Evening star., 1925-01-11

Capital in the very shadow of the
Washington Monument, hard by the
White House greenhouses, one of the
most interesting manufacturing
plants in the whole country-at an
annual cost of approximately
$4,000, 900.
This plant. which is visited by prac-
tically every tourist coming to the
Capital, is called the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing. Here are de-
signed, engraved, printed and fin
ished all moneys and securities of
the Government. This means: United
States notes. bonds, certificates of in
debtedness, certificates, national bank
notes, Federal Reserve notes, Federal
Reserve Bank currency; internal rev.
enue, postage, thrift, war, savings
and customs stamps; Treasury war
rants, Treasury drafts and checks,
dsbursing officers checks, licenses,
passports, commissions, patent and
pension certificates, portraits of de-
ceased members of Congress and other
public officers when authorized by
law, and all postage stamps, moneys
and securities authorized by the
Bureau Of Insular Affairs for the in
sular possessions of the United States.
So when you buy a postage stamp
or get a dollar bill-which is the most
direct touch that most people have
with the Federal Government-just
let your mind vision for you the ex-
treme care that Uncle Sam exercises
before each stamp and each piece of
money is issued. Il is backed by the
United States Government.
Last year there were printed and
distributed 22,503,037, $50 stamps;
1888, 1S1, $50 bonds, notes and certifi-
Gates, and 3,159,922,400 currency
notes. The quantity of work done
and delivered by this workshop last
year exceeded, with two exceptions,
all records. The exceptions were 1919,
when the war peak was reached, and
1921, when temporary bonds were be-
ing replaced by permanent bonds.
Origin of Bureau.
The Bureau of Engraving and
Printing had its origin in the act of
Congress approved July IL, 1852, and
since that time 20 men successfully
have been directors of this big money
plant. The working force has grad
ually increased from five employees in
1862 to about 1900.
The necessity for paper currency
became apparent in the very begin
ming of the Civil War. The Secretary
of the Treasury was authorized to is
sue such proportion of the loan of
$3.50, 200, 900 provided for in the act of
July II, 1861, in Treasury notes as he
might deem advisable. From that
authority came into existence the
legal tender bills, or "greenbacks,"
as they were and are still popularity
known.
Private corporations in New York
City known as bank note companies
alone possessed the facilities for en-
craving and printing any Govern
ment securities. Consequently these
legal tender notes were engraved
and printed by the New York bank
note companies and then forwarded
to the Treasury Department for the
signature of the Registrar of the
Treasury and of the Treasurer of
the United States and to be sealed,
trimmed and separated before they
were ready to be placed in circula-
ton.
These notes at first were signed
by clerks, but ii was soon apparent
that the many different styles of pen
manship made counterfeiting less
easy to detect, and the clerks could
not keep pace with the public re-
quirements. The trimming and sepa-
rating was at first done by women
with shears. They were unable to
keep up with the increase in the
number of notes required.
A consolidation of the work was
made under the first division of the
National Currency Bureau, which
was shortly changed to the Bureau of
Printing and Engraving. The work
of engraving was commenced in the
Treasury Department November 20,
1862, with two engravers and one
transferer, upon the plates for the
third and fourth series Of the Five
Twenty coupon bonds and for frac-
tional currency.
From time to time the work done
by private companies was gradually
absorbed until all printing of securi-
ties of the Government was done in
this bureau. The last work taken
over from private contractors was the