Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-09-28

, which are TO be signed are placed be-
meath the frame. Tho signcr grasps
the pen at tho lower loft hand corner
OF the frame end writes his sgpature
in the proper place. The frame IL so
constructed in relation to the Uniform
size OF the papers 10 be signtd that
| each of the other pens writes tho
exact duplicate of what the siEner
writes, In nine other places. These
machines are used in all Government
departments where many checks have
TO be signed by hand.
| Treasurer . Busy sIxner.
The Post once Department has
some 100000 checks a year to Sign
and tho Pension Ofnce 100000 checks.
The treasurer OF the United States is
one OF the busiest Of the signsrs.
Treasurer Frank White and his chief
deputy Frank J. F. Thiei, Sign away
more money than probably any Of
the others as their checks frequently
are for very large amounts. The reg
ular Treasury warrants which they
sign number about 10000 q year,
while miscellaneous checks number
another 10000.
Disbursing officers OF all the govern
ment departments, boards. bureaus and
commissions must be included In this
group OF busy signature writer's.
: All OF those whose signing runs into
the thousands employ the signing ma
chine where 81 is possible. The lirni,a-
ton OF the machine Is that IL can
, sign in duplicate only where the paper,
, to be signed arc uniform In size and
shape and where the signature is 20
, be placed in precisely the same posi-
ton on each paper. This limitation
prevents the use Of the machine for
, signing the general run OF papers and
y correspondence.
r Outside Of the Government but IN
= manner connected with 81 arc the
/. signers Of tho national currency.
- Readers viii recall that all national
bank notes bear the signatures Of IN.
president and the cashier Of the is
: suing bank. In recent years Some os
:, these officers have used rubber sta nnps,
!, but by no means all. Many of them.
probably most Of them, sign the note.
!, with pen and ink.
The annual total cannot be precisely
!, arrived at because there are new IS
- 1t has been estimated that about 75.
100000 notes are issued each year by
"a the national banks There are nearIy
:. 5000 national banks so a division
- would give each bank nearly $500
~ notes a year 10 sign. OF about 30 2
day. In times Of imitation when large,
= sums are issued. this number fncrea Sc,
!, materially.
O. The banks have urged Congress {,
= permit them to have their officers
40 signatures engraved on the notes hu
nv Congress never has given this Der
mission.
20 On United States currency III,
90 names OF the Treasurer OF the Unite,
States and OF the sscrstary are en-
graved. II they were not those OF
To- hcis1s could scarcely find time 70 d
no anything but sign money, so nun1er
"a, GUS are the notes.
. 1t Is nothing new for the writing G
v,, official signatures to be regarded az
burdensome duty by persons in mir
Office 1t Is an historical fact tha
Carinus, one OF the Ernperors OF Rom
>. about the Second Century. either wa
so too lazy OF too busy to eign hts nam,
In he made inquiry in the prisons TO I'm
Ich out who was the most dexterous an
skilhui forger in custody and ha
,es him freed and promoted 10 the DO
ar of secretary where his sole duty COZ
bs sisted IN initiating the Emperor
red signature and aff1xtng Il to documen
-. of state.