The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-03-03
IT COUNTS YOUR MONEY
ELECTRICITY DOES IT NOW, saw
ING LABOR At THE TREAS
UI.Y DEPARTMENT.

Machines operated by electricity
now count the money at the treas
ury department, thus saving a great
deal of labor, inasmuch as a single
one Of them Will reckon coins at
rate of 1000 a minute This means
$500 worth Of dimes, $40 worth Of
nickels, or so worth of pennies
every 60 seconds. And, incidental
to the process, the metal pieces are
automatically put up in bags ready
for shipment, writes Rene Bache
An interesting feature of this de-
vice is an automatic register-a
series of numbers under a piece of
glass attached to the machine which
change with every coin that passes
through. The coins are showed with
Ia push of the hand into the appara-
tus from a table to which it is fast
ened, and every one that goes
through causes a figure to jump-un-
til the line Of figures in view of the
Operator reads 0999, and then 1000,
showing that the bag underneath
contains exactly it's required quota.
Unlike the human counter, the
machine cannot possibly make a mis-
take. So it merely remains to de-
tach the bag, tie it with a string and
fasten it with a lead disk, which re-
ceiyes from a pincers-like cOntrivance
the treasury seal, guaranteeing the
inviOlability of its contents. This, |
indeed, is the shape in which the |
bulk of the metal money is sent out |
from Washington to the subtreasu-
ries and to banks all over the coun- |
try.
Nearly all the new coins required |
for circulation are shipped direct |
from the minis to the subtreasuries, |
but a stream of old metal money sent !
in for redemption is continually flow |
ing through the treasury at Wash !
ingtOn, and most of it goes out again |
into business channels after being |
counted. For this purpose it is that
the reckoning machines are chiefly |
used, though also for counting con- |
siderable quantities of new coins that |
are received at intervals from the |
Philadelphia mint packed in kegs. |
All WORKOUT pieces are thrown out |
in the counting Of old coins received |
for redemption and are sent back to |
Philadelphia as so much raw ma |
terial for reminting. The fresh ones !
substituted for them are supplied !
from Philadelphia as fast as they |
may happen to be required, in kegs |
as aforesaid. These kegs, the safest |
possible receptacles, are so carefully |
made that they cost So each.
A very large part of the business |
Of the United States treasury consists |
in the counting of money, and expe- |
rience has shown that women do this |
sort of work much more rapidly and |
more accurately than men. In every |
case, even when the electric machine |
is employed, the coins sent in for |
redemption must first be reckoned |
over by hand, in order to get rid of |
the foreign and mutilated pieces, |
those that are too much worn for |
further circulation, and the counter
feits. This is a task which demands |
a very high degree of expertness, but
the women trained to the work per
form it with wonderful rapidity and
dexterity.
One woman's time is devoted ex-
clusiVely to the business of making
paper rouleauX to hold coins. Many
banks prefer to get their metal mon
ey of smaller denominations in that
shape, because such cartridges" as
they are called, are easily handled |
and their contents do not have to be
counted each one being marked on
the outside. Nickels, dimes, quar-
ters and halves are put up in these
cartridges; but not pennies. For the
latter strong paper bags are used.
AS already stated, however, most of
the coins of all denominations sent
out from the treasury are packed in
cloth bags, tied at the neck and
sealed. Bags of cotton cloth are
made to serve for cents and nickels.
while those for silver are of a good
quality of duck. This little item of
EXPENSE for cloth bags amOunts +O