Eurasia | Page 7

the side next the laundry were rows of
shelves reaching to the ceiling and numbered from one to eighteen
hundred, holding a change of clothing for the entire regiment of
prisoners, with a passageway and counter in front, and every prisoner
was compelled to bathe on every Sunday, passing over the counter the
clothes worked in; when they had undressed and when they had bathed,
they received clothes, washed and ironed, to put on. Any prisoner who

did not bathe was placed in solitary confinement for three days on
bread and water, then taken to the bathhouse and well scrubbed.
Two prisoners were assigned to work as chiropodists to keep the feet of
the prisoners in good condition, and the laundrymen, besides washing
and ironing all the clothes, sheets and pillowcases, had to wash and
disinfect all the blankets once a month. There were no walls
surrounding the prison building, but the reservation being the
headquarters of an army corps with barracks on all sides, escapes by
prisoners were very rare.
On marching out of the dining-room after breakfast the roll was called,
and also after supper, by the captains of companies, and after nine p. m.
the doors were locked and no smoking or talking was permitted.
A parole commissioner appointed by the Minister of Justice resided at
the prison, who was also Superintendent of the Night School, with
authority to parole any prisoner according to law that in his judgment
was a fit person to be paroled. A paroled prisoner, if he did not have
friends to take care of him, was given employment by the Government,
and no money deposit was required. The Government paid over to him
what money he had earned, and gave him a dress suit and a working
suit of clothes and two changes of underclothing-by those acts of
justice giving him encouragement 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 (a weekly paper), and a
copy sent to every prize winner. This paper was published by the
Government and every voter was free to subscribe for it without cost,
but no advertisements were allowed in it. It published the work of
every department of the Government and all bills approved by
Parliament, and all laws recommended by the Parliament for whilst the