Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-04-11
PART Of ENGRAVING
BUREAU IS CLOSED

week under an executive order by
President Harding removing James
L. Wilmeth, its director, and other
high officials, was ordered closed to-
night by Secretary Mellon for an
inventory of the stock, valued at
many millions Of dollars.
Mr.. Melons order applied only to
the divisions of the bureau which
handle the paper used in making
bank notes, stamps and government
securities, it being explained that
quicker and more accurate cheek
Of the paper stock could be made by
q, temporary shutdown Of all paper
work, About 1900 employees Of the
bureau force Of 5000 would ordi-
narily be affected by the order, Of
ficials said, but about 600 will, be
used as counters, and all others hav.
ing annual leave to their credit Will
be given the benefit of it.
According to Assistant Secretary
of the Treasury Wadsworth, in
charge of the bureau, the inventory
is to be taken as a check of the
stock on hand in the plant against
the books in much the same fashion
that stock Is taken by a nlanufac'
turer for the year.
The check of the bureaus store
of bank notes, stamps, government
securities, paper, plates and other
supplies, which officials said total
an enormous amount in value, will
be begun tomorrow by a committee
appointed by Mr.. Mellon, represent
ing all the departments such as
the treasury, federal reserve board
and postoffice departments, which
have work done at the plant, and a
staff of justice department agents
assigned to Louis A. Hill, the new
director, by Attorney General
Daugherty. Mr.. Wadsworth said he
expected the count to be completed
within week at the outside.
Whether the results Of the in
ventory will be made public, as is
customary when the cash in the
treasury is counted, has not yet
been considered, according to high
treasury officials. The report of the
justice department agents who are
experienced in bank examining
work, it was said at that depart
ment, will be submitted to Director
VI LlG UuCIdu Va
ton, who will in turn transmit it
to Mr.. Daugherty, from whom it is
expected to 60 to President Harding.
Announcement Of the closing
brought into prominence again ru-
mors that have circulated among some
department employees to the effect
that investigation Of the engraving
bureau would disclose serious short.
in tho ctnaLS q yxyf6nSnrnQ6
duplication Of Liberty bonds and
other government securities. High
treasury officials declared today, how
ever. that there was no suspicion of
a shortage in the stock Of the bu-
reau, although there have been some
duplication of the numbers on gov
eminent bonds, due to faulty ma
chimes. These Implications, it was
stated, caused no loss to the gov
eminent because the securities were
accounted for by the individual pieces
and, although there had been minor
thefts from the bureau from time
to time, such losses had. for the most
part been recovered.
With reference to various reports
Secretary Mellon. in formal state
ment tonight, said:
1.-THE statements appearing in the
newspapers to the effect that vast
volume Of duplicate bonds and other
securities have been fraudulently is.
sued and are in circulation are who'll
ly without foundation. There has
been no evidence developed Of any
such situation, either in the bureau
Of engraving and printing or else
where in the treasury department"
THINKS HARDING
SHOULD GIVE REASON
NEW YORK, April S.--The Ma.
tional Civil Service Reform league,
of which Secretary Hughes is a vice
president, today issued statement
through it's acting president, William
Dudley Foulke, asserting that as an
act of simple justice, President 1ar-
ding should assign his reasons for
dismissal last month of the director
and thirty-one employees OF the bu-
reau Of engraving and printing.
The statement called attention to
section six Of the act Of August "a,
1912, providing:
THAT no person in the classified
civil service OF the United States
shall be removed therefrom except
for such cause as will promote. the
efficiency Of said service and for rea~
sons given in writing, and the per-
sons whose removal is sought shall
have notice Of the same and OF any
charges preferred against him :.
and also be allowed reasonable time
for personally answering the same
| in writing.
This provision of the law, the
statement said, was based on a rule
issued by President Mckinley in
1897. In case immediate action was
necessary, the president could have
suspended instantly all the persons
affected by his order pending the fiji.
ing Of charges and the opportunity
for rep:y, added the statement, which
continued:
"On April we wrote the president
and secretary Of the treasury asking
! if reasons were given in any case,
but we have received no reply. II
employees are inefficient or corrupt
they should be separated from the
service without delay, but however
| grave may have been the reasons
behind these removals, it is an act
of simple justice for the employees
concerned to be furnished with a
statement of those reasons.
"And above all, the president OF
| the United States as an example to
all citizens, should observe the pro-
visions of the laws which it is his
duty to enforce"
| Richard H. Dana, Of Boston, who
now is abroad, is president of the
league, and Arthur r. Kimball, OF
Waterbury, Conn, chairman Of its
council.
Ivy ~ rTs