Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-07-20

All Of the notes, bonds, checks and
miscellaneous issues of the govern
ment, including postage stamps. IN
ternal revenue stamps and the differ
ent denominations of currency issued
to national banks are printed from
engraved plates in the bureau of en-
craving and printing at Washington,
says the New York Times.
The original dies are never de
stroyed. BY q system of transferring
the impression or design is passed
from the die to soft steel roll, which
is later hardened. hundred plates
can be produced from one hard steel
roll
All of this engraved work receives
the same supervision and is &C.
counted for just as accurately as the
securities that are printed therefrom.
Every morning the plates are issued
to the various printing divisions of
the bureau, and in the evening when
the work is done they are returned
to the vaults of the custodian of dies,
rolls and plates, where they are
counted. checked and locked up with
| time locks.
After approximately $4,000 impress
sons are printed from steel plate it
| becomes useless, as far as its original
| purpose is concerned the delicately
/ engraved lines and geometric lathe
work becomes worn and the portrait
! loses it's detail. When the plate be-
comes so affected as to render II unfit
/ for further satisfactory printing a
duplicate is ordered to be made for
printing future orders from the treas
ury department. Then the old plate
] is Cancelled and laid aside subse-
ftifentlV TO be DESTROYED
! This destruction, or, rather trans
/ formation, takes place just after Jan
! uary, each year, under the direction
of a committee appointed by the sec
rotary of the treasury, composed of
three persons, one of whom repre-
| sents the secretary and acts as chair
man, another the commissioner OF in
ternal revenue~and the third looking
after the interests of the comptroller
of the currency.
Under the directions from the de-
partment, the committee makes a
schedule in duplicate of all the cal
celed material, the original list being
| retained by the committee to form a
part of it's report to the secretary, and
the duplicate placed inside the box In
which the plates are to be packed
The boxes are made to hold an aver
age of $50 pounds each. As eacn boz
| is filed the cover is nalied on dnc
the box numbered and sealed with ths
treasury seal. The sealed boxes are
then stored in the vaults of the bu-
reau until such time as Is convenient
for their conveyance to the place o.
destruction.
/ The committee recently reported Il
the secretary the destruction of 4,52'
pieces. Weighing 1880 pounds-ovei
twenty tons withdrawn from th'
vaults. TO convey this vast amour
OF metal required the services of eigh
laborers and team of draft horse.
attached to one of the huge money
wagons Of the bureau, making eigh
trips to the United States navy yard
where the cremation takes place II
the foundry.
On arriving at its destination, tnt
committee directs the unloading. Thu
boxes are removed from the wager
on to hand trucks and taken by ele
vator up to the floor level of the Gu
pola door. The boxes are here opened
the carbon duplicate schedule re
+ moved and the plates again counted
and checked as they are cast into thu
furnace.
From the time the plates are takeI
! from the vaults of the custodian unit
the last one is thrown into the fire
they are under the watchful eyes o
the members of the committee, whit
i see that none goes astray for If on
! or two OF these plates should fall int
Legitimate hands and later be put u
improper ilse, l. woulc probably csus
eonsdela ple embarrassment To tn
government.
! In order to ascertaih whether tn