The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 4, 1901, Page 6

THE SAN Che Sokade Cull. ..MAY 4, 1901 SATURDAY...... e e e BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT. NE of our contemporaries is quite shaken and shocked because the Government of the O United States has not built the Nicaragua canal long ago, when it is in evidence that, if he chose, JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. SESSSPIES Address All Communicstions to W. 8, LEAKE, Manager. MANAGER'S OFFICE........Telephone Press 204 B e A O AT TP PUBLICATION OFFICE...Market and Third, S. ¥. Telephone Press 201. EDITORIAL ROOMS. ....217 to 221 Stevenson St. Telephone Press 202. Delivered by Carriers. 15 Cents Per Weelk. Single Copies. 5§ Cents. ! Terms by Mail, Including Postage: “JATLY CALL (including Sunday), one year. $4.00 DAILY CALL (including Sunday), § months. 00 DAILY CALL (including Sunday), 3 month: DAILY CALL—By Single Month S5 WEEKLY CALL. One Year... 1 All postmasters are authorized to receive subscriptions. Eample coples will be forwarded when requested. Mall subscribers in ordering chanee of address should be particular to give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order o insure & prompt and correct compliance with their request. OAKLAND OFFICE .............1118 Broadway €. GEORGE KROGNESS. ising, Marquette Building, ¥anager F Advertising, 3 (Long Distance Telephone “'Central 2619."") NEW YORE REPRESENTATIVE: €. C. CARLTON. ... +...Herald Square NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: STEPHEN B. SMITH... ++30 Tribune Building NEW YORK NEWS STANDS: Waldorf-Astoria Hotel; A. Brentano, 31 Murrey Hil Hotel. ° » "Unton Square: CHICAGO NEWS STANDS: Ehermen House; P. O. News Co.; Great Northern Hstel: Fremont House; Atditorium Hotel. WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE....1408 G St., N. W. MORTON E. CRANE, Correspondent. BRANCH OFFICES—S?7 Montgomery, corner of Clay, open until 9:30 o'clock. 300 Hayes, open until 9:30 o'clock. 633 McAllister, open until 3:30 o'clock. 615 Larkin, open untll $% o'clock. 1841 Mission, open until 10 o'clock. 2261 Market, corner Sixteenth. open until 8 o'clock. 1096 Valencia. open urtl 8§ o'clock. 106 Eleventh, open until 9 o'clock. NW. cor- ner T -second and Kentycky. open until 9 o’clock. AMUSEMENTS. ral—*Ten Nights in a Barroom.” The Idol's Eve.” eum—Vaudeville. bia—‘Sag Harbor, Alcazar—*The Conquerors. Grand Opera-house—"Mr. Barnes of New York.” California—"A Bachelor's Romance.” Olympia, corner Mason and EAdy streets—Specialties. utes, Zoo and Theater—Vaudeville every afternoon and Monday next. Fischer's—Vangeville. Becreation Park—Baseball. Fmeryville Racetrack—Races to-day. e = 10 SUBSCRIBERS LEAYING TOWN FOR THE SUMMER. Call subscribers contemplating a change of resideace during the summer months can have their paper forwar by mail to their mnew sddresses by mnotifying The Call Business Offiice. This paper will also be on sale at all summer resorts and is represented by a local agent im VALLEJO'S PETITION. ALLEJO'S petition that arrangements be V made for taking President McKinley to Mare Island during his visit to this part of the State ne that should be promptly granted. It is not too e for the committee in charge of the reception in this city to so reconstruct the programme as to give ample time for the visit. Hardly anything in this vicinity could be more interesting to the chief magis- of the nation, and there is hardly anything in which it could be of more value to us to have him interested The Government works at Mare Island are the most important on the Pacific Coast, and yet they are by no means all that is desirable. In the course of a personal, inspection of them the President and his Cabinet wguld readily perceive in what respect ex- tensions and improvements are necessary to fit the station for the increasing work imposed upon it by the recent development of our national interests in all lands around the Pacific Ocean, and the administra- tion would therefore be more inclined than ever ro support our Senators and Representatives in their efforts to obtain from Congress the appropriations needed for making the yard adequate to the demand upon it It is well known that one of the obstacles in the v of advancing California interests at Washington is the comparative ignorance of Eastern statesmen concerning the full extent of the importance of thosz interests to the nation. The thing that is near at hand always appear larger than the thing that is remote. Consequently the various forts, navy-yards and other governmental plants in the East fill a larger place in the minds of Eastern statesmen than do those on this side of the continent. We