?" was asked.
1T has heretofore struck me that way,
but Canada is now preparing to establish a
mint and she will make into coin MANY
millions of the gold that have been coming
to San Francisco. An agent of the Cana
dian government was at our Philadelphia