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FEB 1 1 1932

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COMMERCIAL

STANDARDS

cy

MONTHLY

A Review of Progress in

Commercial Standardization and Simplification

ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS OF THE

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE v v v . , WASHINGTON, D. C., U. S. A.

Vol. 6, No. JULY, 1929

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Sec last page for prices
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

R. P. Lamont, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

George K. Burgess, Director

Lyman J. Briggs

Assistant Director for Research and Testing

COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY

S. F, Tillman, Editor

Ray M. Hudson

Assistant Director for Commercial Standards

DIVISIONS OF THE COMMERCIAL STANDARDS GROUP

DIVISION OF SIMPLIFIED PRACTICE, Edwin W. Ely.

The division of simplified practice was formed in November,

1920, to provide a clearing house or centralizing agency through

which the manufacturer, distributor, and consumer groups

could meet to discuss their common problems and decide upon

eliminations which would prove of mutual benefit to all concerned. The activities of the division are purely cooperative

in character. It orders nothing; it dictates nothing; the ini- tiative must come from business itself. It has no regulatory nor police powers to enforce adherence to the simplified-practice

recommendations that industry develops under the auspices

of the United States Department of Commerce. Its chief function is to serve as a neutral meeting ground for the purpose

of bringing together producers, distributors, and consumers, whose aims are sometimes divergent and possibly antagonistic,

and who would be unwilling to cooperate, except through some

unbiased central agency. Following the approval of the tentative simplified-practice recommendation by a general conference

of all interested elements thereof, the project is then presented

to the entire industry by letter referendum for its approval and

written acceptance, the publication and indorsement of the recommendation on the part of the Department of Commerce

being dependent upon acceptance of the program by at least 80 per cent, by volume, of the manufacturers, distributors, and

users concerned. AMERICAN MARINE STANDARDS COM’TEE, A.V. Bouillon.

The American Marine Standards Committee was organized

to promote simplification of practice and elimination of waste

in the marine and allied industries. It is composed of indi- viduals, corporations, societies, Government departments, public bodies, or other organizations or groups engaged in building

or operating ships, port facilities, and related activities. It works in close cooperatibh fy’rtk ©fScfal agpncies, but its activities are controlled ‘by ^nc'ekSCifttye board, ejected annually

by and from thd iftembership ( < . Far further‘information, write

direct to the secretary, A. V. Beifillfm, Room 7f3, Department

of Commerce, Washington, D. Q. c t c t DIVISION OF^TRADE^TAND^R'DS.J/J- |FnCrchild.

The commercial standards unit, now known as division of trade standards, was<cre&tedcon Qctofoeir I, 1§27, for the purpose

of aiding those indusSrigl 'ahd c

ccpi^ihprc<ial groups desiring to

establish standards of grades, quality, or measurements for their products or their purchases on a purely voluntary basis. The division functions only at the direct request of the in- dustry concerned. Its procedure is similar to that of the divi- sion of simplified practice, except that at least 65 per cent of the industry, by volume of annual production, must accept

the commercial standard in writing before it is published by

the Department of Commerce. A certification plan is applied

DIVISION OF TRADE STANDARDS—Continued. on request as a means of increasing the effectiveness of such

standards. Provision is made for regular revision of the standard

through the appointment of a standing committee to consider

periodically any necessity for revision of the standard, in order that it may be kept constantly compatible with progress in the

industry.

DIVISION OF SPECIFICATIONS, A. S. McAllister.

The duties of the division of specifications are to promote and

facilitate the use and unification of specifications. In doing so

it carries on activities involving cooperation with technical

societies; trade associations; Federal, State, and municipal

Government specifications making and using agencies ; producers, distributors, and consumers; and testing and research

laboratories. The cooperation with technical societies and

trade associations includes ascertaining the standardization

and specification promoting activities of these organizations,

and bringing to their attention the work being done by the commercial standards group. The cooperation with producers

involves the compilation of lists of manufacturers who have

expressed their willingness to certify to purchasers that materials supplied by them comply with the requirements and tests of certain United States Government master specifications or commercial standards. The division aids in preparing the Standards

Yearbook; directories of governmental and nongovernmental

testing laboratories; the Directory of Specifications; and is working on an encyclopedia series of specifications, of which

“Standards and Specifications in the Wood-Using Industries”

is the first volume which has been issued. BUILDING AND HOUSING DIVISION, J. S. Taylor.

The division of building and housing cooperates with business, technical, and professional groups in practically all its undertakings on building and housing. Its work to modernize

building codes and to encourage improved standards for the

quality of building construction promotes the practical application of the latest development in design and use of build- ing materials. This division was also formed in 1921. In furthering home ownership, an effort is made to develop an enlarged, steadier, more intelligent, and more discriminating

demand for soundly built dwellings, the largest single class of buildings which the construction industries provide. The

division also cooperates with many business and professional groups in efforts to distribute building activity more evenly

throughout the year, and to secure less fluctuation from year

to year. The work on city planning and zoning has in mind

the broad objective of buildings made more useful because

well located with respect to other buildings, a well-coordinated

street system, and appropriate public works. Good city

planning and zoning likewise encourages stability in land

values and property uses, and thereby contributes to the demand for durable structures.

Except where otherwise indicated, for further information address

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

WASHINGTON, D. C.
COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY

A Review of Progress in

Commercial Standardization and Simplification

Volume 6 WASHINGTON, D. C., JULY 15, 1929 Number 1

COMMERCIAL STANDARDS

Standards constitute the common language, even the common law, of modern industry

and commerce. Certain Standards, such as those used for weights and measures, are essential

for public convenience, health, or safety, and have been fixed by legislative enaCtment.

Mandatory Standards of this character, however, are few in number when compared with

the large and Steadily growing volume of Standards developed by industry and commerce and

voluntarily maintained.

The activities of the commercial Standardization group of the Bureau of Standards are concerned with Standards adopted by voluntary agreement. These activities consist

primarily in cooperating with industry in the development of Standards and in promoting

their adoption and use. Such Standards may apply to dimensions, quality, performance,

methods, business practices, terminology, or any other industrial or commercial matter in

which uniformity is beneficial.

Recognized Standards of this character developed by cooperative effort on the part of

designers, manufacturers, distributors, and users constitute a powerful fcrce for eliminating

waSte in production and distribution. Simplified praCtice, meaning elimination of

unnecessary variety of products and concentration on a small number of Standard products,

offers many Striking examples of the enormous benefits to be gained through voluntary

cooperation. Many different groups muSt cooperate not only in developing .Standards but

in establishing and maintaining them in general use. »' ’» ; .

,*

Such voluntary cooperation is of equal value in providing means whereby Standards

may be modified to meet changed conditions or new development.. . The. services of the

commercial Standardization group as a disinterested centralizing agency and clearing house

are available to bring together the various groups concerned irr developing md‘'maintaining

voluntary Standards.

It is gratifying to find that the widespread interest in the commercial Standardization

work of the Department of Commerce has necessitated issuing the Commerical Standards

Monthly as a printed publication. This work has grown in response to the demands of

business men themselves. I truSt that they will find this publication helpful, and that it will truly serve the American public.

R. P. LAMCNT,

Secretary of Commerce.

04711 ' 1
2

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

"Can you give us an instrument that will measure

the distance a ship is from shore, when the ship can

not be seen?”

“We need a plate that can be used in taking photographs through fog.”

“Some valuable Government documents have been

burned; have you a way

to decipher them from the

crisps? ” “As an airship burns up

its fuel it loses weight and

to make up for this loss in

weight, valuable helium gas

has to be released at a cost

of $1,000 per flying hour.

Please find some way to save this loss.” These are only a few of

the questions that have been

put up to the Bureau of

Standards since its founding in 1901 and, let it be

added, solved by the bureau’s staff of scientific men. Operating as a great

national research laboratory, the Bureau of Standards is constantly in touch

with producers and con- sumers all over the United

States. Its work is such

that it is the natural focal

point in this country for investigational work/n the . many lines that its organ h

‘ zation covers”, }- V

1

' oc . , The signers of the Deb-'.,

laration of Independence. ; who authorized this mstitu-. - tion by giving Congress the

right to “fix the, standard

V

of weights and measures/’

little realized that a hundred years or so later, men

would be accurately measuring one one-millionth of an

inch, or how much a 5-inch steel bar bends when your

fingers are pressed against the ends. Beyond a doubt

they would have shouted “witchcraft,” if they had

been told that clever gentlemen would one day

be “fixing standards” for measuring such elusive

things as electric currents, sound, heat, and light waves, air pressure, and radium, and that out of these researches would come discoveries such as

those hinted in the opening paragraphs of this little description.

There are two major groups in the bureau’s organization. One deals with research and testing, and the

other with simplification and commercial standardization. Each is under the supervision of an assistant

director. The first group

of the bureau includes fundamental research in practically every branch of physics and many branches of chemistry, metallurgy, and

engineering. The second

group cooperates with

American industry in

eliminating existing avoidable waste through the application of the principles

of simplified practice and

standardization.

The scientific and technologic work includes re- search on basic problems

underlying precision meas- urement—the use of structural materials of all sorts, the development of improved methods, and the use of new materials and

technique, as well as the

performance of a large

amount of testing for the

Federal and State Governments. In a few words it might be said that the

technical functions of the

Bureau of Standards are: The development, construction, custody, and mainte- nance of reference and

working standards, and their

intercomparison, improvement, and application in

science, engineering, industry, and commerce. Standards are divided into five

classes, as follows: (1) Standards of measurements

(measurements of lengths, mass, and time); (2) standard constants (mechanical equivalents of heat and electricity, constant of gravitation, etc.); (3) standards of quality (specifications for materials) ; (4) standards of performance (operative efficiency of machines and devices) ; (5) standards of practice (safety code for technical regulation of construction and operation of equipAN INVITATION TO VISIT THE BUREAU

OF STANDARDS

An interesting fact in the growth of the bureau is the steady increase in the number of visitors. From all over the world experts come to see the work, in progress in many specialties. Not alone the experts, but in growing

numbers many of our people visit the bureau from a publicspirited desire to acquaint themselves with its research work All Visitors, from the newspaper men who have

called the bureau a “house of wonders ” to the specialists, are welcome, for it is their bureau in a very real sense. They are the owners of the business and its beneficiaries. The annual per capita cost of 2 cents which the average

citizen pays toward the operation of the bureau yields returns sometimes a hundredfold or a thousandfold. How science turns wastes into profits, increases the useful

life of materials, adds new efficiencies to industry, advances new arts, such as aviation and radio, by research and discovery—these are to be seen first hand in the

scientific and technical laboratories of the bureau. In inaugurating a new periodical I desire to extend anew to all citizens interested in scientific progress a cordial invitation to visit the laboratories of the Bureau

of Standards when in Washington. A personally con

J

„ ducted trip is organized at 2.15 p. m., daily, except on

holidays / Special trips for groups may be arranged at

” other times by writing to the bureau in advance. The

bureau s, illustrated Visitor's Manual may be had for the

. 1 'asking.I This lists the work in progress and gives an

airplane view of the ensemble and a brief statement of

\ typical discoveries and inventions which have been

notable, basic contributions to radio, aviation, and

other modern arts and industries. GEORGE K. BURGESS, Director.
3

ment) . The organization of the bureau is based not upon

the classes of standards, but upon the kind of work.

Since the readers of The Commercial Standards

Monthly are, in general, familiar with the work of “

the commercial standardization group ” of the bureau,

this article will deal chiefly with the “research and

testing group.” This group consists of nine major

divisions which are subdivided into sections. The sec- tion is the working unit which deals with some particular class of problems, such as time measurements, electrical measuring instruments, textiles, etc. There are 65 sections in the 9 divisions of the bureau. Each of

these is devoted to a special line of work. On first thought, it might appear that each would be somewhat

cut off from the others. This is not the case. Fre- quently a major research will require the cooperative

efforts of many sections and even in the ordinary testing

of materials, nearly always at least two sections, say in

physics and chemistry, are involved.

The weights and measures division is the basic di- vision of the research and testing group. It is a natural

outgrowth of the work of the old office of weights and

measures in the Treasury Department. This division

has custody of the national standards of length and mass of the United States, upon which all our other

standards depend.

In this connection the bureau has ruled precision

scales for a manufacturer of high-grade tools direct

from light waves with an accuracy so great that there was no measurable error in the finished scale. Precision gage blocks, the master length standards of our automobile manufacturers, etc., are likewise tested by

optical methods with wonderful accuracy.

The reader may ask quite naturally how we assist in securing exact standards of measurement in commercial transactions, when the enforcement of weights

and measures laws is entirely a State or municipal

function. One way in which we assist is through conferences of weights and measures officials from all sec- tions of the country. Each spring such a conference is held at the bureau, the twenty-second conference having

been held on June 4 to 7, inclusive, of this year. Delegates

from many of the States were present. All sorts of

weights and measures problems were discussed.

Thus, without any regulatory power, the bureau is helping to secure uniformity in these matters in all parts of the United States. The bureau owns four sets of equipment for testing

railroad master scales and commercial track scales. The charges for all the revenue freight moved in this country, a matter of over $4,000,000,000 per year

depend on the readings of these scales. In 1914,

when we started this work, only 38.2 per cent of the

scales tested were within the limits of error set by the

bureau as an acceptable standard of performance.

During the fiscal year 1928, we tested 18 master

scales and 703 commercial track scales. Of the last named 70 per cent were within the tolerance. The

importance of such an improvement is obvious.

The necessity for a laboratory fitted to deal with the

basis standards in electricity was one of the strongest

arguments for the establishment of the bureau. The

field covered is very extensive, including the establishment and maintenance of the fundamental electrical

units, such as the volt, ampere, and ohm; the testing

of electrical measuring instruments, lamps, batteries,

etc.); the investigation of important problems in the

electrical field; and the preparation of safety codes

covering the electrical and other industries.

One of the sections of this division deals wholly

with radio communications. Many important improvements in this rapidly expanding field have been

developed at the bureau.

The radio direction finder now largely used in navigation, the radiobeacon, the quartz oscillator, and

many other developments were invented or perfected

by Bureau of Standards employees. Just now a great

deal of attention is being given to the elimination of

interference in broadcast reception, the control of

frequency of transmitting stations, and the development of radiobeacons for aerial navigation. , Lately much attention has been given to the problem of automobile headlighting. In cooperation with numerous States and cities, a considerable improvement has been brought about in this matter. The work of the automotive power plants section

of our heat and power division is of special interest to engineers. This section conducts investigations of the

performance of all sorts of internal-combustion engines, including those used in aircraft and automobiles. Automobile engines are not only tested in this

laboratory, but complete records of car performance on the road are secured by special apparatus. Through

such work, the efficiency of automobile engines is being increased with a consequent increase in miles per

barrel of crude oil. In the altitude laboratory aircraft engines are tested

under conditions encountered during an actual flight.

The low air pressure and temperature existing at high

altitudes can be duplicated in a chamber specially

designed for this work. Aircraft engine testing was

started when we first entered the war, and for some

time the bureau’s altitude chamber was the only one

of this kind in the world.

The bureau is by law the testing laboratory of the

aeronautics branch of the Department of Commerce.

The type testing of commercial aircraft engines is now

one of the major activities of the automotive section.

It may seem a far cry from engines to thermometers,

but the establishment of standards for each involves

heat and temperature measurements. The bureau

tests many thousands of thermometers each year, as
4

well as pyrometers and other heat and temperature

measuring instruments. One section of this division

is concerned with the fire resistance of structural materials. Actual building materials, including full-sized walls and partitions, are tested in special furnaces.

The intensity and duration of fires are studied in actual

buildings and in special test houses. These are completely furnished with discarded material and are then

set on fire. The temperatures attained are indicated

by means of thermocouples and the time the fire burns

is noted. Through this work better building construction is being brought about with a reduction of our tremendous fire loss, which formerly amounted to $500,000,000 a year. The work of the optics division includes such important subjects as spectroscopy, the investigation of

sugar production and testing methods, the design and

improvement of optical instruments, the use of light

interference in precise measurement, and the protection of the eyes from injurious radiation, as well as studies of the ultra-violet transmission of glass and

fabrics. The work leading to the establishment of the

dextrose industry and the research now under way on

levulose are important phases of the work of this division.

The spectroscope reveals to us the composition of the sun and stars, showing us that, vast as is the visible

universe, it is made up almost entirely of elements with

which we are familiar here on earth. In addition to

telling us the constitution of a star hundreds of light

years away, the spectroscope is the most accurate known means for analyzing metals, gases, and other

materials, and will reveal traces of impurities which

can not be found at all by chemical analysis.

By means of an extremely sensitive thermocouple,

the surface temperatures of the planets have been

measured. The results wdiich have been secured may

eventually lead to a determination of whether life exists on other members of the solar system.

The work of the chemistry division of the Bureau of

Standards covers a great variety of subjects. Many

of the investigations are carried out in cooperation

with other divisions of the bureau. A great deal of

the testing, in connection with the preparation of Govermnent specifications, is performed by this division. Standards for paint, varnish, rubber, cement, re- agents, etc., have been established.