should, therefore, take ad- vantage of every opportunity to bring visiting stdtes- men into personal contact with the Government sta- tions in California. An inspection of any establish- ment of the kind would have more effect in bringing zbout a clear appreciation of its relative value to the wation than could volumes of reports and descriptions, y .number of speeches in the House or the Senate. It can hardly be doubted that the President would most gladly avail himself of an opportunity to visit Mare Island if it be afforded him. Ever since he left the army his mind® has been occupied with govern- nental affai Every form of the work carried on by the nation is of interest to him, and now that he is President and has great duties to_fulfill in regard to all governmental activities his interest is keener than ever. A personal inspection of so important a Gov- ernment station as that at Vallejo would, therefore, be to him a matter of no little gratification, since it would enable him to understand more clearly what has been accomplished there and what more is required to make future accomplishment greater still. It is to be borne in mind, moreover, that a trip to Vallejo, while it would not take much time, would be for the President and his party a welcome rest from the parades and functions of his reception in the city. For that reason, therefore, as well as for the others stated, the petition from Vallejo should be granted. Let the committee in charge of the reception see to it that the President and his Cabinet visit Mare Isl- and. Vallejo petitions it, and the interests of the Pa- cific Coast—and indeed of the whole nation—ae- mand it. trat w3 or a The Klondike country expects to make an output of $25,000,000 of gold this season, and once more will lead the Alaskan output, but within 2 year or two the Neme diggings promisz to beat anything the Cana- Cians can do in that saction of the world. Chile has elected a new Cabinet. This should be a reasonably safe preliminary assertion for a predic- tion that the next important news from Chile will be that of 2 new revolution. : 3 Pierpont Morgan could build it in a year and have it open to commerce. There is no doubt that Mr. Morgan could do the work quicker and better than all the Governments on earth combined. Undertaken as a private ‘enterprise there would be no diplomatic or international com- plications. , The states over whose territory the ditch passes would enfranchiss Mr. Morgan to do the work and p(obgbly exact from him an annual subsidy, con- sisting of a fixed percentage of the earnings of the canal, and he would syndicate the enterprise, capitalize and put it through, and then open it on equal condi- tions to all nations. Being practically an extension of the two oceans, it would be subject to the same prin- ciples of public and international law as their waters, and would of necessity, therefore, be neutral water, for its shores would be always within the neutral line. But Mr. Morgan has concluded not to build an isthmian canal at present, therefore the slow motions of Government must be patiently waited. If one ask why are they slow, all history answers because they are government motions. It may be set down among the facts that time and history prove that no Govern- ‘ment can do anything as well as the individual can do it. To begin with, 2 man can govern himself much easier, cheaper and better than any Government can govern him, if he choose. In its very beginning, then, government is the outgrowth of the imperfections of man, and it has all the characteristics of its: origin. Justified by the refusal of man to use his own ca- pacity, it reflects the incapacity which creates and makes it necessary. As the isthmian canal is to be constructed by the Government, treaties must be made, international agreements must be- ratified, politics, patriotism, demagogy and corruption must all have a hand in the pie. The enemies of the canal, who could not impede Pierpont Morgan a single day in the work, can im- pede the Government from session to session of Con- gress, perhaps until reaction from speculation has brought on a panic and a pinch that will make the construction impracticable, or until some change in the king row on the international checkerboard has made it impossible. What is happening or failing to happen in the build- ing of the canal by the Government is an illustration of the infirmity of Government as a person in busi- ness. Government is for the purpose of making in- dividuals in business do right, keep their contracts, .refrain from oppression and abstain from restraint of trade. It is to make those who supply the people with water furnish good water at a