The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-02-04
Government s
 Cash Nearly
 13 Billion

WaSn1ngIOn.-A compete count or the governments cash has just been made for the first time in twelve years. The total approximated 13 billion, five hundred million dol lars, and included all cash and se- curities held as reserves against cur- rency outstanding.
 The count was made by a special committee of three, assisted by eight accountants and by fifteen laborers who were used to move around the heavy sacks of gold and silver. The men deIved into great vaults in the Treasury building and took stock of gold, silver and paper money and se- curities, many of which had not S en the light of day since shortly after William Howard Taft was inaugur- ated President and new treasurer of the United States appointed in 1909
 z The accountants in entering the vaults passed grim-visaged guards who day and night ''sit on the Hd' to prevent any possible attempts at an The vaults themselves are supposed to be burglar proof and are of mass i've concrete and steel construction The storage sections are kept under seal and this was the first time that some of thehn had been opened in twelve years for when John Burke became treasurer after President Wilson was first inaugurated he ac-
 
 age sections which had not been open ed since the previous count in 1909.
 The accountants handled money of every possible denomination from the loWly copper tof $10,000 bills. Many of the bills, particularly those of the large denominations, such as $1,O00, were in sheets of. four each and held as reserve against currency of small CT denominations in circulation. Thousand dollar bills in circulation
 
 is kept supplied by the Treasury with a. list of them with their num- bers so that if perchance any are extracted from the Treasury illegal ly the holder will have extreme diff cufy in realizing on them
 The count just finished was made necessary by the retirement of John Burke as treasurer and was com pleted in the remarkably short time of three weeks through the use of electric counting machines Loose coins through these machines in- stead of being counted by hand as was necessary in the olden days. Paper currency was counted by the piece, but stored coins and currency were counted by the sack or package unbroken and the seal on each in- tact
 The main supply of the govern ment's money is stored in two large vaults, but there are a number of smaller ones in the various divisions cash rooms where cash payments are made by the government
 Gold coins stored in the vaults were counted by weight The gold is kept in sacks, sealed with the treasurer's wax seal and containing &5,000 each, weighing about IS pounds and r ounces
 First one sack was weighed and then the others were examined. If both the seal and covering were found intact they were weighed against the first or test sack and if | the result was the same were passed and counted. However, if a seal was | broken or the sack torn or there was apprecialb1e difference in weight the | contents were counted by the piece. Standard silver dollars were count 1 ed in the same way as the gold coin They are stored in sacks containing l 1000 and weighing about 60 pounds | Work on the silver coin was 1eSsened | officials said by the governments melting 100,o00,oo0 silver dollars un- der the Pittman Act for sale to the British government to relieve the sil- yer famine in India during the war.
 Paper money is stored in paper packages malingsa a cube of about 7 F inches each way and containing 4,00C notes. On each package is stamped 1 the amount ana the denOm1nauOn O] 1 the notes inclosed. A wax seal is at 1 tached. Except where a broken sea or package necessitated an actua count of the contents the paper in the vaults was counted by the package. Sealed packages of paper money l are accepted from the bureau of en graving and printing as correct whel the wrappings are intact because th' | issue division of the treasury main
 tains an. office in the bureau and il l reality counts all the paper none. l before it leaves the bureau.
 Coins of smaller denominations -
 quarters, dimes, nickels and copper stored in sacks were counted in tn l same manner as the silver and go1
 by taking the weight of a test sac,
 for each denomination and weigh ing the other sacks aginst it.
 Upon completion of the count tn
 storage compartm ents of the vault
 were sealed with the seal of tn
 special committee and a receipt. wa
 given to MT. Burke: the retiring treas
 urer, by Guy F Allen. his successo
 for the cash and securities of the gov
 ernment held in the terasury- Whe
 he signed the recenpt the acting treas
 Sih1