ment to become a useful member of society. He was
required to report by a letter once a month to the Governor of the
District from which he came, and the Governor was authorized by law to
pardon him when he thought proper. Those rules and regulations applied
equally to both sexes.

CHAPTER IV.

THE BANK OF EURASIA.

Leaving the prison, I returned to the Capitol and, calling at the
Department of Finance, was given a copy of the laws governing it, and
learned that it operated under the name of the Bank of Eurasia, with
headquarters in the capital, having a branch in every district and in
every town of one thousand inhabitants or more. It paid out all money
owed by the Government and received and receipted for all taxes due,
and accepted all deposits from one dollar upwards, and issued all
banknotes and bills of exchange, and in consequence there were no
panics and no necessity of issuing clearing-house certificates. To
avoid the folly of locking up large amounts of money received for taxes
each year on the one hand, or permitting stock-gamblers and
money-sharks, on the other hand, to use it, each district was allowed
by law to issue district banknotes of one dollar denomination,
guaranteed by the Government, drawing two per cent. a year interest up
to eighty per cent. of the yearly expenses of the district. The taxes
were payable on the first day of November, and if not paid on that day
a delinquent tax of ten per cent. The banknotes issued by the district
were called in and canceled by this means, keeping the money of the
people in circulation.

Every branch bank in a district was required to send daily accounts of
all money received and paid out to the central branch bank of the
district, which in turn sent a daily account of all bank transactions
in the district to the Bank of Eurasia at the capital. No district
treasurers were required, nor treasurers in any department of the
Government, but vouchers to be paid by the Government had to be signed
and scaled by the proper authorities. The bank also conducted a
National Lottery, with tickets for sale at every branch bank for one
dollar per ticket; drawings monthly, and the highest prize drawn was
five thousand dollars, and the lowest five dollars. Five per cent. of
the gross proceeds going to the Government for the maintenance and
education of orphan children. The amount received each month and the
names of the prize winners was published in the National Gazette