The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-08

dless 1S,SOO rolls and 1900 plates
Once year the custodian's records are
checked by e committee from the
treasury department. 1t usually takes
three months to accomplish this task.
After the records are audited, all
obsolete dies, rolls and plates are called
for and ordered destroyed. The same
minute system of checking obtains in
every department of the bureau. and
eminent have plates and unfinished
bills been reported missing.
How Dollar Is Made.
As a one-dollar bill passes through
about 800 hands before ii becomes legal
tender a system OF checking is abSo-
lutely necessary. The same system, IL
said, Will not be used when the bu-
reau starts laundering currency. While
note is not as great as 1t would be to
obtain & real note, it is all the more
necessary that great safeguards be
taken when the operatives handle the
real money. In washing the legal ten,
der, transferring 1t from one room to
another and from one operator TO an
other, Director Ralph believes that
greater safe guards will be imperative.
Just now the committee OF the treas
ury and Mr.. Ralph are planning a sys-
TEN whereby IL will be impossible for
a bill TO go astray while being handled
by the operatives. AS soon as this is
perfected and the mechanical devices
installed, Uncle Sam will employ laun-
dresses to rehabilitate his WORKOUT
treasury department, making II again
the equal of a fresh bill, and at the
same time saving the government much
money !
The estimated cost of installing the
new machinery for the laundry Is only
$780, The equipment will consist of
copper screen trays. holding a dozen
bfIlS; rolling machine, a sizing vat
and a copper cage Several girls en-
ployed IN the laundry will receive the
money when It comes from the treasury |
department and viii be responsible for |
IT until il leaves the bureau on its |
way back to the treasury.
At present no attempt will be made /
70 revive the completely worn out bills. /
It will, however. wash and resize all 1
notes that are received at the treasury 4
department from banks and other fl 4
nancial Institutions for redemption. the /
fibre Of which has not been broken.
Wash Millions Daily.
When the notes are counted in the |
treasury, the completely WORKOUT notes /
will be placed in a separate pile from
the merely dirty currency The latter /
other notes to the redemption division. /
where they will be macerated d.
rector Ralph estimates that fully 40 per
cent Of the notes returned 20 the treas |
sent to the bureau for laundryfng This |
viii mean saving of $1,000 q day |
without taking into consideration the |
cost of operating the laundry. At pres
one-half cents to print a bill but in /
washing the currency the cost viii be |
very small.
To wash the currency thoroughly. op-
orators viii have to sort out the paper
money, place IT on the copper screen |
trays, which In turn are placed in cop
per cages and then placed in a solu-
ton Of soap and water. As soon as
the bills are thoroughly saturated they
are taken out Of the solution and sub
jected to an antiseptic bleaching pro-
cess They are then reSiZed rolled and
placed In packages for their return to
the treasury. After passing through
their bath the bills present nice clean
appearance and look and feel like new,
crisp and tender. All stains are removed
and small holes IN the paper are filled
up with the sizing. The Ink Is not
harmed q particle In the washing pro-
cess.
Reports from the committee Of the
treasury experts who are conducting
these experiments, show that most Of
the paper currency returned to the
treasury for redemption comes from the
south and west. New York Boston
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington
and other eastern cities send back very
little currency for redemption.
One new feature will be put into on
Grafton when the laundry plan is IN
working order. Secretary MacVeagh
tionel as well as private 70 return all
money 70 the treasury which shows
the least effect OF hard use. In this
way currency will be kept in q sterile
condition and a greater percentage of |
returns can be made from the notes |
sent TO the treasury than obtains at |
present