The electrochemistry section has done some interesting and valuable work, including the development of a process for chromium plating. This is being used by

automobile manufacturers, by makers of precision gages, and for coating the steel dies used by the mint,

and the steel electroplates used for our currency printing. Even the casehardened steel plates wear out very

rapidly, but covering the surface with chromium, the

hardest metal known, its life is greatly increased. Another section deals with gas appliances, and has made

a study of the proper utilization of gas in domestic appliances, the heating value of gas of different compositions, etc. Assistance has been given to various municipalities

in determining the responsibility for some cases of car- bon monoxide poisoning.

The work of the mechanics and sound division in- cludes the testing of mechanical appliances, such as elevator interlocks, fire extinguishers, and water cur- rent meters; investigation of the soundproofness of

building materials; development and testing of aero- nautic instruments for the Air Service; study of the

aerodynamic properties of structures; and determination of the strength of fabricated metals, ropes, and

cables. Studies made in the sound laboratory have yielded

valuable data on ways of rendering walls and floors more resistant to the passage of soimd. Several

publications have been issued giving practical information on the soundproofing of buildings and of airplane

cabins. The performance of all sorts of devices and

structures which must function in a wind stream are studied in three wind tunnels. One of the tunn els is 36 inches in diameter, and in it a wind speed of 180

miles per hour can be maintained. The second tunnel

is octagonal in form with a cross section 54 inches

between the sides. The third tunn el is 10 feet in

diameter. The maximum wind speed possible in these

last two tunnels is about 75 miles an hour. Many

models of aircraft, aerial bombs, tall buildings, and

chimneys have been studied by means of this equipment.

Current meters are used for measuring the flow of

water in rivers and open channels. At the bureau,

they are tested by towing them from a small electric car moving on a track over a tank 400 feet long. Thus

the meter moves through the water instead of the water

flowing past the meter, but both produce the same

result. The big testing machines of the engineering mechanics section are always of interest. The largest of

these is a vertical machine with a capacity of 10,000,000

pounds in compression. This machine is being used

to test one-fourth size models of portions of the

columns for the new Hudson River bridge between

New York and Fort Lee. The machine is operated

hydraulically, oil under a pressure of about 3,000

pounds per square inch being supplied to a cylinder 52

inches in diameter located below the floor. Our

largest horizontal emery machine does not have so great capacity as the vertical one, but is much more

sensitive and accurate; in fact, it is really a precision

instrument. This machine is capable of loading a specimen to 1,150,000 pounds in tension and to 2,300,000 pounds in compression. Variations of load

of only 1 or 2 pounds can be detected.
5

The organic and fibrous materials division deals with

rubber, textiles, paper, and leather. In establishing

standards of quality and performance for materials of

this kind, it is often necessary to study the actual

manufacturing process. Frequently such work can

not be carried out in a commercial plant. In some

cases commercial machinery is used, while in others, as

illustrated by the paper mill, the machines have been

specially designed.

These plants enable the bureau to study carefully

the actual processes by which materials are manufactured, and often it is able to suggest improvements which lead to better and cheaper products.

New uses for materials are discovered and outlets

foimd for waste products. Paper has been made from

all sorts of materials, such as cotton linters, sugar- cane refuse, banana stems, etc. The durability of our paper currency has been more than doubled by the development in the bureau’s

experimental mill of an entirely new type of paper.

Although the paper is unlike any ever before produced,

it can be manufactured in existing plants and is no more expensive than the former material.

The bureau’s work, just now getting well under

way, on the utilization of waste products of the land

is performed by this division. A satisfactory grade of

wall board is being manufactured from corn stalks in a semicommercial plant erected by the bureau and

the Iowa State College at Ames, Iowa. Peanut shells have been used with some success as a substitute for hardwood shavings in the manufacture of gypsum

fiber concrete. The metallurgical division is equipped to go through

all the processes employed in the casting, working,

and heat treatment of metals. There is an experimental foundry, equipped with gas, oil, and electric furnaces, rolling mill, forging press, draw bench, heattreatment plant, etc. These machines are of medium

size and capable of doing some real work. Very

complete equipment is provided for the microscopic

study of the structure of metals. Recently the X ray

has been taken up as a means for getting at the inside

history of metals and alloys.

In no industry are high standards more dependent on exact scientific work than in metallurgy, yet for years most of the processes were controlled by “ruleof-thumb” methods.

For many years a great deal of attention has been

paid to rail failures and ways for preventing them.

The bureau is cooperating with the steel makers and

the railroad companies on the problem of “transverse

fissures.” This study requires hundreds of tests on new rails and on rails which have been subjected to varying lengths of service.

The prevention of corrosion of duralumin, the light

alloy used in aircraft construction, has been studied.

It has been found that by proper heat treatment and

by coating the duralumin with a layer of pure aluminum, corrosion can be largely eliminated.

Passing now to the last of the technical divisions, we

may consider as typical of the work of the ceramics

division its activities with respect to optical glass.

Before the war not one pound of optical glass was made in this country. Our lens makers led the world,

but they all worked with German or French glass.

When the war came the foreign supply of glass was

cut off, and our Army and Navy were threatened with

a shortage of all the optical instruments which are absolutely essential to modern warfare.

Dr. S. W. Stratton, who was then director of the

bureau, realized the danger of the situation, and

processes for making optical glass were developed at the bureau in cooperation with the Geophysical

Laboratory and with manufacturers. The wdiole

difficult technique had to be developed, but in 1917 we were able to produce the highest grades of optical

glass, and we have been making it ever since. Most

of our glass now goes to the Navy Department and is used in gun sights, periscopes, range finders, officers

binoculars, etc. This section has completed the casting of the largest

piece of optical glass ever made in this country and

one of the three or four largest in the world.

This is a disk of glass 70b inches in diameter and

10b inches thick, weighing about 3,500 pounds. It

will be used as the mirror for the reflecting telescope

at Ohio Wesleyan University. It required 8b months

for cooling and annealing and over 70 hours for drilling an 8-inch hole through the center of the disk.

This division also deals with chinaware, heavy

products, refractories, cement and concrete, lime,

gypsum, and enameled ware. New uses have been

found for American clays. Waste in these industries

through defective ware has been greatly reduced.

The bureau tests samples of all the cement which

the Government buys. To expedite this work, three

branch laboratories are maintained. They are at Northampton, Pa., Denver, Colo., and San Francisco,

Calif. The advisability of somewhat extending the

work of these laboratories, particularly at San Francisco, to assist Government agencies and the States

in the vicinity is now being considered.

This covers briefly the various scientific and technical divisions of the bureau.

Now a word or two about the man that directs the

destiny of the Bureau of Standards, Dr. George Iv. Burgess. Science is a romantic adventure to him, for

he is a man in whom the sense of adventure is inborn.

From his ancestors, staunch New England seafolk, who

helped make history in the da}^s of the clipper ships,

he inherited a thirst for the mysteries that lie beyond

shadowy horizons.
6

Born in Newton, Mass., physics became Doctor

Burgess’s greatest interest. He matriculated at the

famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1892, and in 1896 received his degree of bachelor of

science. Years of study abroad followed, and in 1901

he won his doctor’s degree at the Sorbonne, in Paris,

being one of the first Americans to achieve this

scholarly distinction.

He was in California when he learned that the

Bureau of Standards, then under the Treasury Department, was to be transferred to the Department of

Commerce and Labor and enlarged. As he tells it to the editor, he “hotfooted it back to Washington”

and took the necessary examinations, and in 1903 was

appointed an associate physicist, the twenty-third

person to be employed. In 1913 he was placed in charge of the division of metallurgy, and after 10

years was named director of the bureau.

In closing this article, attention is invited to the fact

that, in accordance with the organic act of the Bureau

of Standards, its services are available without charge

to the National and State Governments. It is in

following out this provision that the bureau acts as the principal testing laboratory of the Government.

The bureau’s director is ex officio chairman of the

Federal Specifications Board, which has done much to unify Government purchasing requirements. Much

of the testing for the board is performed by the

bureau.

In the case of tests for private industry, nominal

fees are charged, but these fees are not available for the support of the bureau’s work. They are turned

in to the United States Treasury. The bureau is therefore dependent upon the appropriations made by Congress and a comparatively small sum transferred by

other departments for the maintenance of its activities. The work of the Bureau of Standards is made available to the public through its three monthly periodicals—the Bureau of Standards Journal of Research,

the Technical News Bulletin, and the Commercial

Standards Monthly—by articles in the scientific and

technical press, and the daily newspapers.

Every effort is made to keep in mind that the Bureau

of Standards is a public service organization. It is therefore our policy to give as wide publicity as possible

to any worth-while results growing out of our work.

Many unproved devices and processes now in extensive

use have originated in the bureau’s laboratories.

COMMERCIAL STANDARDIZATION GROUP-A SERVICE ORGANIZATION FOR THE

ELIMINATION OF WASTE

By Ray M. Hudson, Assistant Directorfor Commercial Standards

Secretary Robert P. Lament, in taking office as Secretary of Commerce, said: “The keynote of the

department has been that of service to American

business. It shall be my purpose to encourage the

development of this phase of our activity.”

Out of the nation-wide interest of business men in the

Hoover Committee’s survey of “waste in industry”

has come a steadily increasing effort toward the

elimination of waste. As manufacturers, distributors,

and consumers have studied existing wastes of time,

material, and human energy in our productive and

distributive processes, their sense of responsibility for waste, its causes and its correction, has quickened into

definite effort for its elimination. Not only have

these primary interests asked and received cooperation

from one another but they have also called on the

Department of Commerce for its cooperation.

The purpose of the Department of Commerce is “to

promote the trade industry and commerce of the

United States.” The purpose of the department’s

Bureau of Standards is the development, custody, and

maintenance of basic standards, and cooperation in the

advancement of American industry through research,

testing, and commercial standardization. Under the

latter heading comes simplified practice, defined as

the reduction of unnecessary variety in sizes, dimensions, etc., of commonly used commodities.

In the eight years since the Hoover Committee

recommended simplified practice as an effective means

of reducing waste the bureau’s division of simplified

practice has assisted industry in simplifying 110

different and widely diversified commodity lines. The

fields covered include building materials, hardware

and mill supplies, plumbing supplies; hospital, home,

hotel equipment; containers; and many other classes of goods. This cooperative effort has helped to reduce inventories and idle investment, to speed up

turnover, increase sales volume, cut manufacturing

and selling costs, increase profits, values, and improve

quality and service. The success of the simplification

movement stimulated interest in standardization of

grade and quality of products; the development of

specifications and wider use of specifications in buying.

Continued calls for cooperation along these lines have required the Bureau of Standards to augment

its service to industry, and its division of trade standards is working with nearly 50 different commodity

groups in perfecting standards of grade and quality

for their goods. To date, commercial or trade standards have developed for 14 commodities, including
7

clinical thermometers; dry-cleaning fluid; staple porcelain pliuiibing fixtures; steel, brass, and wrought-iron

pipe nipples; surgical gauze; domestic and industrial

fuel oils, etc. Arrangements are being made with the American

Standards Association for certain of these trade

standards to come before it for consideration and

possible approval as American standards under the

well-known and effective procedure of that body.

The bureau’s division of specifications is cooperating

with the Federal Specifications Board and the Federal

Purchase Board, as well as State, county, and municipal pm-chasing agents, in the wider use of Federal

specifications. Governmental buyers are finding in

this service many advantages and benefits, such as increased availability of goods made to Federal

specifications, greater uniformity in quality, better

value, and better service.

Over 2,000 manufacturers have signified to the

bureau their willingness, when so requested by the

purchaser, to certify that their goods conform to these

nationally recognized standards and specifications.

Many of these producers are not waiting for the buyer

to ask the question, but are advertising the fact that

their goods meet these standards, and are labeling

them accordingly.

The greater protection thus afforded the consumer

is steadily building good will for the manufacturers

and strengthening their businesses.

The enlarged export business of the United States

and the rapidly growing use abroad of simplification

and standardization has brought a demand for further

cooperation in the translation of American standards

and specifications into foreign languages for the con- venience of foreign buyers. Service of supply, including transportation facilities and means of communication, has advanced to the point where buyers no

longer shop exclusively in the nearest market. More

and more of them are looking over all the sources of

supply and selecting those goods which to them repre- sent the best all-around value. The keener competition has resulted in greater effort by producers of one

country to familiarize buyers in another with then- products. Standards are always bases of comparison,

and their translation into many languages is essential to that purpose. The Bureau of Standards and the

Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce are cooperating in this service, with increasing benefit to American exporters.

At home the great postwar expansion of the construction industry—now doing an annual business of more than $7,000,000,000—has increased the call for simplification and standardization of building materials, methods, practices, codes, and laws.

The bureau’s division of building and housing is cooperating with many organizations and agencies,

governmental and private, in preparing and promoting

standard building codes, plumbing codes, minimum

requirements for construction for small dwellings, city

planning and zoning measures, and related matters.

The promotion of home ownership, increased protection for the home owner, and improved community

conditions and facilities are all tangible results of this cooperative service.

Collectively, the commercial standardization group

is a service organization, set up at the request of

industry and allied interests, to assist in attaining

certain specific objectives. These objectives, defi- nitely recognized as in the public interest, include

higher efficiency and greater stability for business,

unproved service to the ultimate consumer, increased

values in his purchases, and greater individual prosperity. In their attainment the elimination of waste,

whether of time, material, or human energy, is basic

and fundamental. It affords a common cause in

which all interests or elements find large opportunities for growth and for the creation of greater wealth,

not alone for the few but for the many—in fact, for the Nation.

The commercial standardization group of the Bureau

of Standards is essentially and primarily a service

organization for American industry, trade, and the

consuming public. Its services are open to any and

all of these elements of our national fife. All that is necessary to obtain the cooperation of this group is a

definite request from those responsible bodies whose

objectives are consonant -with those for which this

sex-vice organization has been established.

“A white elephant sale” staged by a department

store in the southwest part of the country, to get rid

of an accumulation of shelf warmers, has been reported

as having met with gratifying success. A 4-page

advertisement in the local newspaper of the town was

headed “White Elephants Among Our Souvenirs.”

The body of the advertisement treated the quality

and condition of the merchandise humorously, but

with perfect candor. Goods that were old and shop- worn were so described, and if the merchandise was

no longer in stjde mention was made of the fact. The following arc examples of copy and headlines:

“Winter Coats—Vintage of 1927; Men’s Suits

Hardly as Stylish as They Used to Be; and Warm

Woolen Blankets—But Ugly.” The merchandise featured in the sale was out of date or of such a type

that it had been considered a total loss, but it is reported that most of the goods were sold before noou

on the day of the sale. The application of simplified

practice tends to eliminate such “white elephant

sales” as this, since the simplified program embraces

only those varieties that arc in constant and consistent

demand by the consumers.
8

BUREAU PUBLICATIONS

The Bureau of Standards publishes three magazines

monthly and a yearbook, in addition to miscellaneous

pamphlets. The three monthlies are: The Bureau

of Standards Journal of Research, the Technical News

Bulletin, and the Commercial Standards Monthly.

The Journal of Research is a monthly periodical of

pure and applied science. It made its debut just one

year ago, July, 1928, as a consolidation of Scientific

Papers and Technical Papers. The union of pure

and applied science in one journal has a tendency to bridge the gap between the two fields, thus shortening

the interval between discovery and its application.

Prompt and complete information on the latest developments in scientific research are of value not

only to the technician but also to the business men of

the country.

Researches of the Bureau of Standards have specifically to do with fundamental science and the laws of

matter and energy; physical constants and other

basic data in the form of tables, equations, or graphs;

the properties of materials, structures, and devices

and their effective design and performance; the

mitigation of injurious effects of such agencies as

fire, corrosion, breakage; the promotion of efficiency

by scientific, measured control of processes through

experimental and theoretical research in the fields of physics, chemistry, engineering, and the special

technologies.

Several hundred researches are in progress at the

Bureau of Standards, and the outlet for the results is the Bureau of Standards Journal of Research. The

subscription price is $2.75 annually and $3.50 for foreign mailing.

The month-by-month record of progress of an

investigation is often as interesting as the final report.

Even the obstacles and setbacks which are always

encountered are worth knowing about. Their solution often calls for great ingenuity in methods and

apparatus.

The best way to keep informed of what is going on

in the laboratories of the Bureau of Standards is to read the Technical News Bulletin. This is based on

the monthly reports of the various divisions to the

director. You are made a partner in the bureau’s

work. Through this bulletin you can learn about new work initiated, progress in current researches, and

important conferences in which the bureau has been

or will be represented. One of the most valuable

features is the complete list of publications by members

of the staff, not only papers published in the regular

series of the bureau but in outside journals as well. With the December number is supplied, for reference

purposes, a complete cross index for the year.

The Technical News Bulletin will soon complete its twelfth year. Originally published for the benefit of

the Army and Navy during the war, it is now sent to a varied mailing list of scientists, engineers, manufacturers, branches of the National and State Governments, technical journals, and many of the leading

newspapers. The subscription price is only 25 cents per year. With this issue the Commercial Standards Monthly

makes its debut as a “ regular” printed magazine.

