St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1907-05-03
SANK OF ENGLAND NOTES.
The Enormous Output and the Safe.
guards Against Forgery

The Bank of England refuses to
use color for its notes on account
Of the fact that the authorities be-
leve that its whiteness and appar-
ent simplicity are the greatest safe
guards against forgery. The white
ness of Bank of England note is
different to that of any other pa
per and is obtained by using only
the very finest linen rags in the
making.
At Laverstoke, little village in
Hampshire, the paper is prepared,
and ut the mill there every blank
is as zcalously guarded as if it were
already engraved. Every workman
or workwomaa employed at the mill
is bound to secrecy, and the secrets
of the mysterious water mark and
texture Of the paper are known only
by the most tried and trusted of the
workmpn.
IT is not generally known that ev-
cry bank note bears a private water
mark. which is constantly being
changed in a way known only TO the
head officials and which is discern
ible through a microscope only.
And il save much for the vigilance
and skill of the Bank of England
cashiers that. although they pay on
an average f27,000 in exchange for
notes every day, they have never
yet paid a forged note.
The easiest way TO detect forged
note is by dampening a corner with
the tongue. II genuine, the water
mark appears very distinct. In
counterfeit notes il almost disap-
pears. On genuine "liver" there
Is small white dot on the right
side Of the Old English az in tho
word give" Tho tail Of the letter
"F" in the sentence "For the Gov
ernor and Company" ia also left in
an incomplete state.
The ink with which bank notes
are printed is made Of charrcd
husks and stems Of Rhcnish vines,
and the recipe. like the manufac-
ture Of the paper, is a carefully
guarded secret.
Each bank note costs about
halfpcnny TO produce and on an nv
crngc il in circulation Hbout seventy
days. After being paid the notes
are stored by the bank for five years,
nt the end Of which time they are
destroyed by burning in large fur
mace. Eighteen millions Of money
thus disappear in the course of ev-
cry year.
Once note Is returned to the
bank IL is never rcissuod. and after
being cancelled by having the sig
nature of the chief cashier torn of
II is placed in what is known as the
bank nota library for purposes OF
reference. There are no fewer than
100 clerks in this department, and
so perfect is their system of filing
that any one Of the 7T7i5,000
notes which form the usual stock
on hand can be reached in five min
utcs.
Altogether the Bank Of England
has some fl5,00O. 900 worth Of notes
in circulation and issues between
10000 and 10000 notes Of various
each day. There are
seventy or eighty kinds Of Bank Of
England notes Of different values,
Every year about 5000 Of the notes
issued are lost or destroyed by the
owners. AZ any rate, they are new.
er returned to the bank and repre-
sent a clear profit. While IL is true,
however, that II a note never comes
back the bank profits TO that
amount, they never can tell when
these so called missing notes may
be presented.
Some people possess a weakness
for boarding bank notes, and the re-
suit has been that frequently tho
bank is called upon 10 cash dirty,
crumpled notes which were issued
years ago.-London Tit-Bits.