The sun., 1916-11-24
COIN FAMINE
ALARMS MINT FOLK
Prosperity Getting Down to
the Real People, Says
Won Engelken.
CALLS CONFERENCE HERE
Superintendent Will Meet d.
rector To-day and Try to
Find q Remedy.

An unprecedented demand for small
coins-quarters. dimes. nfcKeis ana cents
"A demand that Ia daily straining the
resources Of the United states Treasury
Department. brought r. II. j. Van
Eneelken, director Of the mint. to New
York yesterday to see II something can
Be done to relieve the scarcity. To-day
he will meet ohicials Of all mints here
for . conference to devise ways and
means Of turning out enough small coins
to msse the demand.
At the conference will be T. W. H.
Shanahan. superintendent Of the San
Francisco mint Thomas w. Annear.
superintendent OF the Denver mint: A..
NJ. Joyce. superintendent Of the Phila-
delphia mint r. D. Hawkins. chic clerk
Of the San Francisco mint. Ind Vernon
Bowie. superintendent OF the New York
Assay once.
we v before have been con-
fronted by such an emergency" said
Mr.. Van EnGeiksn last night. "and I
doubt that We will be able to materially
increase the production. Our two large
mints now are working t~wenty-four
houn . day. while the smallest Is on =
sixteen hour shift. They are all At
maximum capacity. and their energies
are being concentrated on the coins Of
which We are % short.
Wyspu a~>>A H. p~p~AueHlau
Our idea In holding the conference 10
to discuss the operation of the mints.
probably adopting at all Of them sugses-
lions that have proved Of beneht In n
mint. We are now at capacity. There
fore by the teamwork which we believe
his conference will produce We expect
to be able to speed up our production Of
small coins. The problem Ia growing
more perpiexing every day"
What IL the reason for the shortage
In small coinsT" the director OF the mint
was asked.
There 10 only ono answer" he said.
"The people among whom the small
coins circulate have more Of them Than
ever before. II IL the result OF the
tremendous prosperity that IL getting
down to the people who use coins OF
small denominations.
II talked recently with h head Of
the engraving department In Washing
ton. He tells me there Is . similar ire
mendous demand for 81 n ~ bills.
and that this demand 10 increasing as
the holiday season approaches. None
Of them Ia returned. They are worn out.
Bankers say they are having great dim
Guilty In meeting the demand.
New Dimes All Gone.
THE Issuance Of the new dimes re-
Gently interfcred considerably with turn
ing out small coins. and II | had II to do
over again and realized what a tre-
mendous pressure We would be under 10
All the demand for small coins. I would
not issue the new dimes at this time
We have struck of 10000. 900 OF them
n they have been fairly snapped up"
Mr.. Van Engelken brought TO New
York specimens Of the new quarter and
the new half dollar that will be issued
soon. W have expected to Issue both
OF these for the Christmas demand" he
said. but probably their issue will b.
put of until this rush for the smallei
coins abates somewhat. A few quar-.
ters may be struck of before Christina.
as souvenirs"
The new coins will he inspected by tn,
mint super!ntendents at the conference
to-day. The samples brought to New
York by the director OF the mint arr
beautifully artistic and very much un
like the quarters and half dollars a
present In circulation. although the SAM
size and weight. The half dollar piec'
was designed by Adolph Wcinman. VIII
also designed the new dime. The qua
ter piece Is the work Of Hermon Mcneil
Each IL adorned with the artists con
ception OF Liberty. as portrayed In thu
figure OF "A m
Tho eagles on the reverse Of boil
coins. although entirely different birds
are portrayed In more natural attitude
than the ones which adorn he presen
coins. Roth figures are OF flying eagle
and are especially true to life, \ featur
Of the twenty-five cent coin II that /
has thirteen stars on both sides. the onl,
United States coin that II So decorated
No gold coins are being minted thi
year. according to the director. and tn
large gold imports have no effect OF thi
department Of the Government service.
I'VE are too greatly worried about get
ting out plenty OF quarters. dimes. nickel
and cents to meet the demands OF bank
In the United States to give much tim
to gold coins said Mr.. Van Engelken.