Since its inception, April 12, 1925, it has been a multigraphed bulletin, distributed without cost to those

interested in the subject of elimination of waste

through simplification and standardization.

In its new form Commercial Standards Monthly

will expand the scope of its news and give its readers

a more comprehensive account of progress made in standardization and simplification and, it is hoped, a

clearer vision of just what the functions of the Bureau

of Standards mean to the American public. The subscription price is $1 a year, and $1.25 for foreign

subscriptions.

In connection with the firemen’s short course to be

given at the University of Illinois, a paper will be

given by C. R. Brown, assistant physicist of the Bureau

of Standards, United States Department of Commerce, on Safeguarding the Storage of Photographic,

X Ray, and Motion-Picture Films.

The recent disaster in Cleveland has emphasized

the importance of proper storage of such films, large

accumulations of which are often present in hospital

buildings.

Most of the film used for the purpose up to the

present has been of the nitrocellulose type that ignites at relatively low temperature, bums very rapidly,

and gives off poisonous and, flammable gases. The storage of such film should be made in vaults

constructed to resist moderate pressure from the rapid

combustion of the film and mild explosions sometimes

incident therewith. Suitable vents should be provided

to the outside of the building for the gases given off. Self-closing doors, preferably opening inward into

the vault, should be provided, with sufficient strength

to resist the pressure. The arrangement within the vault should be such

as to minimize the possibility of ignition of the film

and at the same time afford easy extinguishment of

fire by means of the automatic sprinkler protection

required for such storage,
9

FEDERAL COORDINATING SERVICE

By H. H. Rousseau, Rear Admiral ( CEC), United States Navy, Chief Coordinator

The trend is toward making standardization an

active principle in organization and administration in every field. * * * Standardization

is becoming an aspect of all well-ordered activity rather than an incidental activity supplemental

to others.Standards Yearbook, 1927. In the Government field this trend is exemplified

by the organization and development of the Federal

coordinating service.

The establishment by Executive order of the Office

of Chief Coorinator, which followed soon after the

passage of the Budget and Accounting Act in 1921,

placed at the disposal of the Chief Executive for the

first time in our history an agency empowered to co- ordinate the business affairs of the executive branch of the Federal Government.

The decision of the President to avail himself, under

the authority reposed in him by the Constitution, of

the assistance of such an agency was of far-reaching

importance, and the beneficial results of this step are becoming increasingly evident in all Government

business transactions.

The Chief Coordinator is an instrumentality for relieving the President of the details of directing

Government administration in all its branches along

the lines of unified business policy and standard procedure.

The coordinating service comprises the central

organization in Washington, consisting of the Office of

the Chief Coordinator and 12 coordinating boards, and

the field service, consisting of 9 area coordinators and

about 280 active Federal business associations, the

latter distributed throughout continental United

States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico.

The Office of the Chief Coordinator comprises the

Chief Coordinator, an Assistant Chief Coordinator,

and seven assistants to the Chief Coordinator, all assigned for this duty from the various departments

and establishments of the Federal Government. The

office maintains close touch with the coordinating

boards themselves, and with the field service by means

of reports, correspondence, and occasional personal

visits. The coordinating boards have cognizance of the subjects of printing (in collaboration with the Joint Committee on Printing), real estate, purchasing, liquida

tion, motor transport (for the District of Columbia),

traffic, specifications, hospitalization, contracts and adjustments, office procedure, patents (with respect to inventions and patents evolved by Government employees or acquired by the Government), forest protection, and the compilation of a Federal standard stock

catalogue.

The nine area coordinators, who are in charge of field coordination, and who are the connecting links between

the Chief Coordinator and the Federal business associations, are assigned to territorial districts based primarily on the corps areas of the War Department.

The Federal business associations are organized to provide contact between the Chief Coordinator and

Federal agencies in the field. The associations also provide a means for closer contact with each other of Federal officials in a given locality, not only in order

that the principles and policies of coordination might

be better inculcated in the minds of these officials, but

that by bringing these representatives together from

time to time they might know each other personally

and, by taking common counsel, exchange ideas and

experiences and develop standard methods of business

procedure that would be in accord with the spirit of interdepartmental coordination and result in corre- sponding benefits intradepartmentally as well. Some of the projects which have occupied the attention of the coordinating service and have resulted in

increased efficiency in the conduct of the Government’s

business are as follows:

(a) A new and flexible system of collecting and dis- tributing weather reports to insure the safety of pilots

and passengers in aviation operations.

(b) Plans for the prevention and suppression of forest

fires and the defense of forest areas against the depredations of insects.

(c) The liquidation of Government surplus property

since the armistice of over $4,000,000,000 in original

value.

(d) The consolidation on a national scale of the re- quirements of the Government departments and establishments for the purchase of many articles of supplies

formerly bought in scattered lots at high prices.

(e) The distribution to the various Federal activities

of confiscated alcohol and liquors for use in antifreeze

solutions and for medicinal purposes.

(J) The adoption of over 600 Government master

specifications to standardize the Government’s requirements for supplies and materials.

(g) The adoption of 43 Government standard contract forms to replace hundreds of forms in prior use and to simplify the procedure for commercial firms in

doing business with the Government.

(h) The mobilization of trucks from all Federal

activities to assist the Post Office Department to speedily distribute the Christmas npiil and avoid the

congestion formerly obtaining in this respect.

( i) The adoption of standardized Government travel

regulations for Federal personnel.

54711°—29—

2
10

(j) The economical routing of Government freight

and the adjustment of faulty freight classifications.

(k) The establishment of Federal communication

service to handle dispatches for departments and establishments over Government radio, cable, and leased

wire networks.

Many other than the above examples of accomplished

coordination could be given if space permitted, as well

as additional projects about to be undertaken.

Perhaps by far the greater benefits from coordinas

tion are intangible and can not be evaluated in dollar- and cents. However, certain of the economies ef- fected can be recorded, and the following figures of

savings, taken from the seventh annual report of the

Director of the Bureau of the Budget, are the latest available. These figures are exclusive of intradepartmental economies reported directly to the Director of

the Budget by heads of departments and establishments and exclusive also of savings effected through

interdepartmental transfers of surplus property from

the armistice to April 30, 1928, which aggregate

$143,619,929.

Aggregate of savings effected to April SO, 1928, through activities of the interdepartmental coordinating service since its inauguration Area coordinators $4, 893, 447. 70

Federal communication service 5, 439, 304. 61 Coordination of telephone service, District of Columbia 85, 241. 17 Loans of transportation to Post Office Department for handling Christmas mails 574, 365. 92

Coordination of traffic, Federal Traffic Board.. 1, 272, 988. 76 Coordinator of motor transport, District of Co- lumbia 95, 264. 12

Aggregate 12, 360, 612. 28 When consideration is given to the newness of the

field in which the coordinating service is operating and

the small force of personnel assigned to this duty, it

is believed that the showing made is indeed remarkable.

FEDERAL SPECIFICATIONS BOARD

By direction of the President, the Federal Specifications Board was organized under authority of Circular No. 42, Bureau of the Budget, dated October

10, 1921, for the purpose of coordination and economy

in the procurement of materials and service used by the

Government under specifications prepared by the

various branches thereof; to avoid duplication of

effort and for the better utilization of industries.

The duties of the Federal Specifications Board are to compile and adopt standard specifications for materials

and services and to bring the Government specifications into harmony with the best commercial practice

wdierever conditions permit, bearing in mind the desir- ability of broadening the field of supply.

Each department and establishment purchasing

materials and supplies in accordance with specifications designated a representative to serve as a member of the board.

The procedure adopted for the consideration of the

specifications is as follows: The need of specifications

for a given article or material, for either technical or business reasons, is fully considered by the executive

committee of the board, and the subject is then re- ferred to a technical committee composed of the

Government experts in the particular subject, for consideration of all existing Government or commercial

specifications. A specification is selected, or written,

which will be suitable for the uses of all departments

and establishments of the Government. The cooperation and advice of interested commercial and industrial concerns is requested and their recommendations are

fully considered by the technical committees. The

specification as agreed on by the technical committee

is then submitted to all departments and establishments of the Government, through their respective

representatives on the Federal Specifications Board,

for comment and criticism. At the same time copies of the proposed specifications are submitted to the

American Engineering Standards Committee with a request for its assistance in securing comment and

criticism from the various interested engineering and

technical societies all over the coimtry. All criti- cisms received are referred to the respective technical

committees for consideration on their merits. When

the specification is finally agreed upon it is promulgated by the Federal Specifications Board as official Government Standard for use in connection with the

purchase of material covered by the specification.

The specifications adopted and promulgated by the

board shall be binding upon and govern all departments and independent establishments of the Federal

Government in so far as applicable.

The board now has 75 technical committees/composed of representatives from all branches of the

Federal Government, and has promulgated 621

Government master specifications. The chairman

ex officio is Dr. George K. Burgess, Director of the

Bureau of Standards, and the technical secretary is Maj. R. W. Yoeth.

Standardization of specifications is the first and

most essential step in the economy that arises from

the purchase of materials in large quantities. It is a
11

necessary factor in the improvement of the quality of materials purchased and the adaptation of quality to definite uses. The purchase of materials in accordance

with well-defined standards, understood and agreed

upon by the purchaser and producer alike in the

contact, is the only way by which materials can successfully be purchased by competitive bids. With

such standards the Government is enabled to take

advantage of this method in seeming the lowest price

that can be obtained for an article of the required

standard. Without them the reputable bidder is not

only at the mercy of the unscrupulous one, but the

Government is deprived of the legitimate economy

resulting from this method of purchasing.

The great value of specification standardization

from the standpoint of the Government lies in consolidated purchases to a single standard specification

for a given article. This results in economy. From

a military standpoint, supplies can more readily be

purchased in an emergency owing to standard reserve stocks and a greatly enlarged market.

The selection of a specification or standard without

due regard to the manufacturing problems involved

would be equally as serious as for manufacturers to establish them without a careful consideration of the

needs of the purchaser. In the selection of specifications for Government use the Federal Specifications

Board is coordinating these two interests in a manner

which is fair to and understood by both the manufacturer and the user, and will in time base all Government purchases on correct standards of quality and

practice.

Specifications adopted and promulgated as United

States Government master specifications by the board

are listed in Bureau of Standards Circular No. 371,

which is furnished gratis upon request to the Federal

Specifications Board, care Bureau of Standards,

Washington, D. C.

AMERICAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION

Russell Forbes, nationally known as an expert in purchase practice and municipal administration and as a teacher of government, has prepared a comprehensive book, entitled “Government Purchasing/’ ac- cording to the ASA Bulletin of the American Standards Association, as a dissertation for the doctorate in

political science at Columbia University.

His treatment of the purchasing problem, says the

ASA Bulletin, will be of direct interest not only to Federal, State, county, and municipal buyers, but also to everyone concerned with the allotment and ex- penditure of tax moneys, and to purchasing agents of

large private concerns. He recognizes with unusual

clarity the importance of standards as a factor in the

purchase problem and cites important instances of

savings gained through the standardization technique;

for example, in the State of Massachusetts where the

average price of envelopes was reduced from $2.85 to $1.68 per thousand through standardization of sizes and grades. Similarly in this State, where 300 styles

of letterheads were in use by the State government,

standardization upon 50 styles dropped the cost of the

printing of 3,000,000 sheets of paper from $1.75 to 50

cents per thousand.

J. B. Osier, writing in Modern Transport, London?

England, suggests the adoption of a standard chassis

for large fleet of trucks, says the same issue of the ASA

Bulletin:

“It is desirable, as far as possible,” said the writer

in his article, “that all bodies of the same carrying

capacity should be constructed on chassis of exactly

the same design and type. The man in the workshop

becomes an expert on certain jobs on account of its having to be done always in exactly the same way.

Vehicles of the same pattern, therefore, can be passed

through the workshops more quickly than would be

possible if they were of mixed design. In cases where

a fleet numbers 50 or more vehicles of exactly the same

type, it will be found an economy to construct special

jigs and tools to handle the work. No difficulty is ex- perienced in changing drivers from one vehicle to another on similar type vehicles. In cases of breakdown on the road there is no difficulty in picking out

the correct part which is required to put the vehicle

right, and should it be the case that this particular

part is not actually in stock when required it would be

possible to take one off a spare vehicle and send it out

to the vehicle which is broken down, and thus enable

it to proceed on its journey.”

In bringing out a comprehensive report on the

results of its study of the standardization movement,

the National Industrial Conference Board has rendered

a notable service to industry, observes the editor of the

ASA Bulletin, with the remark that “the report is written from the point of view of an industrial executive, considering the movement as a whole and in his

company’s relation to the movement; the methods and

experience of selected companies making extensive use throughout of standardization as a major tool; the

relation of his company to the standardization activities of technical societies, of trade associations, of

the American Standards Association, and of the

Federal Government; its economic advantages and
12

limitations; its influence as a business stabilizer; and

especially the more recent trends toward the use of

standardization as a technique in the marketing

problem, the managerial question now receiving the

most emphasis through executive attention.”

The standardization activities of trade associations

and technical societies are summarized with illustrated

material from typical organizations. Separate chapters are devoted to the work of the Bureau of

Standards, the Department of Agriculture, the American Standards Association, and to international

cooperation.

In closing its review of this report, the ASA Bulletin

recommended that the “report should be read by

every industrial executive or engineer interested in

any phase of standardization.”

NEWS ON FOREIGN STANDARDIZATION

The question of standardization occupies an important place in the economic program of the Soviet

Union, says the Soviet Union Review (2819 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D. C.), noting that “about

500 standards, connected with the most diverse

branches of industry, have been officially adopted. A

thousand more are being developed and tested. The

achievements of the U. S. S. R. in this field received

recognition at the last International Standardization

Conference in Prague, where it was decided to elect the U. S. S. R. as one of the nations to direct the work

of standardization on an international scale, ‘in view

of outstanding services in the field of standardization.’ ”

Leading British truck manufacturers in their fight

against American competition have reached a basis of

agreement for a merger of the whole industry and a reduction of 25 types of truck to 5, accompanied by

mass production, according to a recent dispatch

carried in the Wall Street Journal. Quoting the

London Evening Standard, the Wall Street Journal

statement said that “the plan may be extended to the whole automobile industry in the near future.

Sir Gilbert Garnsey, who arranged the recent wirelesscable merger and reorganization of Lipton chain

stores, is the leader in the new enterprise.”

In presenting its third yearbook the Canadian

Engineering Standards Association takes the occasion

to announce that it is “pleased to again report a con- tinued growth in the work of standardization in Canada” and that “the relations between the association and Canadian industrial interests are most cordial,

and there is every evidence that the work done by the

association has been of practical service in many in- dustrial problems.”

Only one specification was issued by the association

during 1928, it being the third edition of the Specification for Steel Railway Bridges, which has been offici- ally adopted by the Board of Railway Commissioners

for Canada.

“The progress made by the Canadian Electrical

Code,” says the announcement of the association,

“has been outstanding, and there is every indication

that it will be officially adopted throughout Canada in the near future.”

The Canadian Engineering Standards Association was organized during the latter part of the World War,

at the suggestion of the British Board of Trade and the

British Engineering Standards Association. The main

object of the association is to promote the establishment of industrial standards by providing an organization to receive requests for standardization, investigate their desirability, and arrange for the formation

of committees, comprising representatives of both

manufacturers and users, to determine standards that

will be acceptable to all interests concerned.

The association itself is not concerned, nor does it take any active part, in the preparation of the specifications, but it reviews the findings of committees to

satisfy itself that the standards have been properly

prepared, and finally it arranges for their publication

and issue. In addition, other objects of the association are enumerated in its charter as follows: (1) To coordinate

the efforts of producers and consumers for the improvement and standardization of engineering products; (2) to promote the general adoption of engineering standards and to revise and amend such standards

when necessary; (3) to register, use, and protect

distinctive marks or names as applicable to materials

or products which are in accordance with standards;

(4) to make arrangements with Governments or other

authorities to obtain from them privileges and concessions conducive to the objects of the association;

(5) to appoint overseas representatives of the association; and (6) to do all such other things as the association may think conducive to the attainments of its objects.

The catalogue committee of the National Association of Bakery Supply Houses has just issued a mimeographed report based on the results of investigations

carried on by the committee on what various organizations are doing to simplify catalogues. The committee

is making further study of loose-leaf binders for sales- men’s use and will probably supplement the report at a later date.
13

PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS CONDUCT

The iunction of business is to provide for the material needs of mankind, and to increase the wealth of

the world and the value and happiness of life. In order to perform its function it must offer a sufficient opportunity for gain to compensate individuals who assume its risks, but the motives which lead individuals to engage

in business are not to be confused with the function of business itself. When business enterprise is successfully

carried on with constant and efficient endeavor to reduce the costs of production and distribution, to improve

the quality of its products, and to give fair treatment to customers, capital, management, and labor, it renders

public service of the highest value.

