REPORT OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 6l 



The legal and administrative relations of the Federal, State, and 

 local governments in the United States to commerce have been under- 

 taken by Mr. J. B. Byali, of Philadelphia. The work of Dr. Smith 

 and Mr. Byall has nearly covered the fourth subdivision of the gen- 

 eral subject of American commerce, which comprises the organiza- 

 tion and administrative features. 



Mr. Raymond AIcFarland has prepared an outline of the history 

 of American fisheries. Work is also being done on the American 

 consular service as it relates to commerce. 



The Library of Congress is now preparing, at 'the request of 

 Professor Johnson, a bibliography of American commerce. An 

 effort will be made to have this bibliography as comprehensive as 

 practicable, because it is expected that the work of the Library of 

 Congress will be of assistance to all persons who may work on the 

 history of American commerce. 



Division 7. Money and Banking. 



Dr. Davis R. Dewey, of the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- 

 nology, has charge of this division. During the past year he has 

 been engaged chiefly in locating the sources of information which 

 are available for research investigation in the history of banking, and 

 in particular he has endeavored to secure information relative to 

 original sources of information, such as State reports, reports of 

 State banks, etc. He has culled everything, and has arranged all 

 these sources of information for the purpose of showing the com- 

 mercial growth of banking in different sections of the country. He 

 will deal with credit operations, which 'must be considered commer- 

 cially as well as from the institutional standpoint. While some of 

 his tabulations are not to be published in the history, they are essen- 

 tial as a basis of analysis. 



Doctor Dewey has had three assistants working on State super- 

 vision of banks in Massachusetts, the history of trust companies in 

 Massachusetts, and the history of savings-banks in that State. Dr. 

 Wesley C. Mitchell, of the University of California, is prosecuting 

 an investigation relative to the efl^ects of legal-tender issues on prices 

 and wages between 1865 and 1879, the latter being the date of specie 

 resumption. 



Doctor Dewey has also superintended the making of indexes of 

 different works relating to banking, etc., and has noted material for 

 other collaborators in the progress of this work, this being done to 

 avoid duplication. 



