DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY.* 



Henry W. Farnam, Chairman. 



The European war, which has affected unfavorably so many interests 

 in our country, has been, on the whole, a benefit to this department 

 of the Carnegie Institution of Washington; for the writer, instead of 

 spending last winter in Berlin, as was his expectation a little over a year 

 ago, came back to this country in the autumn of 1914 and has devoted 

 most of his attention since that tim.e to work upon the history of social 

 legislation in the United States. He has also given considerable time 

 to editorial work in connection with other divisions. Thus he has 

 examined critically the manuscript of Professor Johnson's "History of 

 Domestic and Foreign Commerce of the United States" and during the 

 sunmier has read the proof of this book. He has also read the manu- 

 script of Dr. Clark's "History of Manufactures in the United States," 

 and made suggestions for preparing it for the press. He has supervised 

 the revision of the history of transportation, and he has been in con- 

 sultation with Mr. Parker regarding the first draft of his history of 

 mining. While the writer was not formally appointed editor of the 

 series, it seemed to him that the responsibihty rested upon him, as 

 chairman of the board, to harmonize and bring into unity the dif- 

 ferent parts, inasmuch as he is the only member of the board who is 

 familiar with the work of each one of the collaborators. In not a few 

 cases it seemed desirable to make suggestions regarding both the form 

 and the substance of the manuscripts which passed through his hands 

 and to settle a large number of typographical questions which arose 

 as soon as the first manuscript was accepted and its printing authorized 

 by the Executive Committee. In this work he has had the assistance 

 of Professor Johnson and Dr. Clark, who have by vote of the collabo- 

 rators been associated with him as an editorial committee, and to whom 

 he is much indebted for useful suggestions and advice. 



In reviewing the work of the several divisions the writer is glad to 

 report that one of them has actually completed its task. Professor 

 Johnson's "History of Domestic and Foreign Commerce of the United 

 States," having been handed in last spring, was accepted by the 

 Executive Committee, and will soon be pubhshed in two volumes, 

 aggregating about 800 pages, with several maps. In the preparation 

 of these volumes Professor Johnson was assisted by Dr. T. W. Van 

 Metre, Assistant Professor G. G. Huebner, and Dr. D. S. Hanchett. 



Dr. Clark's "History of Manufactures in the United States, 1606 to 

 1860," which has also been accepted, is nearly ready for the press. 



The "History of Transportation in the United States to 1850,'^ 

 written under the direction of Professor Meyer, was handed in over a 



♦Address: Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. 



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