reasonable price, a-.gd those who furnish transportation to supply it at a reasonable rate and on terms of equality to all comers. Government can fix the time at which a railroad shall be finished, by voiding right of way and other contracts in which time is made the essence. Government can make all individuals keep their contracts, but-no one can make Government keep its contract. It makes and breaks bargains without apology or liability, and because it is a Government | is incapable of business honor or responsibility. Fancy a business man-against whom contracts can- not be enforced, who cannot be sued in the courts, who breaks his word at will, who is without business honor or honesty, and you have fancied a character so repulsive and revolting that it is impossible ‘in the | individual, who would not be able to escape the pen- | alties of his faithlessness and vice. But when the Government embarks in business it presents every one of those revolting features and is exactly what an in- dividual would be who possessed them all. Government's proper function is the making of in- dividuals do right in their business transactions. But no one can make the Government do right in busi- ness, therefore it has no business to be in business. These considerations deterred the friends of an isth- mian canal from seeking Government ownership and administration-of that work. They foresaw the inva- siorl of the issue by politics, and delay in beginning the work and corruption in its execution; but it ic determined that it is to be a Government work, and its friends must restrain their impatience 'while the advocates of Government ownership complain be- cause that which was foreseen has come to pass, and | we have no canal. | Sixty-six years ago Mr. Clayton, who later on mae the Bulwer treaty, began the agitation for an isth- mian canal’ Since then six transconfinental roads have been built and the Suez canal has been finished by joint stock companies and corporations. Our in-, | 1and transportation system has grown to be the great- est in'the world.: Our facilities for the export of mid- continental products to the seacoast, and return thers- from of the imports for which they ares exchanged, are matchless in speed, safety and cheapness; but the Government is so feeble in business that it is barely able to keep the seaports open as the pores througi which the country must sweat its trade or die. According to a report going the rounds of the East- ern press a recent inv:stigation of the careers of col- Icge trained negroes shows they have had such suc- cess as to have acquired property of a value. equiva- lent to an average of $5000 for each one of the group; aid if that be true the cclored brother has no right to kick, for he is ahead of a good many white colle- giates. D contribution to the Edinburgh Scotsman re- viewing the progress of science and invention, states that at a recent meeting of electrical experts in London one of them, Mr. Duddell, gave an account of certain experiments he had made showing that electric arcs can be so manipulated as to evoke musi- cal tones. It is claimed by the experimenter that by the aid of suitable apparatus electric lights could be played upon like an crgan and made to give forth music possessing both delicacy and strength. ¥ Commenting upon the experiments . Dr. Wilson says: “The subject 13 more of a scientific curiosity at present than anything else, but it is never safe to predict what may be the development of any new dis- ccvery in the domain of electrical energy.” He sug- gests that it is quite probable the phrase “electrical organ” may soon be applied to an instrument which will much more nearly correspond with that descrip- | tion than does one in which only the keys are oper- | ated by electrical force. ; The possibilities of the invention are enticing to- the imagination. When the electric dynamos that are MUSIC AND'LIGHT. R. ANDREW WILSON, F. R. S. E, in a used to generate light by night can be used also to! evoke-music throughout the wide reach of all the wires connected with the central plant ‘there will be | no longer any difficulty gbout furnishing music for the masses. A giant cofporation can form a music. trust and provide anything from: ; eral dirges at any place supplied with its wites. 