64 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



expenditures of States since that year; a chronological account of 

 legislation, including constitutional provisions and judicial decisions 

 for the same period ; the relation between the finances of the State 

 and the political system ; and general economic conditions. He will 

 also discuss the working of the more important forms of taxation, 

 such as general property tax, taxes on banks and insurance com- 

 panies, taxes on railways, corporation taxes, inheritance taxes, income 

 taxes, business taxes, etc. In addition, 'he will enter upon a study of 

 the financial aspects of internal improvements, and give a history of 

 State debt and credit, and an account of the development of financial 

 administration, including budgetary practice. 



I may say in general that every effort is being made to co- 

 ordinate and harmonize the work of divisions whose subjects inter- 

 lock ; as, for instance, there are several features under manufactures, 

 transportation, and domestic and foreign commerce that offer op- 

 portunities for conflict, but the gentlemen in charge of these divisions 

 are working thoroughly in harmony, and will see to it that no compli- 

 cations arise. This is true of the divisions relating to money and 

 banking and Federal and State finance. Professors Dewey and 

 Gardner are Vi'-orking together, so that there shall be no duplicate 

 treatment of subjects. All these gentlemen are looking carefully 

 to the fact that when one is collecting information along certain 

 lines it may 'be desirable to enter information for another. This is 

 true also of the divisions relating to the labor movement and to 

 social legislation and industrial organization. 



A committee of three, consisting of Messrs. North, Gardner, and 

 Dewey, has been appointed to consider and report upon a plan for 

 a useful bibliograph}' of economic history. All realize that the 

 ordinary bibliography should not be constructed, but one that will 

 be of positive use on a most advanced plan to all concerned. 



I am greatly gratified at the progress of the work of the whole 

 department as shown by the preceding statements, which consist of 

 brief condensations of the reports of the respective collaborators. I 

 have every confidence in the work as it is being conducted. If the 

 work of the first six or eight months has developed nothing more 

 than concrete and workable plans, without very much progress, we 

 should be satisfied ; but it has gone farther than that, and while 

 much remains to be done in the way of formulation of methods of 

 procedure and their co-ordination into one general plan, nevertheless 

 there is no doubt now of the success of the work committed to the 

 Department of Economics and Sociology. 



