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WILLIAM BARRET RIDGELY 



rest. In any well managed bank the work of the examiner 

 ought to be supplemented and aided by continued and thor- 

 ough examinations by the directors themselves, or some one 

 appointed by them independently of the men who regularly 

 have charge of the funds and accounts. In addition to the two 

 examinations in each year, each national bank is compelled by 

 law to make to the comptroller at least five sworn reports of 

 its condition. These were first made on fixed dates, but it was 

 found that as these dates were known the banks would always 

 prepare to make their statement; and the present method is 

 for the comptroller to call for a statement of condition as of 

 some previous date, and these are always made without any 

 notice to the bank on dates which are not fixed by the comp- 

 troller until the moment the call is made. A summary of the 

 statement of condition of all banks of the country, divided by 

 states, which is published within two or three weeks after the 

 issuance of a call, gives very prompt and valuable information 

 as to the condition of the banks in all parts of the United 

 States. 



It is worthy of notice that, while the national banking sys- 