We believe the expression of principles drawn from these fundamental truths will furnish practical guides

for the conduct of business as a whole and for each individual enterprise.

1. The foundation of business is confidence, which

springs from integrity, fair dealing, efficient service,

and mutual benefit.

2. The reward of business for service rendered is a

fair profit plus a safe reserve, commensurate with

risks involved and foresight exercised.

3. Equitable consideration is due in business alike to capital, management, employees, and the public.

4. Knowledge—thorough and specific—and unceasing study of the facts and forces affecting a business

enterprise are essential to a lasting individual success and to efficient service to the public.

5. Permanency and continuity of service are basic

aims of business, that knowledge gained may be fully

utilized, confidence established and efficiency increased.

6. Obligations to itself and society prompt business

unceasingly to strive toward continuity of operation,

bettering conditions of employment, and increasing the

efficiency and opportunities of individual employees.

7. Contracts and undertakings, written or oral, are

to be performed in letter and spirit. Changed conditions do not justify their cancellation without mutual

consent.

8. Representation of goods and services should be

truthfully made and scrupulously fulfilled.

9. Waste in any form of capital, labor, services,

materials, or natural resources is intolerable, and

constant effort will be made toward its ehmination.

10. Excesses of every nature—inflation of credit,

overexpansion, overbuying, overstimulation of sales

which create artificial conditions and produce crises and depressions, are condemned.

11. Unfair competition, embracing all acts characterized by bad faith, deception, fraud, or oppression,

including commercial bribery, is wasteful, despicable,

and a public wrong. Business will rely for its success on the excellence of its own service.

12. Controversies will, where possible, be adjusted

by voluntary agreement or impartial arbitration.

13. Corporate forms do not absolve from or alter

i the moral obligation of individuals. Responsibilities

will be as courageously and conscientiously discharged

by those acting in representative capacities as when

acting for themselves.

14. Lawful cooperation among business men and in

useful business organizations in support of these

principles of business conduct is commended.

15. Business should render restrictive legislation

unnecessary through so conducting itself as to deserve

and inspire public confidence.

ADOPTED BY THE UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND

RECOMMENDED BY THE IRON. STEEL. AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES OF THE

CALIFORNIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
14

ELIMINATING WASTE IN DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION

By F. M. Surface, Assistant Director, In Charge oj Domestic Commerce, Bureau oj Foreign and Domestic

Commerce

The total domestic business operations of the United

States probably amount to not less than $80,000,000,-

000 annually. Economists tell us that from 10 to 15

per cent of that enormous sum represents avoidable

distribution waste; that is, from 8 to 10 billion dollars which may be found in neither the distributor’s nor

the consumer’s savings account. Where do these wasteful leaks occur in the good

ship distribution? Apparently on all sides—the entire

hulk needs recalking. Wastes creep in from such

places as excessive expenditure in sales promotive

effort without adequate information as to prospects

in a given market; unwise credit methods; unfair

practices of small trading minorities; insufficient data

as to national stocks of goods; disorderly marketing,

particularly of perishables, with resulting gluts and

famines; careless and injudicious procedure in the

retail trade.

Large sums are needlessly consumed in unsystematized warehousing, extravagant delivery services, ill- judged advertising, and unwise installment methods.

Great wastes also exist in the physical movement of

merchandise—in pacldng, handling, and transportation. It is estimated that we might ultimately,

through standardization and interchangeability, save from 200 to 500 million dollars a year in simplified

handling. And that is only one phase of physical

distribution.

In view of the pressing need for elimination of waste

in distribution, Congress in 1923 included in the appropriations for the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic

Commerce the sum of $50,000 for research into dis- tribution problems. It was inevitable that this phase

of the bureau’s work should grow, as it has, by leaps

and bounds until to-day there are being made regional,

industrial, commodity, and functional surveys in many

parts of the United States. As rapidly as appropriations are made available these investigations are being

extended to other regions, industries, or commodities,

where such assistance is requested.

As a result of the original bureau appropriation for research in domestic distribution, there was created

the domestic commerce division, which has served as the center of the department’s program of assisting

American business to discover preventable wastes in domestic distribution. A description of the type of work being done by the domestic commerce division,

therefore, will suggest some of the things that have

been, or can be, done toward emphasizing the jingle

of the cash register among the noises of industry and

trade, and also toward converting distribution wastes

into consumer savings.

REGIONAL MARKET SURVEYS

One of the major undertakings of the domestic commerce division is concerned with a series of regional

market surveys aiming at an interpretation of the

commercial structure of the United States. For the

purpose of these surveys the country has been divided

into nine regions based on differences in economic and

business conditions.

Each survey report will discuss the influence of consumer differences upon trade in various parts of

the area. The fundamental industries of agriculture,

forestry, mining, fishing, manufacture, trade, etc., which form the sources of people’s incomes and wealth,

are likewise studied. Commodity movements and

the machinery of distribution, wholesale and retail marketing areas, merchandising and credit trends,

factors involving advertising appeal, store and plant

location, nature of outlets, merchandising methods,

buying habits, commodity preferences, and other

factors are considered. All of these interrelated commercial facts are essential to an intelligent understanding of the region and to the planning of welldirected business operations.

The Commercial Survey of the Southeast was the

first of this series of studies to be reported. The

report on the New England Survey, comprising three

volumes, is now being published. Findings on the

Pacific Southwest region are being written, and field work has been undertaken in the Pacific Northwest

and Gulf Southwest regions.

COSTING DISTRIBUTION

One factor which has contributed largely to the

notable increase in manufacturing efficiency in the

last two decades has been the development of cost accounting. The old system of trial and error has

been replaced by accurate facts, and many wasteful

production practices have been thus discovered and

eliminated. The key to the practical use of cost accounting in manufacturing has been the study of

the cost of producing individual items and of performing individual operations.

Relatively little progress has yet been made in

analyzing distribution costs from the standpoint of

the cost of handling individual items or performing

individual services. The Bureau of Foreign and

Domestic Commerce is attempting some work in that

field. Investigations in wholesale and retail distribution for several lines of trade, including groceries,

hardware, dry goods, paints and varnishes, electrical equipment, and specialties have been made. The

purpose of these reports is not so much to provide
15

comparative data on operating costs or to specify

wasteful practices, but rather to present a method for functional cost allocation which may easily be adopted

by any member of the trade in determining the profitableness of his own individual commodities, customers,

or services.

Commodities are studied to distinguish slow-moving

items from those with a profitable turnover, to relate

their proportion of inventory outlay and space to then- proportion of sales. In the wholesale grocery study,

for instance, opportunities were discovered to reduce

the number of inventory items by 50 per cent. In

our study of grocery wholesale distribution costs we

worked with a house then operating on a 10 per cent

gross margin. Yet the principles developed in the

study have been applied successfully in houses operating on both lower and higher margins and in houses

handling both larger and smaller volume.

In the wholesale hardware study the record was

given of a firm which had reduced its inventory items

from 12,000 to 6,500, customer accounts were cut about 50 per cent to include only profitable accounts,

the sales territory was reduced about 33 per cent,

and yet the dollar volume of net profits was increased

35 per cent and operating expenses were reduced from

20 to 16 per cent on sales volume.

The major part of the work of a study of wholesale

paint and varnish distribution costs has been completed. There is considerable evidence of need for standardization of discount practices in this one concern’s sales transactions. Standardization and quality

uniformity, so much a part of modern American busi- ness methods, seem to have been given little consideration in this line of commercial activity.

Opportunity for increased net return through the

elimination of unprofitable order sizes has been another

apparent conclusion pointed to by our several cost analyses. In the wholesale electrical equipment study,

for instance, a rather unusual situation is disclosed.

The jobber in that case not only loses money on small

orders which do not pay for their own packaging and

delivery costs, which has been found to be the case in other lines of wholesale merchandising, blit a problem

occurs also at the other end of the range of order sizes. From the evidence to date, it appeal’s that the competitive bidding on orders of $500 or more is so keen as to have led this jobber to pare his margin to perilously

thin proportions.

We are also analyzing the records of a large wholesale dry goods house. The fallacy of reaching out for volume regardless of profit is indicated here as in pre- vious investigations. Among other things, the study

of this establishment has disclosed the fact that its salesmen cover 17 different States but secure more

than 70 per cent of the concern’s business from parts

of two States. In other words, the salesmen cover an

additional 15 States to secure the other 30 per cent of

the business.

THE LOUISVILLE GROCERY SURVEY

Another and outstanding effort toward the elimination of waste in distribution is the Louisville grocery

survey being made by the domestic commerce division

with the assistance of business interests both in Louisville and outside. This survey is probably the most

comprehensive fact-finding investigation that has ever been undertaken with regard to the distribution of commodities. The work is divided into several differ- ent parts to cover the coordinated movement of merchandise from producer through wholesaler and retailer to consumer, as follows:

1. A detailed study of the cost of operation of eight

wholesale grocers to determine the profit, if any, attaching to the maintenance of each customer account, the

handling of each item of groceries, and the coverage of

each part of their respective sales territories.

2. A detailed study of 28 retail grocers’ distribution

costs, likewise considering customers and commodities.

3. A census of food distribution to obtain from all types of wholesale and retail outlets for food products

in Louisville such fundamental data as volume of business, average inventory, number of employees,

salaries, and wages.

4. A study of credit methods and business mortality

to determine why 30 grocers go out of business every

month in that city—the object being to discover and

thus enable the business man to avoid the economic

wastes that lead to bankruptcy, which involves losses to both the distribution field and the consumer public.

5. As a further phase of the Louisville survey we

plan to make a study of consumer demand—to discover, if possible, something more about consumer

buying habits and preferences and how the housewife

may best be served in the matter of packaging,

commodity display, advertising, etc. It is our hope that with so comprehensive an example

as the Louisville grocery survey affords methods of cost analysis can eventually be simplified to the point

where every distributor will regard them as so simple

and yet so necessary that he will apply them to his own store, and to find out for himself -what it is costing

him to handle individual commodities, s.erve individual

customers, and handle individual orders.

The survey of credit conditions and business failures

among retail grocers in Louisville reports on the

credit policy and methods of over 400 healthy and

going concerns and examines the factors contributing

to the condition of some 30 concerns on the verge of

bankruptcy.

In order that the results of the Louisville credit and

business failures studied may be given a comparative

background, a study is also being made of credit
16

conditions in grocery stores of Philadelphia,. Not

only the causes of business failures are to be investigated, but there will also be obtained information on

the proportion of failures settled in court and the

relative cost of such settlement.

NATIONAL RETAIL CREDIT CONDITIONS

Of the staggering sum of not less than $8,000,000,000

estimated to represent waste in distribution, $1,000,-

000,000 is said to be attributable to credit losses. The desirability of keeping a watchful eye on credit

practices to obviate preventable wastes is apparent.

This fact has prompted another very important undertaking of the domestic commerce division—a national

survey of retail credit conditions.

The proportion of the estimated $41,000,000,000

annual retail business of the United States conducted on a credit basis is placed at $24,000,000,000, with

installment sales calculated at between $4,000,000,000

and $5,000,000,000.

The lands of credit in use are not new, but some of

their forms are new and the amount of consumer

purchasing on credit is said to have been increasing

greatly during these last eight years. Credit extension in certain trades has been exceptionally marked

since 1920.

A material part of the costs of distribution come

from the costs of extending credit to the consumers.

Available data indicate that with up-to-date methods

of credit scrutiny the actual losses from bad debts are not very heavy. When the costs of credit scrutiny,

bookkeeping, and collections are included, however,

the total costs of extending retail credit are heavy.

The mark up on goods sold on extended credit is frequently very, much greater than any normal inter- est charge on the outstanding payments. And yet

the competition in this field is so keen that it appears

certain that added costs to the consumers do not appear as added profits to the retailers. Any unnecessary mark up in consumers’ prices

caused by charges to cover wasteful practice is a burden on all classes of business as well as on the consumer. Those retailers whose costs are abnormally

high undoubtedly suffer. It is just as true that unnecessarily high prices discourage buying and reduce

the sales of both manufacturers and farmers. Anything that will help to reduce the costs of extending

retail credit will be a boon to consumers, retailers,

wholesalers, manufacturers, and farmers.

The survey will 6how, for instance, by number,

size, location, and class of store—department, chain,

automobile, furniture, shoe, clothing, grocery, hardware, etc.—the losses due both to open account and

installment sales, collection ratios, and methods of credit scrutiny.

^Another type of data being obtained, which should

be of considerable value to the merchant, is information on the time that credit accounts are out- standing. One of the costs of credit extension is interest upon capital required to finance accounts. The lower the collection percentage the more money

required to finance the business and the higher the

costs, and, all other tilings being equal, the less the

profits.

The data called for should enable the working out

of correlations between credit losses and proportion of price represented as down payments in different lines

of business. At present a merchant requiring a down

payment of one-third of the sales price can resort only

to trial and error methods to ascertain whether any

variation in losses will be in proportion to the change

in the down payment.

The survey solicits data on the percentage of goods

sold on deferred payment which are later repossessed,

detailed where possible by separate commodities,

such as automobiles, furniture, and jewelry. The

salvage value of repossessions will be similarly segre- gated by commodities, in comparison with total net

sales of those lines. INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT AND INDUSTRY SURVEYS

What is the relation between the condition of productive equipment and profits? The replacement of

machinery, which in point of service may have many

years of usefulness, but which is incapable of satisfying

the latest fancies of the consumer market or competing

with more recent and improved machinery has been

a difficult point for manufacturers and has prompted

requests for a study of this problem.

The important phases of the industrial equipment

studies are (1) to bring out facts showing the relation

of equipment obsolescence to production costs, and

(2) to discover, if possible, a means for correctly evaluating and providing for obsolescence in cost accounting.

The first result is expected to be obtained by the study

of machinery among manufacturers of the same. The

second result is expected from an investigation among

the users of such machinery.

The practical value of such studies will be, it is hoped, a truer accounting for obsolescence as a hazard

rather than an arbitrary compromise as at present.

Wear and tear, or depreciation, is a scientific move- ment and can be determined with some accuracy.

Obsolescence is more nearly analogous to fire. As a

risk it can not be predetermined any more than can

the date a building will burn. An arbitrary basis of accounting for the two factors does justice to neither

and fails adequately to provide a fund for replacing

the machinery when its value has been destroyed by

the factor of obsolescence.

As a part of this program, studies of industrial

equipment of the knitted outerwear industry in and

around Philadelphia and the wood-turning industry

have been undertaken.
17

COMMERCIAL STANDARDIZATION

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR R.M. HUDSON

SIMPLIFIED PRACTICE

EDWIN W. ELY

ADHERENCE

H.R. COLWELL

STANDARDS

TRANSLATION

M. H. BLETZ 221 COM.

TRADE STANDARDS

I. J. FAIRCHILD

PROJECTS

H.H. STEIDLE

ADHERENCE

I

LIAISON WITH OTHER

STANDARDIZING

ACTIVITIES

SPECIFICATIONS

A. S. MCALLISTER

STANDARDS

YEARBOOK

DIRECTORIES, ETC.

CERTIFICATION

& LABELING

PROMOTION

& SERVICE

A. B. GALT

BUILDING &HOUSING

J,S. TAYLOR, ACTG.

BUILDING PRACTICE & —Homebuilder s problems

W. K. MCMAHON

BUILDING CODES

G. N. THOMPSON

CITY PLANNING

& ZONING

J. S. TAYLOR

CONSTRUCTION

ECONOMICS

J. R. RIGGLEMAN

MECHANICS LIENS

D. H. WHEELER

Organization chart of commercial standardization group of the Bureau of Standards

Although this is the first issue of this periodical in printed form it represents the

fifty-second month of publication. (The previous issues have been in mimeographed

and multigraphed form.) The designation hereafter will be by volume number and

issue number, thus, Vol. 6, No. 1. CONTENTS

Page Commercial standards 1 National Bureau of Standards 2 Commercial standardization group 6 Bureau publications 8 Federal coordinating service 9 Federal Specification Board 10 American Standards Association 11 News on foreign standardization 12

Principles of business conduct 13 Eliminating waste in domestic distribution 14 News from the division of trade standards 19

Relief for present marketing difficulties. 20 54711°—29 3

Page Building and housing news 22

Standardization in construction 23

Division of simplified practice 26 Monthly news—American Marine Standards Committee. 27 News from the division of specifications 28 Committee on Wood Utilization 29 Use of specifications welcomed 31 National Screw Thread Commission report 32 Twenty-second National Conference on Weights and

Measures 33 New publications 34
18

In addition to the foregoing type of industrial sur- vey, (here are also related studies, such as that of the

ensilage cutter machinery industry, designed to show

the correlation between production, sales, and stock on hand of ensilage machinery, and to reveal past and

present trends in consumption of and demand for particular sizes. An opportunity for simplification of products was suggested by the fact that 5 out of 17

sizes accounted for 80 per cent of the total ensilage- cutter sales of the concerns surveyed. A second survey in this latter group covers the gray

iron foundry industry, and provides every foundry man

with a means of measuring his business with respect

to such important factors, as capitalization, capacity, production, molding floor space, and number of molders employed. The ratio of capitalization, molding area, and molders employed to capacity was found

to be fairly consistent by districts, but, on the other hand, failure to make adequate profits was reported in many cases as the reason for discontinuing foundries. These two types of industrial surveys, it is hoped,

will enable the elimination of wasteful practices with

respect to equipment purchase and replacement and by pointing the way to coordination of productive

capacity and output with market demand.