1 ‘tel ¢ P | ery fight against Tammuny in.New York City, it is dance music o fun FRANCISCO CALL, ATURDAY, MAY 4, 1901. say, “Turn on an accompaniment for ‘A Hot Tin‘ in the Old Town To-night, and after that give a waltz, followed by the laneers.” Entertaining sur- prise parties will be a soft snap. One dread danger impends over a prospect other- wise full of happy promise. Should it be found pos- sible to make the arc lights resound in tuneful strains there might be a demand: for their use in that way by every street parade. There might even be a de- mand for. a municipal music plant. The thought is tco horrifying to be dwelt upon at any length, but it should not be altogether overlooked. Science may yet render life unbearable by turning the whole net- work of electric wires that radiate through the city into a harp of a thousand strings and ‘place that im- mense instrument of torture in the hands of a rag- time Board of Supervisors. THE WALL-STREET BOOM. OR a long-time past conservative men have been F watching the course of Wall street with wonder not unmixed with fear. The rapid rise in prices, the vast sales of almost all kindg of stocks, and the ease with which enormous enterprises are capitalized and floated, have excited admiration; but at the same time many of the wise old heads of the street have gone about saying, “It is splendid, but is it busi- ness?” The cautious ones, of course, have not gone long without an answer. To every doubting question of the conseryatives there has been returned a prompt reply from some sanguine spirit who sees in the en- thusiasm of the street nothing more than the natural buoyancy of a people whose industry and commerce; are not only flourishing but are growing upon a soil rich enough to keep them expanding and developing for an indefinite period to come. Thus® Senator Hanna, when asked concerning'a prediction of Rus- sell Sage that Wall street has a Black Friday ahead, answered cheerfully: “There is not a cloud in the | sky. I cannot prophesy anything dangerous or threat- ening. We have turned over a pew leaf. 'We cannot measure the present ‘.by the past.” The controversy turns upon the nature of the forces and conditions that constitute , what is called a “boom.” The New York Times in defining the word and explaining its origin says: “The fact that it desig- nates the spar by which the sail is stretched to- catch the propelling breezes may explain its suggestiveness as a slang term useful in describing the means by which is brought about a condition of business which is frequently described as ‘carrying a good deal of sail.” The length and strength of the boom.of a sail- 4 ing craft is a factor of prime importance in determin- ing the amount of sail she will carry. This fact gave to the word boom a significance easily and generally appreciated, and probably explains its crystallization into our language to describe conditions which are so far abnormal that no standard English word ex- actly met the requirements of colloquial and news- paper use.” Holding the belief that the present boom in Wall street is in the nature of #®sail set for all winds that blow; the Times reminds its readers that booms “jibe” frequently and that those who are not on the look- out when the shifting of position takes place “afe very liable to be reminded of the value of watchfulness by being knocked into the cockpit, or overboard, as the case may be.” There is, however, another view taken of the con- ditions that constitute a boom. Accerding to that view the word does not mean a sail of any kind, nor 'was it brought into the language of ‘trade from any such source as the Times says. It is claimed the word has long been in use in the Mississippi Valley to signify a rise in the ‘waters of the river. When the stream overruns its banks it is said to be “booming.” Thug the argument is that the activity in Wall street is not due to the spreading of sails for wind, but to the abounding and overflowing prosperity of the country. It will be seen there are several kinds of booms. Unfortunately there appears no safe way of distin- guishing one from the other until all is over and apost- mortem is held. The present boom may be a genuine, substantial, business affair, but it may also be a specu- lative craze started by clever men who ‘wish to ob- tain more than their fair skare of the general good. There is nothing to be gained by being a pessimist unless one happens to be a bear like Russell Sage, but all the same it will be just as well for the averags man to let speculation alone, for this may be one of the booms that jibe suddenly and there is no telling | when a good many sanguine fellows are going to be knocked into the cockpit. e s i In a recent proclamation to his people the Emperor of China speaks of the European armies in his do- minions as his “guests.” The term is a neat one, for it saves the Emperor from confessing to his people thzt any power is stronger than his own, and at the same time is so polite the invaders can feel at liberty to exercise the right of a guest and take what they wish, ; No less than thirty-cight