The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-13

banks For England therA 10 . tram script of interviews held with the gov- ernor and directors of the Bank of England and with the managers of many joint-stock banks. such as the London City and Midland, the Union of London and smiths the London and Westminster. and Parr's Bank. and with the heads of discount companies and merchant houses. Tn Berlin sinii lar interviews were held with the offi- eers of a dozen different varieties of hanks. including the president and di- rectors of the Relchsbank. the great credit banks like the Deutsche Bank. the Dresdner Bank, and the Diskonto Gesellschaft. the various kinds of mort gage banks. the different sorts of CO., operative credit organizations, savings banks. private banks. etc. The com ferences in Paris were of similar scope. including the Bank of France. the great credit societies. the government mort gage bank. the agricultural credit so. cieties. the savings banks. etc.
 In each of the leading countries the endeavor was also made to secure the co-operation of the most competent fi- nancial experts in preparing. reports covering their banking history and current banking practices. The list of collaborators includes the names of the editors of most of the worlds leading financial journals as we'll as an impos- ing roll of university experts on bank ing and finance In France. Germany, England. Italy. and other countries, as well as the United States. In England the Commission secured contributions from such men as Francis w. Hirst. the editor of The London Economist; Hartley Withers. financial editor of The London Times: George Paish, edi- tor of The Statist; Sir R. H. Inglis Pal grave, the distinguished authority on banking and editor of The London Bankers Magazine: Prof. H. s. Fox well. of the London School of Econo- mics: Mir. Robert Martin Holland. hon. orable secretary of the clearing house, and others.
 Tn France the Commission secured the assistance of recognized authori- ties, such as Andre Liesse, the distin- guished economic writer and professor in the Conservatoire des Arts ct Met iers: Albert Aupetit, the head of the archives of the Bank of France; Alfred Neymarck. the well known editor of Le Rentier; E. Vidal. editor of La Cote de la Banqne ct de la Bourse; M. Le- fevre. head of the archives of the Credit Lyonnais, and others. Each of these authorities has prepared. under the direction of the Commission, trea- ties. covering some part of the history, practical operation. or statistics Of French banking, the several treatises being arranged so astt present com plete picture of the banking system of France,
 In Germany where abdndant litera- ture covering the various phases of the country's banking was already existent. the Commission followed the f1IQr9 r,P ualanfif1r vnlnmQa for translation. having papers special ly prepared only in the case of those subjects which had not already been covered by German writers. These translations will include the twenty fifth anniversary volume of the Reichsbank, published in Berlin in 1900, and a great number of the more recent articles pertinent to the dis cussion of the pending renewal of the Reichsbank charter. Inasmuch as the worldwide panic of 1907 and the pending renewal of the Reichsbank charter had resulted in the appoint ment of a parliamentary commission in Germany to study possible reforms in the banking laws of that country, the stenographic reports of the dis cussions of that German commission have been translated and will be made available to the American public in series of volumes. In addition to these the. Commission has translated mono graphs and articles by Doctor Koch. the late president of the Reichsbank: Professor Lexis, the famous economist of Goettingen; and by such we'll known authorities npon German bank ing as Hecht, Hermes. Schachner, Seidel. Wfttner. Mueller. Breslauer and Franz, covering the history and or ganizatiop of the several kinds of banks peculiar to Germany. Moreover, Doctor Riesser. former president Of the Bank fur Handel and Industrie and president of the German Bankers As sociation, has prepared especially for the Commission a new edition of his authoritative work upon the great German joint-stock banks. which Is also being translated for publication.
 The subject of Canadian banking has been given particularly careful attention g, by. the Commission, and Roeliff M. Breckinridge. whose work on the history of Canadian banking. published dozen or more years ago, has long been a familiar authority, has prepared for the Commission another volume bringing that history, down to date. At the same time Prof. Joseph French Johnson, the dean of the School of Commerce of the New York University, has spent several months in Canada preparing a study of the actual banking customs and practices of the Canadian banks.
 Tn Switzerland pr. Julius Landmann, the secretary of the Swiss National Bank, has prepared for the Commits sion a new edition of his authorize tive work upon the Swiss banking law, which has been translated, along with the text of athe act of 1905 and ab- stracts of various articles. and reports upon the operation of that act.
 Tn the case of Italy, Prof. Carlo r. Ferraris, of the University of Padua. has prepared a history of banking In Italy. and Tito Canovai. the secretary of the Bank of Italy, has prepared monograph dealing with the re- organization of banking in Italy, which has occurred during the last decade.
 Japan Adds Contribution.
 As regards the singularly interesting development of banking in Japan dur ing the last forty years, papers have been specially prepared by Marquis Katsura, premier and minister of finance; Baron Sakatani. ex-minister of finance; and Baron Takahashi, vice. governor of the Bank of Japan.
 At the same time. leading authorities have been engaged to discuss the or ganizatlon. history and prevailing GUS toms of banking In other important countries. notably Sweden. Mexico. Russia. Austria Hungary. Holland and Belgium.
 With regard to the United tSates, an especially comprehensive group of volumes has been gotten under way. A series of reports and answers to inquiries has been collected by the