founded six years ago beneath the Hotel Bristol; it was small, poorly equipped, of little output; and it moved, growing ever more complete, to Jdeideh, and its business expanded until it came to handle everything connected with precious metals: melting and casting gold, minting coins, rolling sheets thin, silver-plating, gilding, engraving, and so on ..

Why??

And Mr. Zoghaib answered a question we put to him: "This is the first time we have struck currency for Lebanon, whereas we have been striking currency for the Syrian Republic for five years — all the pieces of Syrian coinage are of our making .. in addition to the medals and the badges and the brass cartridge blanks, which we have been making for some years now for the Syrian army. All the while, Lebanon was having these things made in Holland and France."

A trace in every valley..!

And he answered a question we were afraid to ask: "We took part in several tenders for striking coins for Lebanon, and we won the tender more than once. Yes, we won in the tender — and lost in the auction, the auction of bribery, which is what awards the contract. That was in the past regime, when the responsible official pocketed the price and did not care if the whole country paid it: the costs abroad are higher, the profit smaller, the field for theft wider, and the supervision weaker — but the 'price' removes every obstacle. In the present regime, we take every tender we win by legitimate means .. On this occasion let me mention to you that the license of the new Chekka cement plant remained without ratification until President Chamoun came. Why? Because one member of the family that used to rule Lebanon was chairman of the board of the Lebanese Cement Company, and another member of the family was its private lawyer..!"

And this .. did you know it?

Have I told you that Joseph Doumit studied this industry in France, and that the factory's eighty workmen enjoy medical insurance, fixed working hours, and overtime pay .. and that the second mint in the Arab world is in Egypt, established only eight months ago; and that the brass produced at the "Eastern Company for Precious Metals" is better than the brass imported from abroad?

And have I told you, finally, that the bags of coins you see here are guarded by security men — and were it not for that, this issue's free gift would have been .. a ten-piaster piece?! ..

The editor-in-chief and the writer of the reportage, and between them the factory manager .. before the display case of medals and commemorative plaques ..

The final refining .. and from there to the press ..