SPECIAL SERVICES TO BUSINESS In addition to the domestic commerce activities already mentioned, there are a number of special services designed to promote profitable distribution

practices. The bureau attempts to act as a clearing house for business information particularly from governmental

sources but also from many nongovernmental sources. Thousands of inquiries are answered each year which

give to business men the benefit of information already

available and applicable to their particular problem. A weekly publication, Domestic Commerce, briefing

significant domestic trade developments chiefly within

the Department of Commerce and other Government

organizations, is issued gratis to business executives, business libraries, and others concerned. An annual publication, Market Research Agencies,

lists all known research organizations in the United

States and describes their activities and available

studies. One obvious result is that much duplication

of research effort is avoided. A directory of commercial and industrial organizations, a study of trade association activities, a wholesale marketing atlas, and studies of retail store operating problems are also included in this group of special services which the bureau has furnished American

business as aids for the elimination of distribution wastes OTHER IMPORTANT DISTRIBUTION AIDS As before stated, the domestic commerce services

of the entire bureau are developing rapidly. Included in the activities of other divisions are such as

a survey of industrial traffic management, rail and

inland waterway transportation studies, periodical re- ports on dealers’ stocks and sales, and commodity

distribution surveys. The bureau’s 29 district offices, located in as many

important commercial cities in this country, are rapidly being organized as service stations for the American business man. Eventually it is planned to have capable experts in each of these. offices who can

discuss with a business executive his distribution problems and assist in bringing to his attention the

latest pertinent information that is available. The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce

has also collaborated with the Bureau of the Census in taking the preliminary censuses of wholesale and retail distribution and of interindustry purchases and sales. These sample censuses were taken to determine the probable value and obtainable information in a national census of distribution—as is proposed for

1 930. The value of such a census in providing comprehensive, basic information on domestic distribution can not be emphasized too greatly. It should

provide for the first time in the history of any

country definite data on commodity requirements

in individual markets, types of outlet, relation of

sales to inventory and sales effort, and innumerable

related commercial factors. Through such efforts as these the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce is attempting to assist American business to reclaim some of the country’s 88,000,000,000 to $10,000,000,000 distribution waste

for the benefit of producer, distributor, and consumer.

The compressive strengths of cast stone in the form

of 2-inch cylinders, 2 inches long, have been found by the Bureau of Standards to vary within wide limits with an average value of 6,250 pounds per square inch. On account of the increasing use of this product as a building material, there is a demand for knowledge

of its physical properties, more particularly the re- sistance of weathering, so that acceptance specifica- tions may be intelligently written. While freezing

resistance as a measure of durability is a most important property, the bureau believes that it would be

impracticable to have such a requirement in the specification. Determinations of those other properties, such as strength, absorption, etc., which can be made

in a short time, and may possibly indicate freezing

resistance, have been made to discover any possible

correlation between them and freezing resistance. The freezing tests have only been partially completed, but results varying from complete destruction by

25 cycles to no sign of disintegration at 500 cycles have been obtained.
19 NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF TRADE STANDARDS

(Formerly the Commercial Standards Unit) CHANGE IN NAME

In view of increased work and responsibilities, and

to avoid confusion with the commercial standards

group, it is announced that the commercial standards

unit will hereafter be known as the division of trade

standards. This involves no change in function, and

the printed publications will bear the same title as before, namely, Commercial Standards. The change

in title is indicative of the growth of the work and the recognition of the former unit as a regular division

of the Bureau of Standards. LOWERED QUALITY FOR CHEAPER SELLING The following statement was featured as a full-page advertisement in a recent issue of the International

Tailor:There is scarcely anything in this world that some man can not make a little worse and sell a

little cheaper, and the buyers who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey. This illustrates the thought in the mind of the aver- age reputable manufacturer of to-day who is seeking

a means to stem the tide of items in his field made a

little worse to sell a little cheaper. Commercial standards, setting voluntary minimum

limits for grade, quality, or measurements, established on a nationally recognized basis with the aid of the Department of Commerce and upheld by self-certifying

labels or seals, are industry’s most effective weapons

against the decadent tendency of producing lower

quality for cheaper selling. The function of the division of trade standards is to

assist industries in the establishment of commercial

standards by serving, first, to bring together all organi- zations and parties at interest so that they may be heard and satisfied, as far as practicable, and, second,

to promulgate and broadcast the specification voluntarily adopted by the industry as a minimum standard

for grade, quality, or measurement, in order that such

standard may enjoy nation-wide recognition and use. The service is available to any industry upon request. WALL PAPER FACES THE LIGHT

In the backs of many minds linger unhappy memories of disappointing experiences with wall papers that

were, perhaps, pretty when purchased but which

proved unserviceable. It is assuring, indeed, to know

that these unfortunate experiences need not occur

again, since a beacon of quality is being set up by the industry to guide purchasers past the rocks of dis- satisfaction in the selection and use of wr all papers. Appearance, eye value, aesthetic appeal—call it what

you will—was the general basis on which wall paper

was formerly sold. Very few people knew anything

of the quality of the material, and this phase of the purchase was usually left to the opinion of the paper

hanger, who in many cases knew little, if any, more

about it than his customer, and in any event naturally took the path of least resistance. The continuance of this blind method of purchasing and the keen competition which tended toward re- duced quality has had the effect of a boomerang on

the industry. Dissatisfaction of consumers was communicated to friends and spread like the ever-widening

ripples caused by a stone thrown into a pool of water, which naturally resulted in the increased use of other decorating materials. Manufacturers realized that they must secure and

retain the confidence of wr all-paper users. They knew that unserviceable wall paper, regardless of its source, wall have a damaging effect on the industry as a whole, and that enlightenment of the consuming

public is the most effective means of protection against unsatisfactory wall paper. This is exactly the pro- gram to which all interests of the wall-paper industry

are now offering support. On May 25 a general conference was held at the Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C., at the request of producers, to consider the adoption of a commercial standard of quality on the basis of a

specification formulated by the Wallpaper Manufacturers Association. This conference was composed of manufacturers of finished wall paper, paper stock,

colors, and dyestuffs, as well as wholesale dealers, decorators, and users of wall paper. This meeting marked the first concerted effort of all interests of the industry for the improvement of wall

paper, and the results accomplished were very grati- fying. Some minor changes were made in the recom- mended commercial standard, and several points were

omitted pending further study. The specification, with corrections, was unanimously

approved by the conference and upon receipt of a satisfactory majority of acceptances from the in- dustry the commercial standard will become effective August 1, 1929. The specification is a minimum standard that covers

the size of rolls and quality as reflected in the weight and nature of the raw stock, color fastness, hardness

of printing, etc. There will be no stifling of individuality in work- manship or design and no upper limit for quality. When buying a commercial standard wall paper, however, the purchaser has the assurance that such a paper will give satisfactory service. To facilitate the procurement of commercial stand- ard wall papers, the manufacturers will so label all
20

grades that meet the requirements of the specification.

The Wallpaper Manufacturers Association plans to add its guaranty to such papers produced by members,

so that the complete certificate will read something

as follows: “This wall paper is guaranteed by the

Wall Paper Co. and the Wallpaper Manufacturers Association to meet all the requirements and

tests as specified in Bureau of Standards publication entitled ‘Wall paper—Commercial Standard

CS16-29.’”

DIAMOND CORE DRILL FITTINGS

A report of the general conference of manufacturers,

building contractors, and users held on May 27 at the Palmer House, Chicago, 111., embodying a recom- mended commercial standard for diamond core drill fittings, has been mailed to interested organizations

for their written approval. This recommended standard covers terminology, size designation, dimensions,

and tolerances for drill rods, drill-rod couplings, core

barrel bits, casings, casing couplings, and casing bits used in diamond core drilling, in order that these

items may be made interchangeable as produced by

the various makers, thus facilitating replacement or extension of equipment and, in general, making it possible for the producers to better serve the drilling contractors and users. Copies of the report are available to interested organizations on request.

STEEL PIPE NIPPLES

Steel Pipe Nipples, Commercial Standard, CS5-29,

is now available in printed form at 10 cents a copy

from the Superintendent of Documents, United

States Government Printing Office, Washington,

D. C. It comprises a complete specification for this commodity, including dimensions, tolerances, threading, gaging, and chamfering, as well as stock sizes and lengths of the various grades. Single copies are available on request to organizations indicating their

desire to scrutinize the commercial standard with a view toward adopting it as their standard of practice

in the production, distribution, or consumption of

this commodity.

RELIEF FOR PRESENT MARKETING DIFFICULTIES

By A. F. Allison, Secretary International Association of Garment Manufacturers

A manufacturing group, finding itself in difficulties,

largely self-imposed, and facing increasing losses attending unethical practices, frequently fails to grasp

the significance of the lack of authoritative and effec- tive standards as a basis for marketing, which is characteristic of such a situation.

High costs and wasteful practices in marketing, to a

largely unrecognized extent, are due to lack of established impartial standards for the products dealt in. Selling prices are only one factor in determining

comparative values, and yet buyers in the wholesale

markets, desiring to meet or beat competition, too frequently make low prices their only consideration.

Purchases of standard commodities measured solely

by the pound or yard may be checked up accurately

by Government standards set up for weights and

measures. If we as purchasers are imposed upon, it

is at least partly our own fault, as protection against

weight shortage or inadequate yardage is readily

available.

The public can not so readily protect itself against

exploitation when accepted standards of quality,

quantity, or other factors fixing commodity values

are lacking.

When once established, merchandise standards can

best be enforced by the consumer buyer, who has a continuing interest in the quality or comparative value

of manufactured products. No manufacturer or dis- tributor who skimps on value can escape paying the

penalty if the consumer possesses any easy means of

identifying the offender.

In the garment industry a competitive evil, caused

in part by distributor demand for lower prices, has been

in the “skimp-cut” garment. This represents a saving in material and gives the unscrupulous producer

and distributor an unfair price advantage, since the consumer buyer is never told the true reason why

“skimp-cut” garments can be sold at lower prices

than garments cut to full-size dimensions.

Competently managed, financially established manufacturers refuse to produce “skimp-cut” garments,

recognizing this practice as shortsighted and offering no hope of permanent business connections. But at

all times in the garment industry, as in many others,

there is a certain number of marginal producers, in- competent or with insufficient funds, whose only idea

is to sell their goods by means fair or foul. And, since

the lowest price quoted in the highly competitive

wholesale market sets the basis of comparison for all price quotations, it is increasingly difficult for self- respecting manufacturers and distributors to deal in terms of real comparative values.

However, in the garment industry there is no lack

of experience and manufacturing information for the

establishment of standards which will protect buyers

and sellers against misrepresentation. Given the opportunity to call upon the United States Department

of Commerce to act as an impartial agency in bring-
21

ing together representatives of the distributors and

consumers for joint and mutual discussion and approval of the standards proposed by the manufacturers, what would otherwise be a costly and complicated proceeding becomes a comparatively simple and

inexpensive though highly effective and authoritative

proposition.

An opportunity to eliminate the uncertainties and

waste which result from the sale of substandard merchandise or from the lack of public recognition and

understanding of minimum critical standards for measuring the inherent value of a product is presented

in the services of the division of trade standards (formerly commercial standards imit), National Bureau

of Standards.

This opportunity is fourfold: (1) To fix the standards on a basis acceptable to and approved by repre- sentatives of the manufacturers, distributors, and

consumers; (2) to provide ways and means whereby

consumer buyers, as well as manufacturers and dis- tributors, can readily identify all goods which conform

to the standard; (3) to periodically audit the extent

to which the standards have been adopted and survey

the results secured; and (4) whenever found necessary

or advisable to secure such modification or correction

of standards as may be required to meet changing

conditions.

The importance to the garment industry of the work

of the division of trade standards can be most strongly

emphasized by merely reciting the number of standardization projects which our association has completed

or is carrying forward at the present time, including:

1. Boys’ blouses, shirts, button-on waists, and junior

shirts. The first standardization conference in the

garment industry was held April 17, 1929, at the re- quest of the National Boys’ Blouse and Shirt Manufacturers Association, affiliated with the International

Association of Garment Manufacturers, and resulted

in the adoption of minimum standards of measure- ment for neck, chest, waist, length of back, front, yoke,

sleeve, and cuff as approved by the manufacturers, dis- tributors, and consumers.

2. Men’s pajama coat and trouser measurements

were considered at a conference held May 3, 1929, at the request of the nightwear manufacturers’ division,

I. A. G. M., with the same success met with in the pre- vious conference.

3. Other garments on which standards are now being

worked out by committees representing the manufacturers’ organization are men’s shirts; women’s cotton

dresses; men’s sheep-lined coats and leather garments;

men’s and boys’ work clothing, including suspenderback and waistband overalls, work pants, work shirts,

riding breeches, work coats, combination suits, and

play suits. Among the features of outstanding significance in the work of the division of trade standards, the following appeal strongly to the International Association of

Garment Manufacturers:

1. As suggested by President Hoover during his

service as Secretary of Commerce, this woi’k is con- ducted strictly in harmony with the principle of self- government in industry. It does not involve governmental regulation or interference with private business.

It does represent a service, available at request of

manufacturers, distributors, or consumers, which can

not be efficiently rendered by any private agency.

Only the Federal Government in its various branches can undertake to maintain impartial relationships with

all citizens, since it is supported by and represents all the different groups in the economic and social struc- ture of the country.

2. In submitting proposed commercial standards

designed for the guidance and equal protection of manufacturers, distributors, and consumers, the division of

trade standards brings together for open collaboration

in a public meeting the representatives of all three

groups and, in addition, makes available the experience

and suggestions of the research and technical personnel

of the National Bureau of Standards.

3. The plan is efficiently rounded out and made

effective through the certification plan and by encouraging the manufacturer to place on his product a tag

or other mark of identification carrying the manufacturer’s guaranty, backed by the organization repre- senting his industry, that each article so tagged or

labeled is made to conform to the commercial standard.

Since representatives of the distributors and con- sumers, as well as the manufacturers, participate in the formulation and adoption of the commercial standards, it is reasonable to expect that all three groups

will cooperate in upholding the standards thus established.

The principal present limitations on commercial

aviation are meteorological hazards. On the civil airways these are being overcome by the system of

navigational aids which the Department of Commerce

is installing. The radio aids in particular seem to be

the solution of the problem of flying in fog. These

aids are: (a) Communication, (b ) course navigation,

and (c) fog landing. Communication takes two

forms—radio information broadcast to the airplanes on low frequencies by Government stations and twoway telephony maintained by the air transport operators at high frequencies. Radio course navigation

has recently been made thoroughly practical by means

of a radiobeacon giving service in every desired direct

tion, operating a simple visual indicator on the air- plane instrument board. Special adaptations of the

beacon system give promise of facilitating landing

during fog.
BUILDING AND HOUSING NEWS

BUILDING SPECIFICATIONS

The preparation of standard specifications for the

general construction trades has been under way by the

New York Building Congress since 1925 and has just

culminated in the publication of 33 specifications ap- proved by architects, engineers, trade associations,

and other experts representing all of the elements of

the construction industry.

The specifications describe approved methods of construction in accordance with present practices and

conditions. They appear as the "New York Building

Congress Standard Specifications, issue of May, 1929.”

The foreword by William Arthur Payne, chairman of

the standards committee of the congress, states that

they “are for the metropolitan district and have been

written by an architect, and were carefully studied

and indorsed by a committee of the New York chapter

of the American Institute of Architects, and recom- mended by the chapter for use by the architectural

profession. They have the written approval of the

trade association where one exists in the industry, or by recognized experts, where there is no trade association. With this authority the specifications are issued

as planted documents for the contract. By their

general use the cost and uncertainties of estimating

will be greatly reduced, and the causes of dispute

lessened.”

They have been given trials on representative building operations where their "clear, direct, and understandable wording” was commended. Although writ- ten expressly for the metropolitan district, they may

find extended use, possibly with slight modifications,

in all other localities in the LTnited States. The printed specifications are sold as separates

numbered from 1 to 33 at very slight cost, and also as a bound volume, by the New York Building Congress, 101 Park Avenue, New York, N. Y.

The suggestion for the use of the standard specifications given by the building congress states: A standard specification to be of value must be designed so as to be applicable to every type of building. Obviously the extent of the work in any trade division will vary with the

individual building. Requirements regarding qualities of materials and workmanship may, within certain limits, be

standardized. A very logical division exists between extent of work, or work included, and the quality of materials and

workmanship.

The New York Building Congress suggests that specifications

be divided into two parts, A and B—part A, specifying the

extent of the work, to be written by the architect for each

building; part B, describing quality of materials and workmanship, standardized as herewith presented.