Mormon missionaries sailed from Boston to Europe on a single day last week, and as a result we may expect to have several hundred Mormon converts sailing from Europe to this country on a single ship. Mormonism may be unAmerican in many respects, but it has no lack of American vigor. * _The young ladies and gentlemen who are about to graduate from Berkeley are tempting fate with a temerity most unusual. They intend to predict their future and twenty years hence meet and read the prophecies in the retrospect. ‘Some of them probably will not care to be present at that meeting. D An enterprising young pugilist of Chicago wants to enter the military academy at West Point. . It is altogether within the runge of probability that prize- fighting will be eliminated from the hazing code of the inztitution if the young man succéeds in his ambi- tion. | 3 Thirteen grave diggers went on strike the other day in Philadelphia, and now all are looking for other jobs. They should have respected the hoodoo of their number and the naturel privilege of the dead to get off the earth without unnecessary inconvenience.- Seckers after the curious have discovered a hand- some Chicago professor who avers that he never kissed a girl. Somebody ought to boom him for a place in the calendar of the saints or run him for President of the United States agninst Hobson. Now that David Bennett Hill has fairly ]auncbegi hig Presidential boom and has organized a prelimiu- bighftime for Bryan and Croker to get together and decide what to do about it. s f Truckee has .une_irthed',‘}t_nr ‘much municipal worry and tribulation, the criminal ik PAPERS ON CURRENT TOPICS. PREPARED BY EXPERTS AND SPECIALISTS FOR THE SAN FraNcIsco CALL. g The Elaborate System by Which the Fed- eral Government Prepares the Precicus . . ' Metals fox: Coinage. By CGeorge E. Roberts, DIRECTOR OF THE MINT. (COPYRIGHT, 1%01.) XII—MINT SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES. The United States has mow three mints in operation, located at Philadelphia, New Orleans and San Francisco. In addition to these it maintains assay offices at New York, St. Louis, Deadwood,’ Denver, Helena, Boise, Carson, Seattle and Char- lotte, N. C. The institutions at Carson and_Charlotte were formerly mints, but owing to a decline in the importance of the mining fields tributary to them they were reduced to assay offices, On the other hand, the Denver office will soon be- come a mint, Congress having appro- priated $500,000 for a building and $150,000 for its equipment for coinage operations. An assay office is practically an outside agency for a mint. It receives bullion, as- certains ‘and pays the coinage value, less any charges that may be laid for the ser- vice, and ships it to one of the mints. The equipment and organization of a mint is expensive, and it is cheaper to concentrate. coinage operations in a few institutio; than, to multiply mints. An assay office renders practically the same service to the mining industry that is rendered by a mint. The New York assay office receives bullion upon precisely the same terms as a mint, but the others makg a special charge of one-eighth of 1 per cent in ad- dition to mint charges. Regulations Regarding Coinage. Bullion that is of standard fineness and requires no treatment to fit it for coinage is Tecelved and coined without charge. If it contains base or other metal which must be removed a refinery charge is made, and if it is above the standard an alloy charge is made. The law provides that these charges shall equal but not ex- ceed the cost of the service. From 1792 to 1853 coinage was free at our mints; from 1853 to 1873 the charge was one-half of 1 per cent; the act of 1573 reduced the coin- age charge on gold to one-fifth of 1 per cent and excluded silver from coinage on private account; in 1575, as a measure to promote the resumption of specie pay- ments, the coinage of gold was made free. Exchange of Gold for Bullion. ‘When an owner of gold bullion presents it at a mint or assay office it is weighed in his presence and a receipt given. This receipt does not state the value of the deposit; that must be ascertained by assay, and the depositor is told to return at a given time, the next day or within a few days, and receive payment. The the- ory of free coinage originally was that the Government would receive a deposit- or's bullion and return the identical bul- lion in the form of coin, as the old-time grist mills used to receivasa farmer’'s wheat and return the flour made from his | own grain. But it is simpler and more convenient and a saving of time to the depositor for the Government to advance the coinage value as soon as the bullion has been assayed. The law authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to keep a sup- ply of coin in each mint for this purpose, ““vhen the state of the treasury will ad- mit.” | Bullion is received at a mint by the| weigh clerk, who represents the superin- tendent of the institution, and the weigh- ing is witnessed by the registrar of depos- its, who represents the administrative of- fice at Washington. From the weigh clerk’s vault the bullion goes to the de- posit meltingrroom, wherc it is meited as a precaution against a filed. bar. From the new bar two clips are taken at oppo- site ends ang sent to the assayer. 