The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-10-06
BREAK RECORDS IN HANDLE ING
WAR EMERGENCY CURRENCY
How Rush Order for Millions Was Filled at Bureau OF
Engraving and Printing-Made Necessary by Ger
tainty War Would Cause Stringency

States government directly affected
by the European war has broken All
it's records for work by handing over
to the nationaT banks the enormous
sum of $500. 900, 000 in currency. is
sued Ivy the orders Of the President
and the Secretary of the Treasury to
avert the threatened stringency Of
funds which would naturally follow
the crisis reached by the many declar-
atoms OF war.
Work Day and Night.
To do this the bureau Of engraving
and printing. under Director Joseph
Il. Ralph. worked day and night, for
national hank notes are printed only
after the actual orders have beer
placed by the hundreds of institutions
throughout the country.
Realizing that the European war
was bound to cause strln-
gency throughout the country, the
administration, as told in news dis
patches, decided to allow the issu-
ance of emergency currency to re-
lieve the banks of the country. AS q
result, the rders started to pour IN.
The wave swept across the country
starting i'm New York. where such
institutions as the HanOye National
Bank. the City National and the Ma
tional Bank of ordered
$50. 900. o each of the new currency.
OSNo Illu Il
each taking large amounts, through
nearly $3.50. 900. 000 was ordered from
New York before the outside cities
were heard from.
Then the movement started west
ward. Buffalo,, Cleveland, Toledo
and Pittsburgh all turned in their or
ders. which were invariably in lots OF
from five millions upward: and finally
Chicago was reached. There the Con-
~tinental Commercial Bank alone de-
manded Sis. 900 600 in notes, all OF
which had to be made and shipped
within "A few days, if they were to ac-
complish the purpose for which they
were ordered.
The first call for this money came
August. and it was not until ten days
later that the Pacific coast was heard
from and San Francisco asked that
$24.95O 900 in currency be made in
Washington and shipped west with
the utmost dispatch.
Seemed Impossible.
To accomplish this task was some
thing which was beyond what any one
believed possible. The demands were
inSiStent. Orders were sent in by long
distance telephone, the bank preSi-
dents talking personally with Director
Ralph of the bureau Of engraving and
printing in an effort to get their
respective shares of the new money
first. 1t was only through a superb
organization III one of the finest fac
tories i'm the world that delivery could
be made promptly and in such a man
ner as to satisfy all.
BY calling back all the employees
who were on their vacations, urgins
all to top speed and working the plant
twenty-four hours eac day. the de
mands of New York, reaching Ovel
$4,000, 900, were satisfied, and tn
money placed in the hands of tn
banks within two weeks.
AS q matter of fact the ability t.
accomplish this work is said to b.
due to the fact that Director Ralph
insisted upOn the installing 0
power presses to take the. place Of tn
slow hand press.
Perhaps the best record which tn
bureau made was on the order sen
in by the Park National Bank of NeN
York. In this case there were n
plates on hand from which the note
could be printed. The making Of
plate, under ordinary circumstance:
takes approximately ten days; but i
an emergency like that which exiSte
it was necessary to do better. En-
gravers started their work at one,
and by working double shifts, one ma
taking up the work the very momer
that the first a done his part, tn
plate was ready for use in sixtee
hours.
The banks had ordered $4,000, 90
in notes Monday. August I, and by tn
following Saturday the plate had bee
completed and the entire work finish
ed with the delivery of this amour
to the banks in New York city. tt
impossible had been accOmplishe
much to the qualification of the d
rectors of the institutions, who we
in need Of the money to fill the d
mandS OF customers.
Painstaking Care.
From the time the paper for IL
national bank notes is started in Il
New England mills until the not
themselves are actually placed in CT
culation. the process followed is O
of great p~ainstaking care. When &
sheets of paper are first delivered
the bureau they are placed in stora
until needed for the actual work VIII
the ,irst process of wetting is COZ
pleted. Up to three years ago I'll
was done by hand, but now. by a Sc
tcin1ly AoSipnaA machine the mott;