Chapter VIII 
THE AFFAIRS OF THE BANK UNDER 
THE COMPTROLLER OF THE 
CURRENCY 
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ABOLISHED 
‘HE necessity for changing the adminis- 
tration of the affairs of the bank had long 
been obvious and Congress was at last 
convinced. The administration of the three com- 
missioners was too expensive—from 1874 to 1879 
it had cost $355,994.77; they lacked full author- 
ity to dispose of the property of the bank, and 
their unedifying personal disputes brought dis- 
credit upon their work. So in 1881, partly as a 
result of the Bruce investigation, Congress abol- 
ished the board of commissioners and made the 
Comptroller of the Currency a commissioner to 
close out the business. He was allowed a salary 
of $1,000 to be taken from the funds of the bank; 
thus a saving of $8,000 a year in salaries alone 
was effected.’ 
DUTIES OF THE COMPTROLLER 
By this act of Congress the funds collected by 
the Comptroller were to be placed in the United 
States Treasury and were to draw interest; when 
dividends were to be declared, he was to pay the 
1 Acts of February 21, 1881 and April 5, 1882, 
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