In order to arouse an interest in the study of topics relating to commerce and industry, a committee headed by Professor Laurence Laughlin of the University of Chicago has announced that four prizes totaling $2000 will be awarded for the best studies in the economic field.

The two prizes of $1000 and $500 respectively in Class A may be competed for by any resident of the United States or Canada without restriction, and the candidate may choose any one of the following six subjects or one approved by the committee:

1. A Survey of the World's Cotton Situation.

2. The Theory and Practice of Ship Subsidies.

3. The Sales Tax.

4. The Theory and Practice of Unemployment Insurance.

5. What Conditions Limit the Amount of Wages That Can be Paid.

6. A comparison of Business Cycles in the United States, Great Britain and Canada.

The Class B group, in which the prizes are $300 and $200 respectively, is restricted to undergraduates of any American college. The committee, however, reserves to itself the right to award the two prizes of $1000 and $500 of Class A to undergraduates in Class B, if the merits of the papers demand it.

Competitors are advised that the studies should be thorough, expressed in good English, and, although not limited as to length, they should not be needlessly expanded. They should be inscribed with an assumed name, the class in which they are presented, and accompanied by a sealed envelope giving the real name and address of the competitor. The papers should be sent on or before June 1, 1924, to Professor Laurence Laughlin at the University of Chicago.

The committee in charge consists of Hon, Theodore E. Burton of Washington; Professor J. B. Clark of Columbia University; President Edwin F. Gay of the New York Evening Post; Professor Wesley C. Mitchell of Columbia University; and Professor Laurence Laughlin of the University of Chicago.

Some of the subjects offered in recent years are:

1. Protectionism as affected by the War.

2. The Function of Capital.

3. The Development of the world's production of meat.

4. A study of the effects of paper money issuees during the European War.