These suggestions are followed by a brief outline

form for part A enumerating the various items to be

covered by the architect. They further state that

when the standard specifications are used in this

manner they are to be bound with part A of each

division and issued as a complete document. They

further suggest that where architects prefer to re- write each specification they can still obtain many of

the advantages of a standard specification by copying

the clauses verbatim and so stating.

The 33 types of materials or work are covered by

part B, all or any number of which may be used as required by the particular job. Each of these separate specifications includes paragraphs on "general

conditions,” "arbitration clause,” and “scope.” The

succeeding paragraphs in each case depend upon the

particular trade covered. For example, those cover- ing "excavating” are “examination of site,” "unit

prices,” "examination of drawings,” and "equipment,

etc.” Specifications covering such items as “mass

and reinforced concrete” of “structural steel” contain,

of course, many more items. At a meeting held on May 21, 1929, in New York these specifications were

presented to a group of 50 prominent engineers, many

of whom signified their intention of immediately

making use of them.

A fist of the specifications thus far available follows:

Demolition; Excavating; Waterproofing by Bitumi- nous Membrane; Waterproofing by Plastic Coatings;

Masonry and Concrete Materials; Masonry; Mass and

Reinforced Concrete; Concrete Arches and Fireproofing; Structural Steel; Cement Finish; Furnishing

Granite, Cut Stone, Marble, or Manufactured Stone;

Setting Granite, Cut Stone, Marble, or Manufactured

Stone; Furnishing Terra Cotta; Setting Terra Cotta;

Vault Lights; Mail Chutes; Caulking; Metal Window

Frames and Sash; Roofing and Sheet Metal Work;

Carpentry; Architectural Iron; Architectural Bronze;

Metal Furring and Lathing; Plastering; Interior

Marble, Slate, and Structural Glass; Terrazzo and

Mosaic; Tile (Keramic); Hollow Metal Work; Metal

Covered Wood; Glass and Glazing; Painting; Window

and Door Screens; Weather Strips.

SANITATION AND PLUMBING

What happens to the wastes that are discharged into

plumbing systems is a matter seldom given much

thought by the average citizen. It is only when

trouble develops in plumbing that its importance in relation to health and convenience receives attention.

Yet our present-day civilization would be impossible

without adequate means of conveying water to buildings and getting rid of waste products.

The difference between adequate and poor plumbing

has not been so clearly demonstrated as similar

differences in structural design. For the latter numerous tests on strength of materials and extensive

research have produced formulas and methods calculated to furnish safe structures. In the case of
23

plumbing, however, judgment has played a larger

part than demonstrable scientific fact. There has

been room for large differences of opinion because in

the case of waste and soil pipes there is a mixture of

air and water delivered at irregular intervals and its exit from a building is controlled by such complex

factors that extensive tests constitute the only method

by which a firm basis for plumbing requirements can be

established.

In recent years there has been a growing appreciation of the importance of the subject and tests have been conducted at various State universities

and at the Bureau of Standards. The results of

such tests were utilized by the subcommittee on plumbing of the Department of Commerce Building Code Committee in issuing its 1924 report submitting recommended minimum requirements for

plumbing in small dwellings. Later tests and observations of existing plumbing systems have been given

consideration in the revised edition of this report

recently issued which covers plumbing both in large

and small structures. It is hoped that further ex- perimental work will be possible to develop more

facts and provide for every increasing efficiency and

economy in plumbing.

Municipal officials, health authorities, and civic

leaders generally will find a complete series of recom- mended plumbing requirements and much helpful

information on the subject in the new report mentioned

above, which is entitled “ Recommended Minimum

Requirements for Plumbing,” and is obtainable for 35 cents, currency or money order, from the Superintendent of Documents, United States Government

Printing Office, Washington, D. C.

STANDARDIZATION IN CONSTRUCTION

By James S. Taylor, Acting Chief, Division of Building and Housing

When the words “standardization in construction”

are mentioned there are occasional sensitive individuals

who take fright as they remember rows of houses in mill villages, or in old subdivisions, that are all as alike as the peas in a pod. There are some, also, who think

that but little progress has been made from the days

when construction was a purely local undertaking, and

at least 80 per cent of the materials came from local sources within a radius of a few miles. But others

recall that Portland cement which meets a known

standard has been available throughout the United

States for more than 20 years, and that other standards were reasonably well known 40 or 50 years ago. They know that a good start has been made in the

right direction; that the rate of progress in development and use of standards has been immensely speeded

up during the past eight years, especially in connection

with simplified practice agreements and reduction of dimensional varieties, and that each year and month

sees a definite advance in the right direction.

The scores of different business, professional, and

Government groups that are working for greater

standardization in construction recognize that most

buildings are put up to meet individual requirements

of the owner, or have to meet special conditions of the

site, or can use certain materials to special advantage

because of nearness to the source of supply. Many

are planned so that their appearance will be in general

harmony with near-by structures and yet not contrib- ute to a dull uniformity.

The objective in building up standards on a nationwide basis, is that the different groups connected with

construction may do business with one another freely

and efficiently. Great advances have been made

already, but in some respects the industry is still handicapped by a lack of adequate standards, and may be

compared in some ways to a community in which there

is no standard currency, where all coins must be

assayed and weighed before a transaction is complete.

If an architect’s plans call for doors that the builder

finds are of unusual sizes in his locality, they may have

to be specially ordered or made. The result may be

not only extra expense, but delay in completion of the

structure, unless the architect changes the size, and

even that may involve a dozen conforming changes in other parts of the plan, which would also mean expense

and delay. If the same species of lumber is known by

different names in different regions ;Tf first-class workmanship in a brick wall means something very much

better in one city than in another—it all tends to keep

the building industry on an inefficient localized basis. Confusion may also result when a contractor is asked

to bid on a contract that uses phraseology and embodies conditions with which he is not familiar, and

differences in customary practices as to credit terms

often stand in the way of economical conduct of

business.

Without attempting to give a complete discussion

of the advantages of standards and the disadvantages

of lack of standards to the different groups connected

with construction, a brief discussion of the subject

from the point of view of several of them may be helpful, especially since it throw's some light on the complexity of the problems involved.

Architects and engineers working upon the design of structures in different cities or regions of the country

must know something of the quality of the materials

that they can obtain. The designer needs to know
24

the standard dimensions of steel beams, lumber, brick,

and other units used in construction, and the common

sizes of the pan forms used in constructing concrete

floors. The manufacturers and fabricators of materials must

know what properties are demanded in structural materials, and in order to manufacture efficiently should

be able to concentrate their efforts on a relatively

small number of sizes and grades. Without adequate

standards of quahty, manufacturers of good materials

would not be protected from competition by unscrupulous competitors.

Material dealers want to be able to buy materials

that they know will meet the needs of consumers. In

order to do this easily there must be uniform terminoio-gv, recognized standards of quality, and a concentration on certain common dimensional sizes. Contractors, who are responsible for the purchase of

materials and erection of buildings in conformance

with specifications, are likewise interested in standards

of dimension and quahty, and particularly in standards

of documentation. Standardization of contract forms

and specifications greatly facilitates preparation of bids

and understanding of the work to be done, and does

much to help avoid disputes that may lead to lawsuits.

Subcontractors are affected in the same way as contractors by standards in documentation and in specifications governing the quality of work. “Many rep- utable subcontractors feel that when well-defined

standards for finished work gam wider recognition they

will not be called upon so much as at present to compete with others who skimp on quality of workmanship

or of materials.”

Equipment manufacturers stand to gain by standardization in building practices, since it permits them

to develop lines of equipment to meet requirements of

builders throughout the country. When standard

sizes for concrete mixers, for example, are agreed upon,

the manufacturers’ resources can be devoted to the

perfection of fewer types with the resultant economies

of concentrated production. This gain also carries

along to distributors of equipment, especially to the

growing group of organizations which rent out equipment for particular jobs, often from a central headquarters which serves the need of various cities at a

distance. Less capital is tied up in maintaining equipment that is infrequently used.

Adequate standards for particular materials are important to craftsmen in the building trades who use

these materials in their work. If concrete work gets a “black eye” in a given city because one or more

contractors have utilized poor materials or methods

or have made it impossible for the men on the job to do their work satisfactorily, or if the cost of concrete

is relatively high for one reason or another, as, for example, excessive requirements in building codes,

then the cement workers may suffer. Men engaged in

building trades also have a direct interest in standards

of practice in regard to safety precautions.

Owners are greatly benefited by standardization

where its practice makes for low building costs. Beyond the first cost, they are directly concerned in

standards of quality and workmanship which assure them buildings that will be durable and which permit

maintenance at minimum costs. They are also interested particularly in having replaceable parts,

such as windows, doors, plumbing fixtures, and builders’ hardware, of standard dimensions and patterns

which can be purchased from stock during succeeding

years. People generally are aware of the importance of

structural safety and protection from fire hazards.

If a theater in New York or Washington were to collapse or if its exits should prove inadequate during

a fire or other emergency, persons from every State

in the Union might be included among the killed and

injured. A building that is improperly constructed

may, when it burns, unnecessarily result in the destruction of adjoining buildings or of a whole neighborhood. If the plumbing in a single house is insanitary it may result in sickness not only for the occupants

but in disease which spreads to a neighborhood.

Hence, it is that there are in most cities building and

plumbing codes designed to protect the public health

and safety through requiring certain standards in the

design and construction of buildings. Obviously the

city government can not load up every building to see

if it is strong enough, or ignite it to determine its qualities of fire resistance. It thus becomes necessary

that it make certain rules, which are embodied in its building code. These rules may be of a rather general

character or they may prescribe in great detail how

different lands of buildings are to be constructed.

Practically all of them, however, specify minimum

qualities which basic building materials such as concrete, brick, cement, and steel must meet.

In most ways building codes promote adherence to good standards, but in some cases, if not brought up

to date in the light of new knowledge, they may stand

in the way of progressive development. Building

codes, however, can not ordinarily specify standard

dimensional sizes. They may state that the studs in a wood house shall be not less than the nominal 2 by 4

inches, but this does not prevent a man using a

size a quarter of an inch larger if he wishes.

In some respects the building industry has well- recognized national standards. Structural steel which

meets the chemical and physical requirements named

in the United States Government specifications, and

those of the American Society for Testing Materials,

may be bought in every community in the United

States that is accessible to the railway or motor truck.

Brick of a single size is made in every State of the

Union. The standard contract documents of the
25

American Institute of Architects, indorsed by several

other bodies, are used for buildings from Washington

to Florida.

In other respects, however, the industry is distinctly

local; plastering contractors in one city buy slaked

lime; in another, quicklime. The common sizes of window sash differ in various regions, and there is a

substantial production of at least 450 sizes. It is evident from the preceding discussion that

standardization in the building industry usually re- quires the cooperation of a good many different groups.

As a practical matter, no group of manufacturers can

arbitrarily tell the architects and engineers that they

must confine their requests to a given size and quality

of cast-iron pipe, or metal lath, or wall board, or whatnot. And the architects and engineers could

hardly agree among themselves to specify only certain

sizes or qualities without consulting the manufacturers

and distributors, or their clients. As a matter of fact,

the rapid progress that is being made in standardization in the construction industry has been through the

joint efforts of many business, Government, and professional groups.

The American Society for Testing Materials has

been in the field since about 1900, and, as far as its activities are related to construction, is concerned

mainly with standards of quality. This organization,

composed of individual members, has committees at work on most of the leading building materials, each

committee having a majority of users, as distinguished

from manufacturers, on its membership. Many of these specifications are worked out as the result of extensive laboratory research and field studies in which

the work and staff of the Bureau of Standards often

play a key part.

The A. S. T. M. specifications are generally recognized as standard in engineering handbooks, and many

of them are incorporated by reference in municipal

building codes. Hardly any steel-frame buildings of

consequence, for example, are now erected of steel which does not at least meet the A. S. T. M. requirements.

An outstanding development of the past few years is the work carried on by the division of simplified practice of the Bureau of Standards in cooperation with

manufacturers of building materials, distributors,

architects, engineers, and other groups in eliminating

excess dimensional varieties of building materials by means of voluntary agreements.

A great advance has also been made in the direction

of more uniform building-code requirements, since the

appointment by the Secretary of Commerce in 1921 of

the Building Code Committee of the Department of Commerce. The recommendations of this committee,

and of the subcommittee on plumbing, have been used

in code revision work in more than 220 cities, and the

number is growing every month as one city after

another undertakes the revision of its code—most

local codes undergoing a fairly thorough revision at least once in every 5 to 10 years. The National

Electrical Code and the National Electrical Safety

Code, in the preparation of both of which the Bureau

of Standards participated, have likewise had wide

acceptance.

A number of groups represent owners of structures,

such as the National Electric Light Association,

which has also formulated standards for buildings of types used in power plants. Large corporations, such

as chain stores, telephone companies, and railways,

have also accomplished a great deal along this line, and

the National Board of Fire Underwriters, through its engineering department, has done much to encourage

proper construction from the point of view of fire resistance and human safety.

Many trade associations have done splendid work in the field of standardization in construction. Several

of them have undertaken extensive programs of re- search as to the proper use of their materials in design

and in the field. Some have promoted the training of apprentices in order that the supply of skilled journeymen capable of using their materials to advantage may

be adequate.

The American Institute of Architects has a structural

service committee, and many of its members cooperate

with manufacturers of building materials in what is known as the producers’ council, all with the aim of

developing and applying standards for the manufacture and use of building materials. The American

Institute of Architects has a standard filing system for technical material, so that manufacturers in distributing circulars can indicate on them their proper place in the architect’s files. The New York Building Congress, representing contractors, subcontractors, and material groups, labor,

architects, and others, has developed standard specifications for different classes of work on large buildings.

The division of building and housing -will aim to present each month in the Commercial Standards

Monthly a list of important steps in the development

of standards for construction, and this article has been

prepared with a view to suggesting the far-reaching

consequences and collective importance of the individual steps that are being taken.

Through the courtesy of the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, the Bureau

of Standards is able to send each of the present list of

subscribers of the Commercial Standards Monthly

a complimentary copy of the July issue, the first of

the printed edition. In order that our readers may

not miss the August issue, which will have several

articles of special interest, it is suggested that your

subscription be placed at once. The domestic rate

is $1 and the foreign is $1.25 a year.
26

DIVISION OF SIMPLIFIED PPvACTICE

TIGHT COOPERAGE

Manufacturers, distributors, and users of tight

cooperage and tight cooperage stock convened in St. Louis, Mo., on May 16, under the auspices of this division, to review the results of a variety survey

which had been instituted and completed by the

Associated Cooperage Industries of America.

The program formulated at that time recommends

the elimination of 60 per cent of the current sizes of

tight barrels and kegs, a reduction from 20 to 8 stock

sizes. The program further recommends a reduction

from approximately 122 sizes of staves and heads to 8, an elimination of 93 per cent. A summary of the May 16 conference will be placed

at the disposal of all who are interested in this project.

HOSPITAL PLUMBING FIXTURES

A general conference of representatives of plumbingfixture manufacturers, hospital authorities, architects,

and other interested elements in the industry, meeting

at the Department of Commerce on May 22, approved

a simplified list of stock sizes of hospital plumbing

fixtures. If acceptable to a true cross section of the

industry, this simplified practice recommendation will become effective at the close of the current year, with an additional year provided for the clearance of the

eliminated varieties.

In the opinion of the conferees, adherence to this

program, by all interests, will eliminate the immaterial

differences that now characterize these fixtures. Differences which unreasonably increase overhead

production costs, and which levy upon the hospitals

charges that are incommensurate with the results obtained, it is believed, will be eliminated.

STORAGE TANKS FOR GASOLINE AND OIL A representative of the division addressed a meeting

of the Eastern Steel Tank Institute, on June 7 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The ensuing discussion crystallized

the opinion of the members relative to the practicabilitj^ of eliminating the odd sizes and dimensions of

storage tanks for gasoline and oil. The institute

appointed a simplified practice committee to make a study of existing conditions, with a view to eventually

drafting a simplified practice recommendation for the

guidance of all interests. INDUSTRIAL TRUCK TIRES

A general conference of manufacturers, distributors,

and users met in the Department of Commerce on June 6 to approve a simplified list of industrial truck

tires which had been prepared by the manufacturers

of this commodity. The proposed schedule, as modified by the conference, will be mailed to all interests

for their consideration and signed acceptance.

INDUSTRIAL TRAILERS

The results achieved through the simplification of

industrial truck tires, and the currently active variety

survey in connection with industrial casters, have

stimulated an expression of opinion by users of industrial tractors and trailers regarding the practicability

of simplifying the individual parts of trailers. This

observation exemplifies the interest that consumers in

general are taking in the simplification movement, and

their willingness to voluntarily assist manufacturers to eliminate avoidable waste. TEXTILE MACHINERY PARTS

Parts of textile machinery, such as bobbins, quills,

paper cones, and tubes, spindles, etc., constituted the

agenda of a preliminary conference of manufacturers of

textile machinery with the division in New York, N. Y., on June 6. All branches of the industry were represented.

The discussion of the opportunity for simplification

in this field revealed the fact that there now exists an

unusual amount of diversification in sizes of the parts

above enumerated. It was the unanimous opinion of those in attendance that simplification holds potential

benefits for the textile machinery industry, and that a

detailed study of the current situation was desirable.

To the end that the necessary facts may become available, the conference appointed simplified practice committees to inaugurate appropriate surveys as the first step in the direction of eliminating superficial differ- ences in variety.

SHOE GORING

The variety survey concerning shoe goring having

been completed, the simplified practice committee of the manufacturers has requested the division to or- ganize a general conference of all interests to approve

the proposed simplification of shoe goring. The conference has been called for July 23, 1929, at the Hotel

Belmont, in New York, N. Y.

EARPHONE BATTERIES

This project is concerned with batteries that provide

the electric current actuating microphones and ear- phones used by people whose sense of hearing is impaired. The need for simplification in this field has

been emphasized by a representative manufacturer.

It is the opinion of that manufacturer that the establishment of a simplified list of varieties of earphone

batteries would be beneficial as follows

:

1. Concentration upon the recommended varieties

would bring about a lowering in production costs.

2. The simplified line could be carried in stock in anticipation of a knownpredetermined demand,with conse- quent increased service to the consumer, both as regards

I expeditious delivery and convenience of replacement.
27

3. Increased production of an adequate line of batteries would be conducive to improving the quality of

product and would stimulate the development of that

type of battery best suited for earphone operation.

A preliminary meeting of manufacturers of earphones

and manufacturers of earphone batteries met in New

York City on May 21, to consider this proposal. In

consequence, a simplified practice committee was appointed by the conference to conduct a factual survey

upon which might be based a definite simplified practice recommendation.

It was the sense of the meeting that the committee

should (1) study the opportunity for effecting a reduction in the variety of special-shape batteries, (2) consider the adoption of uniform battery-terminals, and

(3) that thought be directed to the ultimate selection

of a unit cell for use in batteries of different capacities,

for use with earphones.

MASONRY OPENINGS

A meeting of manufacturers of steel windows and

steel window appurtenances, producers of supplementary materials, and architects discussed the subject of masonry openings at the Bureau of Standards, on June

12. It is the present belief of the industry, as expressed

by this conference, that real benefit would attend the

establishment of a simplified list of dimensions for masonry openings. Such a list, based upon definite

increments in width of opening and height of opening,

should be eminently practicable as a guide to all who

have anything to do with the original construction of

buildings and the ultimate care thereof.

THE APPLICATION OF SIMPLIFIED PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT PURCHASES

The promotion and use of the simplified lines, when

established by industry in cooperation with the Department of Commerce, has proven to be one of the most

successful achievements of the division of simplified

practice.

The unit of that division devoted to the actual application and use of a given simplified practice recommendation, is constantly in touch with the industry

concerned through its representative standing committee. Not alone are their efforts directed toward

conformity on the part of industry, but constant contact with the purchasing officials of the Federal Government has become necessary and essential so as to insure Federal purchases in terms of industrial

standards.

There is no question but simplified practice recom- mendations have become a most important factor in

the general movement for the elimination of waste in

'the commercial field. It is obvious, therefore, that

these simplifications which are developed as the best

practices for American industry should likewise be the

best practices for the Government which represents it. More and more Government purchases are conforming to the 100 simplifications now in effect. The

valuable assistance rendered by the Chief Coordinator

in the interest of governmental adherence to industrial

simplification is evidenced by Bulletin No. 109, Supplement No. 2, issued by the Chief Coordinator and

obtainable through the division of simplified practice

of the Department of Commerce.

MONTHLY NEWS—AMERICAN MARINE STANDARDS COMMITTEE

PUBLICATIONS

The following printed publications containing promulgated American marine standards have just been

issued and will be distributed at an early date:

AMSC56—Ship Scupper and Drams. AMSC57

Chinaware for Ship Equipment—Kinds and Sizes. AMSC58—Lifeboat Disengaging Apparatus—General Specification. Copies are now available from the

Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing

Office, at 5 cents each. A list of all marine standard

publications issued to date is available upon application to the secretary American Marine Standards

Committee.

SHIP JOINER HARDWARE

Proposed standard specifications have been developed for the following: Rim lock for heavy doors;

rim lock for light doors; reverse-bevel rim lock for wood or hollow metal doors; regular-bevel rim lock

for wood doors; mortise lock for ordinary swinging

doors; mortise lock for sliding doors; half-mortise

lock for sliding doors; rim lock for wardrobe doors;

rim lock for cupboard doors; mortise dead lock;

drop-ring handles for the heavier door locks. Ship

door bolts of the barrel, straight, neck, flush, and spring

latch types. Ship sash hardware comprising meeting

rail sash lock; spring bolt sash fastener; pawl sash

catch; hook sash fastener; antirattler—cam type;

antirattler—screw type; two types of flush sash lifts, hook sash lifts, and sash pivots. Preliminary drafts of

these specifications have been submitted to the

Technical Committees on Hull Details and on Ship

Operation Details, and the Subject Committee on

Joiner Hardware.

PORT FACILITIES The Technical Committee on Port Facilities has

been definitely formed with 16 members representing

diverse port interests on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts as follows: Chairman, Charles II. Gant, manager and secretarjq Board of Harbor Commissioners,
28

Wilmington, Del. Members: M. E. Arkills, safety

engineer, Waterfront Employers of Seattle, Seattle,

Wash.; Willard C. Brinton, president, Terminal

Engineering Co. (Inc.), New York, N. Y.; W. Scott

Hammond, engineer assistant to general manager,

Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans,

New Orleans, La.; Robert A. Lesher, executive engineer, New York-New Jersey Business Associates

(Inc.), Jersey City, N. J. ; F. C. Marron, treasurer,

the American Association of Port Authorities, Seattle,

Wash.; George F. Nicholson, harbor engineer, Los

Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, San Pedro,

Calif.; Gen. William L. Sibert, chairman and chief

engineer, Alabama State Docks Commission, Mobile,

Ala.; C. U. Smith, harbor terminal director, Board of Harbor Commissioners, Milwaukee, Wis.; Harry E.

Stocker, resident manager, McCormick Steamship

Co., New York, N. Y.; Maj. Dan I. Sultan, Corps of

Engineers, United States Army, resident member,

the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors,

Washington, D. C.; Carroll R. Thompson, chief

engineer, Department of Wharves, Docks and Ferries,

Philadelphia, Pa.; Id. M. Thompson, secretary,

Hampton Roads Maritime Exchange, Norfolk, Va.;

J. Russell Wait, general manager, the Port Utilities

Commission, Charleston, S. C.; Frank G. White,

chief engineer, Board of State Harbor Commissioners,

San Francisco, Calif.; George B. Wright, freight traffic manager, Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Co.,

Detroit, Mich. The functions of this committee are:

(a) To propose standards relative to port facilities and to furnish available data to help in their development, (5) to form or approve subject committees if required to develop such standards, (c) to advise the

subject committees when necessary and to review

their work, and (d) to vote upon proposed standards

before their submittal to the membership and others

concerned for critical comment and to the executive

board for promulgation. A tentative program has

been outlined to the committee and it is expected

that development of proposed standards will begin

at an early date.

PROPELLER SHAFT COUPLINGS

Proposed alternative standards for sleeve couplings

for propeller shafting of sizes from 5 to 18 % inches

have been approved by the Technical Committee on

Engineering Details and are now before the membership for critical comment before taking steps to promulgate them.

NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF SPECIFICATIONS

EXPANSION OF CERTIFICA1 ION PLAN

Lists of “ wilhng-to-certify ” manufacturers, as sources of supply of commodities covered by certain

United States Government master specifications, are now being distributed to all important governmental

and institutional buyers, Federal, State, county, and

municipal; that is, all who are making purchases out

of tax money or its equivalent. Copies of these lists in their present or revised form will be sent to officers of trade associations, technical societies, and other

interested organizations for their information and for criticism and comment. Subsequently, copies of the

lists will be sent to a relatively small number of other

individuals or firms upon specific request. Work is now going forward actively in expanding the certifica- tion plan to include 8 Government master specifications for heat-insulating materials, 3 for medical and

surgical supplies, 9 for abrasive and polishing materials,

and 8 commercial standards for various commodities

shown in the accompanying lists

:

Heat-insulating materials:

54. Asbestos millboard.

158. Hair felt. 211. Magnesia asbestos plaster. 212. Magnesia molded pipe covering and blocks. 284. Gypsum wall board.

285. Gypsum plaster board.

337. Compressed cork (cork board).

338. Ground cork for insulating purposes.

Medical and surgical supplies:

356. Dental amalgam alloy. 357. Boilable catgut ligatures (surgical catgut suture

material)

.

Abrasive and polishing materials:

340. Polishing paste. 341. Liquid metal polish. 385b. Paper, flint. 386a. Paper, garnet. 387b. Cloth, abrasive, aluminum oxide. 3S8b. Cloth, emery.

390. Polish, silver. 582. Paper, abrasive, artificial, waterproof.

583. Paper, garnet, waterproof.

Commercial standards:

I. Clinical thermometers.

3. Stoddard solvent.

4. Porcelain plumbing fixtures.

5. Steel pipe nipples.

6. Wrought-iron pipe nipples.

10.

Brass pipe nipples.

II. Mercerized cotton yarn (regain).

12.

Domestic and industrial fuel oils (for use in oil burners)

.

DIRECTORY OF GOVERNMENTAL TESTING LABORATORIES

As a result of a request from the War Department,

the Chief Coordinator has arranged with the Bureau

of Standards to prepare a classified list of all governmental laboratories and facilities available for testing

supplies and materials for purchasing units of the
29

various Government departments. Questionnaires for use in compiling data relating to the kinds of commodities which the various Government department laboratories can test and the types of testing equipment in the laboratories were submitted to the chief purchasing

officers of the departments and establishments to inform^these officers of the activities being undertaken

in connection with the compilation of the classified list of laboratories and to check the accuracy of the mailing list of the laboratories. The Directory of Governmental Testing Laboratories will supplement the

Directory of Commercial Testing and College Research

Laboratories, which is now in its third edition. Information will be given concerning not only the lands of

commodities which each laboratory can test but also the types of testing equipment in each laboratory and

the routine procedure involved in obtaining authority

for the laboratory to assist purchasing officers in making

tests and furnishing results relating thereto. The great

amount of available information relating to the testing

facilities of the laboratories of the several departments

of the Government necessitates a laboratories directory

considerably more elaborate than at first expected.

The major part of the manuscript for this directory is now in final form for mimeographing, which itself is a

large task.

LABELING OF BUILDING MATERIALS

A most significant movement now under way in the

merchandising of building materials is the grademarking and trade-marking of softwood lumber in

accordance with American Lumber Standards. The

purpose is to guarantee to consumers that such labeled

lumber is manufactured and uniformly classified ac- cording to standard dimensions and grade. It in- volves the placing on each piece of softwood lumber

the insignia of the organization and a symbol showing

the grade. At the conclusion of its annual convention

in Buffalo on June 6 the National Association of

Purchasing Agents indorsed the grade-marking of

lumber as being of benefit to all buyers, and recom- mended that purchasers give preference to such grade

marked stock. The labeling program as now being

actively carried on by the National Lumber Manufacturers Association has been indorsed by the National American 'Wholesale Lumber Association as promoting the use of lumber “in a most helpful and

satisfactory way.” The National Retail Lumber

Dealers Association, which is cooperating in the

movement, issues an additional guaranty relating not

only to lumber but also to other building materials,

b37 what is termed a “certificate of safety,” guaranteeing that all building materials delivered are of the

quality and quantity invoiced and that the classifica- tions or grades of the items fisted in the invoice con- form to the grading or classification rules of the asso- ciations of manufacturers of the various products

named in the invoice. The movement is also in harmony with the recent action of the executive committee of the National Builders Supply Association,

which, by a imanimous vote, adopted a resolution

requesting the manufacturers of sewer pipe, hollow

tile, flue lining, and coping to mark their products with

grades as well as with brands. The committee has

also requested that sewer pipe and wall board be similarly designated.

STEEL

The May, 1929, issue of the Transaction of the

American Society for Steel Treating reports that the

recommended practice committee has released a tentative general recommendation for heat treating tool

steels. This practice, however, is not issued as a

specification and should not be interpreted as such.

It will remain tentative for at least a year until adopted

by the board of directors and the committee of the

A. S. S. T. WOOD PRESERVATIVES

Under date of May 1, 1929, the American Wood

Preservers’ Association issued supplements to its Manual of Recommended Practice containing the fol- lowing standard specifications : Preservative treatment

of trunking and capping by pressure processes, preservative treatment of pole butts by the nonprocess-incising

method, preservative treatment of pole butts by the

nonpressure process-nonincising method, and preservative treatment of Douglas fir lumber by pressure

processes. In addition, it has issued seven revisions

of existing standards relating to wood preservatives.

COMMITTEE ON WOOD UTILIZATION

At the request of representatives of the Federal

Government, public utilities and private companies

interested in wood construction in the Tropics, the

National Committee on Wood Utilization of the Department of Commerce, has undertaken the study of

the best practices to be followed to protect wood construction in the tropical zones from termite damage.

This request comes as a result of a meeting called by

the committee in March to consider wood construction

in the Tropics, which was attended by representatives

of the groups above mentioned interested in the use of

millions of feet of American lumber there. According to Dr. Thomas E. Snyder, who has charge

of termite investigations for the Department of Agriculture, wood as a construction material is rapidly

losing ground in the Tropics, owing to losses resulting

from termite destruction. Despite the fact that the

tropical climate frequently favors the use of well-
30

ventilated and substantially constructed wooden dwellings, because of a combination of low cost and the

protection they afford the occupants against heat and

dampness or for some other reason, many important

wood users have temporarily abandoned wood, al- though their preference is for wood construction.

It is with the knowledge that wood intended for

construction in tropical countries may be rendered re- sistant to the attack of termites or white ants, if certain

approved construction methods are followed, that the

committee is undertaking the requested study. The

results of its investigations will be incorporated in a

bulletin to be issued by the committee.

“The volume should immediately find acceptance

as a comprehensive, reliable, and authoritative treatise on the subject and should be of the greatest value to students of architecture and engineering, contractors,

construction engineers, construction superintendents,

and all progressive men connected with the lumber

industry.” This is the way N. Max Dunning, a prominent Chicago architect, characterizes Wood Construction, the handbook on the properties of wood and its uses in construction recently issued by the National

Committee on Wood Utilization of the Department of Commerce.

This work is the most complete of its kind ever attempted. Its preparation was based on the fact

that no authoritative textbook on wood construction

has heretofore been available. It contains more than

700 pages and almost 500 illustrations. Information

collected from a great diversity of sources is incorporated in this handbook, 'which was prepared for the consumer by the consumer. Literally hundreds of

architects, builders, contractors, and engineers cooperated in furnishing the latest available information

regarding practices and methods of wood construction

much of which has never been published before.

Through this manual the lumber manufacturer may

gain a clearer knowledge of the requirements of the

ultimate consumer and will better understand how to adjust his manufacturing and sales efforts. For the

lumber distributor, who comes into direct contact with

the architect, the engineer, the contractor, the builder,

and the prospective home owner, the book contains

practical suggestions which will enable him to broaden

his knowledge of the suitable uses of wood and accordingly expand his services. Bankers, building and loan

associations, and lawyers interested in investments

involving buildings and other types of construction

will find just the information they need to aid them in passing upon applications for loans on frame structures. Design and construction of buildings and other struc- tures are among the subjects of particular interest to engineers, architects, contractors, and builders.

The book discusses, among other subjects, the species

of wood, their relative properties, availability, and

principal uses; identification of woodsywood-preservative treatments, with special reference to the prevention of decay and insect damage; painting, staining,

and wood finishes; fireproofing of wood; the fundamental principles involved in the application and

methods of framing wood in all of the important types

of construction; and grade-marking of lumber. Close

attention has been given in the preparation of the

manual to the recommendations of the National Committee on Wood Utilization covering good wood-using

practices, from those on short-length and end-matched

lumber to those on quality guaranty and grade-marking. Already a number of leading educational insti- tutions have expressed their intention to adopt Wood

Construction as a textbook. This manual may be

secured on application to the National Committee on Wood Utilization, Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C. The price is $6.

A plan characterized by the Pittsburgh PostGazette as “a way to bring small boys, empty packing

cases, and carpenters’ tools into partnership for the

general good” has been developed by the National

Committee on Wood Utilization of the Department of

Commerce.

Under the title “You Can Make It” the committee

has just issued a booklet, simply written and copiously

illustrated, which shows more than 100 ways of trans- forming discarded boxes and crates into interesting

and useful articles for the camp, garden, and home.

Such organizations as the Boy Scouts, the Boys’

Club Federation, the Playground and Recreation

Association of America, Vacation Church Schools,

Junior Achievement (Inc.), 4-H Clubs, and similar

groups have pledged cooperation with the National

Committee on Wood Utilization in its project.