1f they ggree in results the bar is paid for on that asis. Preparing the Metal for Coinage. This bar now passes from the custody of the superintendent of the mint to that of the melter and refiner. He receipts for it, and gives a heavy bond to the Govern- ment, although. in this, as in all such positions, the bond is insignificant com- pared with the trust confided to the of- ficer. The melter and refiner of the Phila- delphia mint has $30,000,000 to $40.000,000 in his custody. Under his direction the metal is given the treatment required to fit it for cofnage and is manufactured into in- gots of suitable size for the rolling ma- chines. This done, it is delivered by him back to the superintendent, and simulta- reously turned over to the coiner and re- ceipted for accordingly. The coiner now has the metal in the shape of ingots of the fineness of coin and manufactures it into coin. It first passes through several sets of rolls, then under a punch which punches out the in- dividual pieces. Each of the latter is weighed separately to see that it is with- in the limit of tolerance: then it goes thirough the milling machine, which gives it the raised edge; then it is put in a re- tort or furnace and heated to a cherry red. When taken out the pieces are dip- ped in a mild solution of sulphuric acid to clean and soften them before going to the press for coinage. Keeping Track of the Precious Metal. Then the pieces go to the coining press. The coiner delivers the money to the su- perintendent and takes his receipt. The Jatter turns it into the treasury or pays it out for more bullion. . At least once every vear there is a complete shutdown and settlement, and each of these three departmeénts of the mint must show the metal charged to it. The heads of the departments have a daily settlement with their subordinates, who must account be- fore they leave the building for the metal that_has been left in their hands during the day, Out of each delivery. from coiner to su- perintendent the latter is required to take indiscriminately in the presence of the as- sayer a certain number of pieces, which are sealed and put in a box that is double locked and can only be opened by the ac- tion of both. Once every year the Presi- dent appoints 2 body of men known as the annual Assay Commission, composed of prominent citizens, to examine and test these reserved coins and report upon them. Tkis Is a check upon the work of the vear and an assurance to the Presi- dent and through him to the country that the. coin {s being kept at standard. At the same time the reservation for the Assay Commission is made other coins are withdrawn and sent to the Director of the mint at Washington and assayed at once. . Taking Care of the Fractioms. When a depositor is paid for his bullion he signs a voucher which is forwarded to the office of the Director of the Mint at Washington, with the original receipt and all the particulars of the transaction. Every calculation is verified there, and the accounts are passed over quarterly to_the auditor for the treasury, in whose office every transaction and calculation is a second time reviewed. In computing the fineness of bullion de- posits the flgures are carried out to the quarter thousandth, and the fractions thrown to the G‘flvemment. The fractions that thus inure, nlthoufih insignificant on each deposit, are in the aggregate an important sum, and fre- quently affect the wastage of the year. There is a legitimate and necessary loss in melting, pouring and handling the met- als over and over, as must be done in mint operations. The law provides that an allowancé may be made therefor. for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1900, al- though_the mints handled in round num- bers $155,000,000 worth of bullion, turning it over repeatedly, the Goyernment came out ahead on the vear's operations to the extent of $860195. This gain was due in part to the fractions thrown to the Gov- ernment as stated above. Standard of Weight for Coins. The standard of weight in the mint ser- vice is a brass troy pound procured in Tondon in 1827 by Albert Gallatin, then || sed only But | the weights in e deviation from doul lt,haltt are above standard and within the imit. The standard unit of value is the gold dollar, which contains 23.22 grains of fine gold and with the alloy weighs 25.8 grains. The standard of fineness of all gold and silver coins of the United States is 900 parts in 1000. The alloy is of copper and is used to harden the coin and save it frem abrasion. Gold and Silver Coin Now Minted. The gold coins now provided for by law are_the double eagle or $20 plece, eagle or $10 piece, half-eagle or $ piece and the quarter eagle or 3250 piece. The $L piece has been discontinued as too small for commerecial use. Most of our gold coin- age has been in double eagles, the total output of gold from the foundation of the mint down to June 30, 1900, having been $2,147,088,113, of which $1,538,826,060 was in double eagles. The silver coins now minted are the dol- lar, the half-dollar, quarter-dollar and dime. All silver coigage at present is from' bullion purchased under the act of July 14, 18%, commonly known as the Sherman act. There is about 61,000,000 ounces of this bullion still on hand. It was all purchased for coinage into silver dollars, but under the act of March 12, 1900, the Secretary of the Treasury was authcrized to use it for subsidiary coins as might be required, provided that the total stock of the latter in the country should not exceed $100,000,000. The present stock is about $57,000,000. The gold coins and the silver dollar are a legal tender for all debts. The other silver coins, known as subsidiary coins, are a legal tender to the amount of $10. The latter may be had in sums of $200 or more at any subtreasury or will be sent by express at the Government's expenSe upon the payment of an equal sum of law- ful money. They are also redeemable in lawful money at any substreasury in sums of §20 or over. Subsidiary and Minor Coins. The subsidiary coins are lighter in pro- portion to their face value than the silver dollar. The latter weighs 412} grains, but two half-dollars or four quarter-dollars weigh only 38.8 grains, The 1-cent and 5-cent pieces are called minor coins. The l-cent piece consists of 9% per cent copper and 5 per cent tin and zinc. The 5-cent piece is 75 per cent cop- per and 25 per cent nickel. The minor coins are a legal tender to the amount of 25 cents and are redeemable at any sub- treasury in sums of $20. They are deliv- ered in sums of $20, free of express charges, on receipt of an equal sum in lawful money. Profits of the Government Mints. The issue of subsidiafy and minor coins on Government account is a source of large profit, amounting on minor coins for the year ended June 30, 1900, to $1,794,633 04, or more than the total expenditures of the mint service. The profit on subsidiary cofnage last vear was $3,008,428 63. The to- tal earnings of the mint service for the last fiscal year was $10,641,940 60; tho to- tal expenditures, $1,703,492 64, and the net carnings of the = service, §,038,447 56. Against_this, however, must be counted the lability of the Government for all of this overvalued coin, which it has paid out to the public at its face value and is .in honor bound to maintain at par with its standard money. The first mint of the United States was established at Philadelphia, the then seat of government, in 1792. The cornerstone of the edifice now occupied in Philadelphia was laid in 1829. A new structure is now approaching completion in that city, for for which $2,000 600 has been appropriated, and with its equipment it will constitute the finest mint in the world. It will be oc- cuffied about July 1 next. This institu- tion gives employment to about 500 peo- ple. The mint at New Orleans was estab- lished in 1835 and now employs about 200 people. The mint at San Francisco was estab- lished in 1852 and now employs about 225 people. The total number of people em- ployéd in the mint service is about 1150. Enormous Volume of Coinage. The coinage of gold during the last fis- cal year was $107,937,110. The coinage of silver dollars was' $18,244,984; of subsidiary silver $12.576.84915, and of minor coins $2,243,017 21. The manufacture of the minor coins involved the striking of 101,30: pieces and of subsidiary coins 57,114,270 pieces. It may be safely said that the above figures surpass any record before made by any Government. The total num- ber of pieces struck last year by the Royal Mint in London and 'all iis colonial branches was 144,823,124, and this was un- precedented in the history of English coinage operations. The total number of pleces struck by the mints of the United tates last year was 184,373,793, ——— Brain-workers and nervous people know the beneficial effects derived from the use of the genuine Dr. Siegert’s Angostura Bitters. —_——— The favorite for restoring life and color to the nair is Parker's Hair Balsam. Hindercerns, the best cure for corns. 