The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-05
GOVERNMENT FREQUENTLY
 PROFITS BY MISFORTUNES

in years past have swept Chicago, Bos- ton, San Francisco Baltimore and other cities and estimate that many millions must have been lost in these great con Hagrations.
 Early in the civil war the United States issued over siOO,o00.000 of legal tender notes which were used in payment of all government obligations. including the pay of the armies in the field. At this time there are still outstanding over sS,- 100000 of these notes in the denomina- tions of sl and g alone, which are never heard from except now and then stray bill two is presented for redemption. It is a fair assumption that large per- centage of the whole s30OO,O00 has been accidentally destroyed and this is un- doubtedly proportionately true of all of the old issues
 Soon after the war began the govern ment issued from time to time an aggre- gate of nearly $369, ,0O0 900 in fractional pa- per money and something over $15,O00,000 is still carried in the treasury accounts as outstanding, although only few hum dred dollars are presented each year for redemption.
 As fast as these old wartime "shin plasters" come in. the treasury destroys all of them that are much mutilated and worn. but they are never paid out again other than in small amounts and in exceptional cases. The treasury now has on hand only about $246 of these small notes. In 1879 the department recogniZ- ing the fact that comparatively few of the old fractional notes would ever be t,Fa taA ha al 10 segregation of fund of something over $s, s,0O0, 600 held in the treasury for the re- demption of those notes, the amount to be applied to the payment of war pen sions Large sums of this issue are no doubt held by collectors as souvenirs.
 Of the civil war issue of compound in- terest notes which amounted to nearly s267, ,000.0C0, there still remains outstanding approximately s10o,O00 and of this issue only $7O came to the treasury last year. Of the issue of seven-thirty notes running from 1861 to 1865. which totaled about $97O, ,000 coo, there is still outstanding S130,- 000 and only s10O in these notes were re- deemed last year.
 Of the wartime demand note issue of $G0000,0O0 q total of $53,0J0 is still unac- counted for and none of this issue has recently been presented for redemption.
 During the issue of the Spanish war loan in June and July, 1898. about 235,00o government checks were sent to sub scribers for small amounts of these bonds which represented the Interest due from the date of it's receipt until August l. the date of the bonds, and over 100000 of these checks have never been presented for payment.
 E It is assumed that as nearly all of the checks were for small amounts. some of them for only few cents. they also have been kept as souvenirs.
 Many people who received government checks in payment of interest on live bonds seem 10 be very careless or not in need of funds. as a large number of these checks never have been pre- scented for payment. One person alone
 is known to have in his possession an aggregate of many thousands of dollars represented by these checks and although | frequently frnportuned to present them for payment. he has SO far neglected to do SO
 An investigation recently made by the