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402




At an adjourned meeting of the Federal Reserve
Board held in the office of the Board at 3.00 p. m. on
Thursday, Lay 20,
PRMENT:
r. Hamlin, presidina,

tr. Warburg
Mr. tiller

:Ir. Delano

Mlis, Secretary.
The minutes of the meeting of Friday, Ilay

and

Saturday, :'ay 15, aore read and approved.
On motion applications for Federal reserve notes,
duly recommended by the Committee on

Issue

and Redemption,

were approved as follows:
For Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, •,g5,000,000 in
denominations as follows:
35 denomination
10
I
20

'2,000,000
2,520,000
400,000

00
For the Federal Reserve Bank of Ohicaco, v5,000,0
in denominations as follows:
denomination

)5,000,000

00
For the Federal Reser7o Bank of Dallas, :)1,000,0
in denominations as follows:
denomination
20

600,000
400,000

403

For the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, ::1,500,000
in denominations as follows:
p-

Q0 denomination

10
20
50

If

•••

it
te

,',420,000
480,000
400,000
200,000

For the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, ',;11,000,000
in denominations as follows:
a

denomination
10

400,000
600,000

Mr. Miller presented to the Board the question of
the form and signature on Federal reserve bank notes, calling
attention to the fact that as half of the notes had already
been printed it was not thought advisable to make any chance
therein.
Apnlications for power to exercise the functions of
trustee, executor, etc., were ordered transmitted lirect to
the office of the Comptroller of the Currency for ,relinlinary
examination and report to :Tr. Eardinc.
Apnlications for new stock and for the surrender of
old stock in Federal reserve banks were presented to the Board,
and by order referred to Mr. Harding for report.
A recommendation that the First 7ational Bank of
Como, Texas, be permitted to red-ace its capital stock in the
sum of ;115,000 duly recommended by the Comptroller of the Our-




404




rency, and approved by Federal Reserve Agent Tenison by
wire, was, on motion, voted.
The minutes of the recent conference between
a committee of Governors of reserve banks and a cominittoe of the Federal Reserve Board, relative to the establishment
of the Gold. jettlement Fund,

reviously referred t

77arburg and reported by him, were approved as corrected
and ordered entered.
The minutes of the last meeting of the Txecutive
COmmittee of the Board, action on which had. previously been.
taken by the Board, were given formal approval and ordered
entered.
The Secretary of the Board presented the form of
an announcement to be printed in the forthcoming issue of
the Bulletin relative to the subscription price of the publication.

The to:A of the announcement was approved and au-

thorized.
A discussion of plans for the approaching PanAmerican Conference ensued, and the Governor of the Board
reported what had been done, and what was proposed by the
Secretary of the Treasury on that sub:ject.

After a general

discussion of the entertainment of delegates, the Governor
of the Board and 7'r. Delano were named as a special sub-

405

•

committee to take charge of plans.
Regulations for the admission of State banks to
the Federal Reserve system were discussed, and, on motion,
tentatively adopted.

The Secretary of the Board was di-

rected to have a fresh copy made and mimeographed.
The Secretary of the Board presented a collection
of opinions of Counsel asking that they be released and
their publication authorized.

On motion the aforesaid

opinions were referred to the Governor and 11r. Warburg for
examination and report as to their release.
The question of entering decrees in the redistricting cases was taken up, and after discussion it was
voted that separate decrees be entered, one for each
petition, and that these decrees be submitted to the ,Board
for entry as soon as possible.
On motion a decision With reference to the transfer of certain counties in Oklahoma which had protested
against the decision of the Board, was laid on the table
until the return of Mr. Harding.
The Secretary of the Board presented the report
Of the Chief of the Division of Audit and Examination regarding the condition of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

On motion this report was referred to Mr. Warburg

for transmission to the Committee on Issue and Redemption.




406




On motion a letter from Federal Reserve Agent
. .
Wills relative to the granting of trustee and executor
powers in Kentucky, was ordered referred to Counsel for
the preparation of a reply.
The Secretary of the Board presented a number
of letters relating to methods to be pursued in cases of
banks applying for power to reduce their capital stook.
On motion these letters were referred to Mr. Harding for
examination and report.
The Secretary of the Board presented a number
of letters relating to the establishment of a ten or
fifteen day discount rate.

On motion those letters

were referred to Mr. Warburg for report.
The Secretary of the Board presented a number
of letters relating to the sufficiency of present supplies of Federal reserve notes.

On motion these letters

were referred to Mr. Delano for report.
The Secretary presented the regular weekly
recommendations as to discount rates, noting that the
only change definitely asked was the establishment of
a rate of 4% for 60-day paper by the Federil Reserve
'Bank of Minneapolis.

On motion the Board voted to aP-

prove the following rate for the Federal Reserve Bank
of Minneapolis:

467

1:laturities u: to GO days...4

4

The Secretary of the Boar: presented a letter
from Governor Sawyer of the Federal Reserve B..ak of I:ansas
City relative to the 'Ase of the term "Federal" in the
title of State banking institutions.