15 cts. PERSONAL MENTION. Dr. T. A. Klables of the Veterans’ Home is at the Grand. Former Senator H. V. Morehousq of San Jose is at ¢he Lick. James McCudden, a naval contractor of Vallejo, is at the Grand. B. F. Brooks, a well-known ofl man of Bakersfleld, is at the Palace. L. J. Rose Jr., an extensive breeder of trotting horses, is registered at the Palace. W. E. Woolsey, an extensive raisin grower of Santa Rosa, Is a guest at the Occidental. Mr. and Mrs. Otto Muser will leave for Belglum in a few days for the benefit of Mr. Muser’s health. Charles T. Tulluck, the well-known merchant of Oakdgle, is at the Lick, ac- companied by his wife. Lew Aubury, State Mineralogist, re- turned from Los Angeles yesterday and is a guest at the Grand. Frank H. Buck, a leading ‘fruit grower of Vacaville, accompanied by his wife, s spending a few days at the Palace. Mrs. ‘A. B. Steinback, wife of the well- known clothing merchant of Portland, Ore., is at the Palace, accompanied by her daughter. Fred Treppard of Nashville, Tenn., who came to California in '49, Is visiting this city after an absence of many years. Hs is the guest of Mrs. Anna E. Iredale of Stevenson street. —_————— CALIFORNIANS IN NEW YORK. NEW YORK, May 8—The following Californians are in New York: From San Francisco—F. F. Ames, at Astor; Miss S. Bixby, at Netherland; P. Bush, at Herald Square; Miss J. Hooper, at Murray Hill; Miss A. Leedett, at Netherland; J. Meagher, at Cosmopolitan; Miss Nor- wood, Mrs. W. E. Norwood, at Mur- ray Hill; C. H. Ople, at Herald Square; L. E. Spear, at Holland; C. H. Ames, at Grand Union; Dr. B. P. Halstead, J. B. Halstead, at Herald Square; J. W. Keys, at Broadway -Cen- tral.. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. WEATHER REPORTS—R. M. M., City. For date of rain in the different counties in the State of California apply at the office 6f the weather bureau, in the Mills building, San Francisco. REVENUE STAMPS-F. 8., City. Old revenue stamps of more than thirty years ago have a value according to the supply and the demand. Prices upon the differ- ent varietles may be obtained from deal- ers in stamps. This department, how- ever, does not advertise such. PEDRO—R. P., Eurcka, Cal. As low always counts before pedro in the game of pedro, if A had one point to make, B had seven to make and made high, jack, and pedro, and A made low, he won the game, as the count is high, low, jack, game and pedro. VETERINARY LAW-J. W. B, Wat- sonville, Cal. None of the bills on veter- inary matters introduced at the last held session of the California Legislature be- came- a law. The law regulating the practice of dentistry applies to human dentistry; the words “horse dentistry” do not appear in the law. CONDUCTOR—A. C, City. To make application for a position +‘as conductor on a steam railroad across the bay” di- rect your inquiry to the railroad you would like to offer your services to. As you do not state where “across the bay’ the railroad is, this department cannot advise you further. LOCATION—D. R., Confldence, Cal. A decision in relation to mineral lands says: There is no law to prevent par- ties from locating other claims upon the same lode, outside of the first location made on the lode or vein. If a lode or vein 3000 feet long is discovered two lo- cations may be made, each 1500 feet thereon. BANKS IN LIQUIDATION—A. V. F., Fishbrook, and M. C,, City. The latest payment that has been made by the People’s Home Savings is the dividend which was ordered paid April 22, 1901 The total paid to date is 40 per cent. The Masonic Snvlnss and Loan Bank has not paid any dividends since Septem- ber 28, 189t. It has long since wound up its affairs, after baving paid 9 31-100 per cent to depositors. Choice candies, Townsend's, Palace Hotel* — e Cal. glace fruit 50c per Ib at Townsend's. ———— Best eyeglasses, specs, 10¢ to 4#0c. Look out 81 4th, front of barber and grocery. * e —e———— Townsend’s California glace fruits, 5ic a ound, in fire-etched boxes or Jap bas- ots. "sa9 Market, Palace Hotel building.s PR T B Special information supplied daily to business houses and public men b; the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 Mont- gomery street. Telephone Main 1042. * gttt B o s P Decorate for McKinley. 30,000 rolls red, white and blue crepe paper. Immense colored bust pictures of MeKinley on stretchers. Bunting, festoon- ing, shields and flags for the million. 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