Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1944, Blaðsíða 45

INSTITUTE OF ECONOMICS AND HISTORY
35
had, however, to be given up at the time as the material available
proved insufficient. Later on an economist and an engineer con-
centrated on the problem of the historical development of tech-
nique in Danish industry, and collected considerable material,
especially from the cement, oil and sugar industries. Nothing was
published, however.
During the first World War great quantities of information
on economic conditions were collected in the archives, the files
and publications of the “Overordentlige Kommission” set up by
the State, which, among other tasks, was entrusted with the fixing
of profits and maximum prices in Denmark. This important
source material was carefully indexed by the Institute and is now
available for research.
Contributions to Danish Economic History
In this field so obviously suited to close collaboration between
the historian and the economist, several papers or books have
been published or are under preparation. The economist, P. P.
Sveistrup, aided by a young historian, describes the sugar pro-
duction of the former Danish West Indies in his book on the
economic history of the islands0). Ready for the press is his com-
prehensive study of the sugar refining industry and sugar beet
production in Denmark, written in collaboration with the histo-
rian R. Willerslev.
The Danish State Railroads have entrusted the Institute with
the task of writing a survey of the legislative history and the
economic and social importance of the Danish railroads during
the past one hundred years. This study will be part of an extensive
publication which the State Railroads will send out in 1947 to
celebrate the centenary of the first Danish railway line.
The most ambitious enterprise in the field of collaboration
between economists and historians is a study of Danish prices and
wages in the i8th Century following the same lines as similar
studies made in a number of other countries since the first World
War (U. S. A., England, France, Spain, Holland, Poland, Austria,
and Germany). So far, large collections of material have been
9) P. P. Sveistrup: Bidrag til de tidligere dansk-vestindiske 0ers okono-
miske Historie med særligt Henblik paa Sukkerproduktion og Sukker-
handel. (1942).
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