Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-13
Existing Banking Systems.

investigation had been completed.
Existing Banking Systems.
The commission has sought to secure
the facts concerning the existing system.
of banking and currency in the leading
commercial nations of the world. 1t has
secured comprehensive information from
England, Germany, France, Switzerland,
Sweden, Belgium and Japan. and has in
addition secured considerable material
with regard to banking in Mexico, Rus
STA, Austria Hungary and Holland. The
list of publications which has recently
been given to the public conveys an i'm
pressve picture of the substantial way
in which this effort has been carried out
and of the encyclopedia scope of the COM
missions Investigations.
One of the early volumes to- be pub
lished, and one which will contain ma
terial of the greatest practical interest.
is a volume of interviews held by rep
resentatives of the commission in the
leading countries of Europe during the
summers of 1905 and 1909. These in
terviews with the managers or directors
of most of the large banks in England.
France. Germany, Switzerland, Italy and
Scotland were geographically reported.
and constitute a volume of more than 800
pages. covering not so much the banking
legislation of these countries, which had
often been treated before. but the actual
erations Of the different sorts of banks.
Co-Operated With Experts.
In each of the leading countries the
endeavor was also made to secure the
cooperation Of the most competent finan-
cial experts in preparing reports covering
their banking history and current bank
ing practices. The list of collaborators
includes the names of the editors of
most of the worlds leading financial jour
nails. as we'll as an imposing roll of
university experts on banking and finance
in France. Germany, England, italy and
othe rcountries, well as the United
States
With regard to the United States, an
especially comprehensive group of vol
umes has been gotten under way
series of reports and answers to inquiries
has been collected by the commission
from nearly $4,000 banks throughout the
country. a far larger number than has
ever reported heretofore to any govern
ment invest cation, and these reports
have been carefully summarized. At the
same time the various clearing house as
sociations of the country, the leading
financial journals, such the CONNER
cial and Financial Chronicle; the state
bank supervisors and many other individ-
uals and institutions have contributed ma
terial to volume of statistics, which in
cludes figures covering every phase of
IIOOcIl 1aIlcIlIdH bdlhiUR.
United States Monetary Laws.
Another voluminous and useful volume
will contain all the laws of the United
States concerning money. banking and
loans passed by Congress since the foun-
dalton of the republic Two other vol
digest which has ever been made of the
laws with regard to banking current in
the various states.
The historical and descriptive volumes
dealing with the United States include a
monograph upon the first bank of the
United States. by DR.. J. T. Hodsworth OF
the University of Pittsburg: a monograph
upon the second bank of the United
States, by DR. Davis r. Dewey, professor
in the sachusett5 Institute of Tech
nology, a history Of state banking before
the civil war, by the same author study
OF the safety-fund banking system in New
Yor.. state from 1929 to 1866 by DR.. Rob-
ert E. Chaddock of the University of
Pennsylvania; an examination of the orr
Gin and early development of the national
banking system based upon a careful ex-
animation of original documents, by the
distinguished authority on banking his
tory. Andrew MacFarland Davis; a his
tory Of crises under the national banking
system, by Prof. o. NJ. W. Sprague of
Harvard University: history of thetna-
tional bank currency, by Alexander Dana
Noyes. financial editor of the New York
Evening Post and the well known author
of Forty Years OF American Finance
a history of the Independent treasury sys-
tenn, by Prof. David Kinley of the Uni
Versity of Illinois: a monograph upon the
modern clearing house methods and prac-
tees, by J. G.. Cannon, vice president of
the Fourth National Bank of New York.
Relative Use of Coin.
Two other volumes dealing with banking
in America will prove of wide interest.
The commission obtained a special report
from all of the national banks of the
country as to the relative use of CON-
paper money and credit instruments in
making payments, and this report has
been summarized and subjected to analy-
sis by Prof. David Kinley of the Unlver-
sity of Illinois. The commission also OBJ
tained special weekly reports as to condi-
ton and as to shipments and receipts of
cash from the banks OF all the larger re-
serve cities, covering period of many
years, and these figures have been tabu-
lated and examined by Prof. Edwin W.
kemmerer of Cornell University, in
monograph upon the seasonal variations
in the demands for currency and capital
in different parts of America. The COM
mission has also ready for publication a
large portfolio of diagrams which graphic
ally portray the operations and growth
Of the different sorts of banks. changes
In the money supply. foreign and domes-
tic movements of money and merchan
disc. rates of discount and of foreign
and domestic exchange. the prices of
bonds. and the operations of the Treasury
during the last forty years.
Volumes to Be Printed
The commission. as soon as practicable.
Mil rr;,, tod