The communication

was read and laid on the table.
4/The Secretary of the Board presented a reported

If
interview with the Governor of the Board in a Yew York neaspaper, calling attention to the fact that examination of the
Board's records as to acceptances as reported to it showed
that none were made for the financing of munitions of war.,
Th

Secretary of the Board having raised the ques-

tion whether the local G. A. 2. Oranization should be allowed to solicit contributions from the staff of the Board
was directed to return a courteous reply to the effect that
the Board felt that it must adhere to its invariable rule
aainst such solicitations.
On motion the opinion of Counsel relative to the
eliibility of Lassachusetts toan notes for purchase by the
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston was approved and the Federal
Reserve Bank of Boston authorized to purchase the notes at
its discretion in view of the especially favorable reports
concerning their character that have been received .




408




On motion the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
was authorized to purchase the whole of the loan of
Merrimac County, N. H. amounting to

10,000, due in six

months instead of 25% of the loan as provided by the
regulations of the Board, the action beinl; an exception
due to the special status of the case.
The Secretary of the Board presented the question
of the employment of an additional stenographer in the
office of Counsel of the Board, accompanied by a tentative
recommendation of the Committee on Staff.

On motion the

subject was referred back to the Committee on Staff for
further inquiry.
On motion, a request

from Federal Reserve Agent

Jay for an annual certificate by the Federal Reserve Board
that the accounts of the bank of New York have been examined, the same to be used in connection with a guaranty
excess bond to protect the bank, was approved.
On motion the request of Federal Reserve Agent
Jay for approval of action on his part in transferring
$29,000,000 of gold order certificates held by him as Federal Reserve Agent to the new vault in the New York Clearto
ing House for safekeeping was approved, such approval
hold good until the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has

409

provided itself with a suitable vault.
The Secretary of the Board presented the question of the establishment of a standard expense form to
be used by reserve banks in reporting their earnings and
expenses as of July 1st.

On motion the subject was re-

ferred to Mr. Delano with the aid of Mr. Broderick and
Mr. Jacobson.
On motion the probationary appointment of Edward
L. Smead as a clerk in the Division of Reports and Statistics at a salary of (1,200, per annum was approved.
A draft of a letter• prepared by Counsel relative
to the applications of certain banks in Connecticut for
transfer from Federal Reserve District Number 1 to Federal
Reserve District Number 2 was read to the Board, and after
discussion ordered transmitted in a form so revised as to
avoid any curtailment of the Board's power of review in
redistricting.
A letter from Secretary J. F. Curtis of the Federal Reserve Bank of Now York relative to the classing of
Purchases of Government bonds made prior to December 23, 1915
as a part of the allotment of such bonds to banks having been
read, the Secretary was directed to send Mr. Curtis the Counsel's
opinion on the same subject and to give him the information




410




already previously conveyed to Federal Reserve Agent
Perrin.
A letter to Samuel Lazarus of St. Louis in reply
to certain inquiries presented by him to Senator W. J. Stone
was ordered approved and sent.
In answer to an inquiry from Federal Reserve Agent
Austin as to whether it would be well to defer the grouping
of banks in the Philadelphia district for the election of
directors, it was voted that Mr. Austin be advised to defer
such regrouping until next Autumn.
An inquiry from Federal Reserve Agent Austin as to
whether the New Jersey banks in the territory transferred to •
the New York district ought in each case to pass formal resohia
lutions for the surrender of their stock in the Philadelp
Bank, was ordered laid on the table pending advice from Counsel°
Resolutions received from the Federal Reserve Bank
expenses
of Atlanta relative to the method of determining the
Harding
of Directors in that institution were referred to Mr.
for consideration and report.
A letter from Governor Strong of the Federal Reserve
Bank of New York, relative to the retention

6t

9
balances by"

Federal Reserve Bank of New Mit in favor of sundry other Fedlaid on
eral reserve banks for exchange purposes, was ordered

411

table until the return of Er. Harding.
A letter from the First National Bank of San
Diego, California, making inquiry whether the Federal
Reserve Board would provide counsel and join it in a
test case to determine the rights of National banks to
establish savings deposits in California was ordered
referred to Counsel of the Board for advice.
The question of settling with the Government
Printing Office for the Index-Digest of the Federal Reserve
Act was referred with accompanying papers to Er. Delano for
further action.
A number of letters received by the Secretary of
the Board relative to the making of careful maps of the
several Federal reserve districts were referred to Er. Delano.
An opinion received from Counsel with reference to
relations between Federal reserve banks and member national
banks possessing branches, was referred to Lir. Warburg and
Mr. Harding.
Mr. Miller read to the Board a draft of a letter
Prepared by him to be sent to Federal Reserve Agent Martin
With respect to renewal paper.

The letter was discussed and

authorized.
On motion, at 6:40 p. in. the Board adjourned to

11



410




meet at 11.00 a. m. on Friday, May 21.

Secretary.

APPROVED: