Evening star., 1934-01-30
Poor Money Printing
Aid to COunterfeiters

TO the EGltof OF Tne BtAr.
Dear sir: In the Saturday, January
81, issue Of The Star there appeared a
letter signed w. E. Ryan entitled
"Counterfeits Now in Circulation" in
which Mr.. Ryan inquiries the reason for
the silence Of Mr.. Moran, chief Of the
United States Secret Service, on the
counterfeiting of our paper currency in
his testimony before the House .11 Com m
fiscal year 1885. This is a most timely
question and, to my mind, very i'm
portant one, for I feel confident that
due to the ease with which our paper
money can now be reproduced. the in
crease in this type of counterfeiting
must certainly be appalling have be-
fore me an article on this very subject
by Mr.. Moran clipped from The Eve
ming Star of August IL, 1888, which at
that time must have been an appalling
revelation to the average taxpayer.
In this article Mr.. Moran forcibly
states that the counterfeiting of our
paper currency had, indeed, become a
problem Of tremendous Importance, and
I am sure that nothing has been done
at the Bureau of Engraving since that
time that would give our currency any
added protection. I also ask with Mr..
Ryan why the silence?
During the past week have checked
up on the hearings on this subject that
have taken place over the past six or
seven years. and I find the testimony
OF Mr.. Moran on this subject most in
tereSting and startling.
For instance, let's take the present
fiscal year G934). In answer to a ques-
ton put by Mr.. Ludlow, a member OF
the committee, Mr.. Moran stated that
there had been an increase of over 900
arrests for counterfeiting over any pre-
vious year, and as this represents only
those that were caught, I wonder what
the total for this year will be?
Many will ask, and rightly So why is
this condition allowed to exist? Why
is not some new precaution. some new
method adopted to make counterfeiting
OF our securities much more difficult?
In my own personal judgment. which
has been gained over 80 years Of prac-
tical experience in all kinds Of plate
making and printing that is to be found
In both the commercial and bank-note
fields. think the best answer IS to be
found in the book entitled Paper
Money" by w. A. Dwiggins, on file in
the rare books room of the Congress
sional Library. I certainly do not agree
with all OF Mr.. Dwiggins' ideas. but I
certainly do agree with his statement
In which he says: Our paper money
has drifted into its present deplorable
state because the officials who are and
have been in charge of its design and
printing methods have always followed
a one-track mind in its production"
This statement of Mr. Dwiggins is
indeed. the truth, for now and in the
past they have persistently refused to
adopt modern methods of real protec-
tion by tinting and printing by offset
but have doggedly stuck to the anti
quated and costly method Of intaglio
production, method that any expert
enced photographer or etcher will tell
you makes for the "counterfeiter's para
disc" because of the ease with which
the intaglio method can be reproduced
and duplicated.
l am sure that If the powers that be
would come to their senses and install
at the United States money-makine
plant officials who are practical and
who have kept abreast of the times in
the study of the very fine offset and
tinting methods that have been adopted
in the commercial fields here and by
other governments abroad the counter
letting problem would become SO small
that we could forget all about it and al
the same time save the taxpayers mil
lions of dollars yearly.
This suggestion is not idle talk, but
on the contrary. sound common sense
Tor most all Of the foreign governments
have adopted the printing of their cur
rency by tinting with two or more
colors with great success. SO why can
not our Government do the same?
EAPMnnn