Benjamin, Washington, D. C.; Hon. William A. Ashbrook, M. C.; Committee on counting.-Mr. Bell, chairman; Mr. Granberg. Committee on weighing.-Dr. Benjamin, chairman; Mr. Gibson. Committee on assaying.-Mr. Comings, chairman; Messrs. Morcom and Shafroth. Committee on resolutions.-Mr. Morcom, chairman; Messrs. Bell and Granberg. The committee on counting reported that the packages containing the pieces reserved by the mints at Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver for the annual trial of coins, in accordance with section 3539 of the Revised Statutes, were delivered to the committee by the superintendent of the mint at Philadelphia and compared with the records kept by the Director of the Mint, packages from each mint for each month's coinage and containing all denominations coined having been selected, accurately counted, and found to be correct. The verification of the packages being completed, they were delivered to the committees on weighing and assaying. In the reports of those committees will be found an account of the disposition of these coins. The table following gives the packages verified by the committee on counting, being the total number of coins reserved by the several mints: The committee on weighing reported that they had examined certain sample coins selected at random from those reserved for the annual trial by the Assay Commission. The weighings, as usual, were made on the Troemner balance provided for the purpose by the mint. It was carefully examined as to the equality of the arms and as to its sensibility, both of which were found to be satisfactory. The weights employed for testing the United States coins, from the dime to the double eagle, were a set of coin weights furnished by the Director of the Bureau of Standards, with a certificate giving the variation in mass from the standards fixed by law. The weights used for testing the Philippine coins were a set of grain weights belonging to the Philadelphia Mint, which were checked by the committee by comparison with the coin weights referred to above. All weighings of coins were made to the nearest one-hun dredth grain. 500 ounces Solely for the purpose of checking the adjustment of the working standards of the mint, the following intercomparisons were made: 400 ounces+ 100 ounces + 0.0015 ounce; 500 ounces = 300 ounces+ 200 ounces + 0.0012 ounce; 400 ounces 300 ounces + 100 ounces+ 0.0002 ounce; 300 ounces 200 ounces+ 100 ounces = = = = = 0.0000 ounce; 200 ounces = 100 ounces + 50 ounces + 40 ounces + 10 ounces+ 0.0001 ounce; 200 ounces 100 ounces+ 50 ounces + 30 ounces + 20 ounces 0.0001 ounce; 100 ounces 50 ounces + 30 ounces + 20 ounces 0.0000 ounce; 50 ounces = 30 ounces + 20 ounces 0.0000 ounce; 30 ounces = 20 ounces + 10 ounces 0.0000 ounce; 20 ounces = 10 ounces + 5 ounces+ 3 ounces + 2 0.0001 ounce; 20 ounces 10 ounces + 5 ounces + 4 ounces + 1 ounce 0.0000 ounce; 10 ounces 5 ounces + 4 ounces + 1 ounce 0.0001 ounce; 5 ounces = 4 ounces+ 1 ounce 0.0000 ounce. ounces = = The committee on assaying reported that they had taken samples from the coins reserved from the United States mints at Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver for assay. The results of the assays made of the individual coins and of the same in mass are given in the following schedules. From these it will be seen that The highest assays upon the gold coinage of the different mints (the limit of tolerance being one one-thousandth) are at— Philadelphia... 900.0 900. 0 The lowest assays upon the gold coinage (the limit of tolerance being one one-thousandth) are at Philadelphia. 899.9 899.7 The highest assays upon the silver coinage of the different mints (the limit of tolerance being three one-thousandths) are at Philadelphia. San Francisco.. Denver.... 900. 2 900. 4 900. 4 The lowest assays upon the silver coinage of the different mints (the limit of tolerance being three one-thousandths) are at— Philadelphia. San Francisco. 899.1 899. 1 898.9 The highest and lowest assays upon the Philippine silver coinage at San Francisco are 750 and 748.8. The committee has tested the quartation silver and found it to be free from gold. The acid used in the humid assay of silver was tested and found to contain only a trace of chlorine. The lead foil contained only a trace of silver. The balances used were also tested and found to be correct and the committee deem the assays exhibited in the above schedules to be entirely correct, the mass melt of the Denver coins having been checked by additional assays. The following report, submitted by the committee on resolutions, was unanimously adopted: Whereas the Annual Assay Commission appointed by the President of the United States to examine and test the weight and fineness of the gold and silver coins reserved by the different mints of the United States has held its meeting in the city of Philadelphia on February 14 and 15, 1917; and Whereas the commission has about completed its labors, the committee on resolutions begs leave to offer the following resolutions: First. That the commission renews the recommendations of prior commissions with reference to the maintenance and increase of the national coin collection of the mint at Philadelphia. Second. That in the opinion of the commission, in order to facilitate this work, an official souvenir mint medal of typical and characteristic design should be struck off and a descriptive booklet of the mint published to be sold at a moderate price to visitors at the mint; that the proceeds from such sales be devoted exclusively, under the supervision of the Secretary of the Treasury, to the extension of this national collection of coins and medals at the Philadelphia mint, as aforesaid. Third. That in the opinion of the commission there should be an annual appropriation by Congress of $10,000 for the purpose of acquiring rare coins of great historical value not now in the possession of the mint collection, with the ultimate object of completing the specimens to include the types and patterns, denominations and varieties struck by each of the United States mints, as well as the gold and silver coins and ingots struck by private mints before the United States mints were established, to more fully foster and preserve the history and art of the ideal and heroic acts portrayed in the coins, medals, and currency of the United States, past and present. Fourth. That a letter be written under the hand of the chairman of this commission to the Secretary of the Treasury, recommending to him that the above amount be included in the annual estimates for purposes aforesaid, and further suggesting that he recommend to Congress the desirability of authorizing the mint medal and descriptive booklet referred to herein; and be it further Resolved, That the Assay Commission of 1917 recommends that the Director of the Mint consider the advisability of using the metric system of weights and measures in operation of the several mints. The commission desires to express its regret at the absence, on the second day of the meeting, of Mr. J. B. Eckfeldt, the assayer, owing to illness, as it is the first time in 52 years that this worthy mint official has been absent. Resolved, That the thanks of the commission be and are hereby heartily tendered to Hon. F. J. H. von Engelken, Director of the Mint; Hon. A. M. Joyce, Superintendent of the Mint; Mr. L. A. Fischer, of the Bureau of Standards; and to Mrs. Virginia H. Carpenter and to various other officials and employees of the mint for the uniform courtesy shown the commission during its sessions. Respectfully submitted. E. D. MORCOм, Chairman. In presenting their respective reports, Dr. Benjamin, chairman of the committee on weighing, and Mr. Comings, chairman of the committee on assaying, each expressed his pleasure in stating that the tests made of the 1916 coinage had shown unusually good work of the several mints during the year. MINT OF THE UNITED STATES AT PHILADELPHIA. The mint was operated throughout the fiscal year. There were received 7,016 original deposits purchased, 269 redeposits purchased, and 289 silver deposits (payable in fine bars); redeposits (transfers) 693, and 1,940 refinery bars (Treasury purchases), and 816 deposits in trust. Total, 11,023. The operations of this department during the fiscal year 1917 were as follows: In addition to the above, 760 ounces of proof gold and 1,094 ounces of proof silver were made. Of the 151 melts of gold ingots made in the melting department, 11 were returned for remelting and 1 was condemned. Of the 4,243 melts of silver ingots, 9 were returned for remelting and 4 were condemned. During the fiscal year this department received gold bullion containing by assay 1,496,136.987 fine ounces having a coinage value of $30,927,896.37. The amount of silver bullion received contained 16,936,175.39 fine ounces, having a coinage value of $23,412,718.70. Upon settlement of the accounts of this department there was found a gain in both the gold and silver bullion. In the gold account the surplus amounted to 1,035.270 fine ounces, having a coinage value of $21,400.93. In the silver account the surplus amounted to 1,036.81 fine ounces, having a coinage value of $1,433.30. The ingots returned during the fiscal year were as follows: Gold.. Silver. Nickel. Bronze. 781,044.96 .fine ounces.. The number of ingot melts made and amount of metal sent to the melting room are shown by table given below: |