The object behind the committee’s project is to pre- vent at least a part of the waste of secondhand containers, most of which are either burned or thrown

away after they have served their original purpose.

Practically every commercial establishment, the

committee points out, has boxes or crates which it is willing to dispose of at little or no cost. The only

reason why these containers have not been more

universally utilized in the past is because no individual or organization has taken the initiative in calling attention to them, suggesting ways and means of putting

them to good use, and taking steps to see that they were put into the hands of persons who could use them.

This the committee is now trying to do.

When it is understood that the total annual quantity

of lumber used for box and crate purposes would, if suitable for construction use, build a city of frame

houses four times as large as the Nation’s Capital, the

practicability of the committee’s project is apparent.

As evidence of the widespread interest aroused in its project the committee reports that over 70 different

and distinct types of organizations have already made

inquiry regarding the project.
31

USE OF SPECIFICATIONS V/ELCOMED

The use of specifications where possible in ordering

material not only permits the purchasing department

to buy economically, but speeds up delivery and

eliminates troublesome questions as to fitness of material for use and possibility of holding indefinitely,

while these questions are being threshed out, in the

meantime procuring additional supply, said O. A. Donagan, general storekeeper for the Boston & Maine

Railroad, in his recent article which appeared in Railway Purchases and Stores under the title of Functioning of the Service of Supply.

That purchasing agents believe this true is attested

to by the fact that the Purchasing Agents’ Association

of Philadelphia have adopted resolutions in which the

association stated that the purchasing agents believe

that the necessity for purchasing patented articles and for specifying branded articles or equal could be

almost eliminated if the United States Government

or other nationally recognized specifications were used

whenever possible. Interest in specifications is not limited to any one group of industry, as stated by Ernest C. Morse, of the

Cotton Textile Institute, before a meeting of the

American Society for Testing Materials, when he

pointed out that there was a live and steadily growing

interest in the subject of specifications in the cottontextile industry.

“Specifications are important to manufacturers who

are seeking to eliminate waste through standardization,

simplification, and other measures,” he said, and also called attention to the fact that “consumers are interested in this subject.”

“They (the consumers) are looking for th'e advantages that they may derive either as individuals or in- dustries. It is just as essential for the producer to know how and where his products are being used as it

is desirable for the consumer to be assured that the

fabrics he is using meet certain specified and reasonable

requirements.”

One naturally expects industry to indicate in some way that the goods are produced in accordance with

approved specifications. In other words, how can

one distinguish between reliable and unreliable made

goods?

The lumber industry is answering this question

through grade marking of lumber, as the Lumber Trade

Journal points out, “How can one distinguish good

lumber from poor lumber?” Taking as its subject

Lumber Easily Identified, that magazine editorially answers that that “is a sensible question—one of much

importance to household happiness—and it can be

easily, practically, and satisfactorily answered.” This answer is supplied by American Standard Lumber

(Simplified Practice Recommendation No. 1G).

“The primary purpose of these standards is to enable the average bujTer of lumber to intelligently, effec- tively, and economically classify it; to select proper

grades and sizes of lumber for specific uses, with full assurance that he is getting the best for the purpose

intended. Public interest and public protection against

shoddy construction, through the substitution of poor

grades for good ones, as well as prevention of the use of

expensive grades where lower-priced ones would assure an equally durable structure, motivated the formulation of American lumber standards.”

Such praise for the certification and labeling plan as developed by the division of specifications of the Bureau of Standards is not confined alone to American in- dustry and American publication, but the movement

has spread even to those shores across the waters. Dr. George K. Burgess, Director of the Bureau of

Standards, has received a letter from W. Rayner

Hebblewhite, general secretary of the Australian Commonwealth Engineering Standards Association, in which the latter expressed his appreciation for data on

our certification and labeling plan that had been

forwarded.

“These plans,” wrote the general secretary, “will

be extremely valuable to us in initiating our certifica- tion scheme in Australia. In view of the rather

special conditions in Australia, by reason of the large

proportion of purchasing done by the Government

departments, we are combining with our certification

lists, corresponding lists of purchasing authorities, who

have agreed to adopt standard specifications as the

basis of their purchasing. These general lists, combined

with the certification lists for the individual specifications, are expected to bring about a substantial increase

in the adoption of Australian standards, and in the

advantages that will result therefrom. The experi- ence gained in America, which has been so freely made

available for our guidance, is proving of the greatest

assistance to us in our work.”

We also find that Germany is taking up the matter

of certification and labeling of goods. According to a

recent report received from George P. Waller, Department of Commerce consul at Dresden, about 15

German organizations, representing manufacturers,

distributors, and consumers of linen and linen mixtures, have agreed on a system of standards for the

marking and sale of linen textiles and textiles containing linen. This movement, according to Consul Waller,

is a result of the harm which, it is claimed, has been

done among the buying public during the last 10 years

due to lack of official standards. It is said that many

buyers purchased material as linen which contained

very little of the pure yarn. Others have bought mixtures which were largely cotton.
32

NATIONAL SCREW THREAD COMMISSION REPORT

The third report of the National Screw Thread Commission has just been issued as Miscellaneous Publication No. 89, of the Bureau of Standards, and will be

found of great value to mechanical engineers and all others interested in the fitting together of threaded parts.

The designation of the screw-thread standards

promulgated by the commission has been changed

from “National” to “American National.” The basic

dimensions for the coarse and fine thread series, and

the tolerances and classification of fits, remain practically unchanged from the 1924 report.

Other important revisions of material in previous

reports are: The addition of sizes above 1 % inches to the fine-thread series, but with coarser pitches than

those originally published in the progress report of

1921; increase of the tolerances on minor diameter of

nut, over the range of sizes smaller than 1 % inches, of

the coarse and fine thread series; the insertion of the

3-inch-3/2 threads-per-inch size in the coarse-thread

series; the substitution of tables of specific pitch

diameter tolerances for threads of special diameters,

pitches, and lengths of engagement in place of the

method of determining such tolerances by adding

together increments, thus establishing consistency

with the pitch diameter tolerances specified for the

regular thread series; and revision of head proportions

of wood screws. New material added to the body of the report in- cludes the following specifications: Wrench head

bolts and nuts and wrench openings; other screw,

bolt, and nut proportions by reference to certain

specifications of the American Standards Association

and the Federal Specifications Board; an outline of standard practice for A. C. M. E. screw threads; screw

threads for oil well drilling equipment, including

pipe, casing, line pipe, cable drilling tool joints, rotary

drilling taper joints, cold-drawn and machined working

barrels, and sucker rods by reference to specifications

published by the American Petroleum Institute;

standard hose connections for welding and cutting

torches; rolled threads for screw shells of electric sockets and lamp bases; and a 12-pitch thread series. The specifications for pipe threads are carried over in

this report in their original form pending completion

of the work of the new A. S. A. sectional committee on the standardization of pipe threads.

New material added to the appendixes, besides that

mentioned relative to threading tools, includes the

following as useful information: Standard designs of

plain and threaded plug and ring gages; specifications

covering class 5, wrench fit for threaded studs; com- mon practice as to thread series and class of fit for screws, bolts, and nuts; and wire methods of measure- ment of thread thickness of A. C. M. E. threads.

Copies of this report may be obtained from the

Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing

Office, Washington, D. C., at 50 cents each.

Bureau of Standards Circular No. 341, Use and Care

of Automobile Tires, presents useful information rela- tive to tires in general and points out certain precautions, the observance of which is essential to the proper

use and care of tires. Brief reference is made to the

essential characteristics of fabric tires, cord tires (high

pressure and balloon), inner tubes, cushion tires, and

solid tires. Detailed instructions are given for the

mounting of pneumatic tires. Recommended loads

and inflation pressures for pneumatic and solid tires are given in tables, and the general subject is discussed

at some length, with special reference to the injurious

effects of overloading and underinflation. The various

types of injury to tires and their causes are illustrated

and described, and recommended instructions are given

for the use and care of tires in general. The circular

is concluded with a list of general suggestions, as fol- lows:

(1) Keep tires properly inflated; (2) do not run a

“flat” tire farther than is absolutely necessary; (3) see that wheels are in correct alignment; (4) remember

that oil, grease, sunlight, and heat are injurious to rubber; (5) spare tubes carried in car should be wrapped

or otherwise protected; (6) avoid the use of rusty or bent rims; (7) if it is necessary to use chains, apply

them loosely; (8) cut loose slivers from solid or cushion

tires—have cuts in pneumatic tires promptly repaired;

(9) adjust brakes so that they operate evenly on all wheels; (10) see that tires are properly applied; and

(11) drive carefully. Avoid bumps, particularly at high speeds.

Copies of this circular may be secured from the

Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing

Office, Washington, D. C., at 15 cents per copy.

A new airplane thermometer, by which the minimum

temperature of the air through which the plane is passing is automatically recorded, has been designed

by H. B. Henric.kson, of the Bureau of Standards,

Department of Commerce.

The new instrument makes use of a bimetal strip

and is mounted on one of the struts of the plane. It

is light in weight and several can be used to determine temperatures at various points on the airplane,

if desired; in fact, a number of these thermometers

were used in this way by Capt. A. W. Stevens in his recent high-altitude flights at Wright Field.
33

TWENTY-SECOND NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

It has been said that the duty of the official inspector

of weights and measures is to secure equity in all commercial determinations of quantity. The diversity of activity embraced within this definition was well

illustrated at the twenty-second annual meeting of the

National Conference on Weights and Measures which

met at the Bureau of Standards on June 4 to 7, inclusive. Ice-cream cans, gasoline meters, grocers’ scales,

devices for measuring automobile transmission oil, penny-in-the-slot scales, the weighing of meats and

grain, fruit and vegetable baskets, and methods for investigating reported short-measure deliveries of domestic fuel oil were some of the widely differing

subjects discussed and acted upon.

The national conference is composed primarily of weights and measures officials of the States, counties,

and cities of the United States, but manufacturers of weighing and measuring equipment and representatives of industry participate in the meetings. The

conference was organized in 1905 under the auspices

of the National Bureau of Standards for the purpose

of providing an agency to coordinate and harmonize

the divergent and often conflicting weights and

measures requirements of the States, of extending

weights and measures protection to all sections, and

of raising the standard of weights and measures administration throughout the country. The facilities of the bureau for scientific and technical research are made available to the conference, and the data at hand, or secured following special studies and investigations, have repeatedly formed the basis for confer- ence decisions and recommendations.

The actions of the National Conference on Weights

and Measures are looked upon by manufacturers and

officials as authoritative in its special field. While the

conference is unofficial to the extent that its recom- mendations have no legal force and effect purely by

reason of the conference action, nevertheless these

recommendations become operative promptly and

effectively through the action, in their several jurisdictions, of the officials composing the conference

membership. One of the most important fields of

conference activity is the development of codes of

specifications and tolerances for commercial weighing

and measuring equipment—those technical requirements which must be met by commercial apparatus

before this wdll be approved for use by the official. Under the general police power of the States to promulgate regulations designed to carry into effect the basic

principles of protection established by their weights

and measures statutes it is possible to secure official acceptance of the conference decisions on codes of

specifications and tolerances and other matters without delay.

As contrasted with conditions 20 years ago, the

national conference has accomplished a tremendous

service to the business and industrial interests of the

country by bringing about the degree of uniformity in weights and measures requirements which exists

to-day.

One hundred per cent conformity with the recom- mendations of the national conference probably never

will be reached. It is to be expected that there will ahvays be divergencies in the laws, the specifications

and tolerances, and the methods of test applied as compared with the model State law, the various codes,

and the testing methods adopted by the conference.

Tins nonuniformity results in complicating manufacturing processes and raising manufacturing costs

for the makers of commercial equipment, and in adding

to the complexities of trade.

As a result of the meeting just ended, one class of

commercial measuring device was brought definitely

wdthin the scope of the conference codes, and the

inclusion of another group was forecast. Final

specifications and tolerances w

T ere adopted for those

devices used at Automobile filling stations for measuring grease and transmission oil; a feature of

this code was the requirement that these devices

be made to deliver by the pint instead of by the

pound unless the device actually weighs the grease

dispensed. Permissible variations on deliveries w

T ere

also adopted.

The question of person-weighing scales, particularly

of the penny-in-the-slot variety, was discussed, and

the recommendation was made that the conference

committee on specifications and tolerances study these

scales during the coming year with the view of bringing

before the conference next }

7ear a tentative code of regulations for them.

The necessity for further study and effort directed

towr ard promoting uniformity among the States in their

weights and measures requirements was recognized

in the report of a special committee appointed a year

ago; the committee report v

T as adopted by the conference, and provided for the appointment of a standing

committee to devise ways and means for promoting

uniformity in “all weights and measures endeavors in v

T hich uniformity is desirable.” The elimination of

the dry measure, sales on the basis of weight, count,

or standard containers, simplification of containers

and packages, and conformance with the conference

recommendations as to lawrs, specifications, and toler- ances were stressed in the report. The constructive

program before this committee provides the opportunity for initiating many needed reforms, and with

the cooperation of the various interests involved should

produce worth-wdiilc results.
34

The recently adopted practice in the wholesale ice- cream industry of marketing ice cream in 2 ^-gallon cans instead of 5-gallon cans received the recognition

of the conference. After considering the numerous

advantages resulting from the use of the new container, it was decided to waive the theoretical objection

to an odd-sized can providing it is of such a diameter

that it will not be confused with the 2-gallon and the

3-gallon sizes. The dangers from an accuracy standpoint of cer- tain types of gasoline-meter installations were pointed

out in a number of papers presented. It was emphasized that if the motorist is to receive full measure when he purchases gasoline the weights and measures

official must give consideration not only to the measuring element of the assembly, but also to the entire

installation, to make sure that conditions are such as

to give reasonable assurance of continued accuracy.

Direct-pressure systems, in which air pressure is maintained for long periods on the storage tanks, were shown to be very erratic in their performance under

certain conditions. These were also represented to be

a hazard from the standpoint of safety.

Covering a wide range of subjects having a direct

application to the protection of buyers and sellers of

commodities and service, and participated in by

representatives of industrial concerns, railroads, manufacturers, and associations of ' business men, the

Twenty-second National Conference on Weights and

Measures will exert a strong influence on the administration of weights and measures throughout the

United States and on the development, along proper

lines, of commercial weighing and measuring devices.

Not the least of its accomplishments was the demonstration of the harmonious manner in which diverse

interests may meet and solve mutual problems with

mutual satisfaction.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Bureau of Standards Journal of Research, vol. 1 (RP Nos. 1 to 36), bound in cloth, $2.75 (foreign, $3.50). Bureau of Standards Journal of Research, vol. 2, No. 5, May,

1929 (RP Nos. 60 to 66, inclusive). Obtainable only by

subscription.1 Research Papers {reprints from Journal of Research):

RP60. Continuous spectrum X rays from thin targets; W. W.

Nicholas. Price, 10 cents. RP61. A multiple-strand test for yarns; C. W. Schoffstall and H. A. Hamm. Price, 10 cents. RP62. Thermal expansion of tantalum; P. Hidnert. Price, 5 cents. RP63. Soundproofing of airplane cabins; V. L. Chrisler and

W. F. Snyder. Price, 5 cents. RP64. Prism refractometry and certain goniometrical re- quirements for precision; L. W. Tilton. Price, 10 cents. RP65. A new determination of the melting point of palladium; C. O. Fairchild, W. H. Hoover, and M. F. Peters.

Price, 10 cents. RP66. A new seismometer equipped for electromagnetic

damping and electromagnetic and optical magnification

(theory, general design, and preliminary results) ; F. Wenner. Price, 15 cents. Technologic Papers of the Bureau of Standards, vol. 22 (Nos. 353 to 370), bound in cloth, $3. Simplified Practice Recommendation: R95-28. Skid platforms.

Price, 5 cents. Commercial Standards: CS4-29. Staple porcelain (all clay)

plumbing fixtures. Price, 10 cents.

United States Government Master Specifications:

USGMS 39c. Tubing, rubber. Price, 5 cents. USGMS 48c. Hose, water and wash deck. Price, 5 cents. USGMS 50b. Hose, suction, water (smooth bore). Price, 5 cents. USGMS 63c. Hose, oil suction and discharge. Price, 5

cents. USGMS 111b. Packings and gaskets, rubber (molded, sheet, and strip). Price, 5 cents. USGMS 497a. Wool bunting. Price, 5 cents. USGMS 588. Hose, water, braided. Price, 5 cents. USGMS 518. Lamps, electric, incandescent, miniature, tungsten filament. Price, 5 cents. 1930 Supplement to USGMS 618. Price, 5 cents. Miscellaneous Publications: M93. Visitors’ manual of the National Bureau of Standards

(a brief account of its history, functions, and laboratory

facilities); H. C. Boutell. Free on application to the bureau. M94. Scientific and technical positions in the National Bureau of Standards; W. C. Fewell. Free on application to the bureau.

Technical News Bulletin: TNB146. Technical News Bulletin, June, 1929. Obtainable only by subscription. 1

1 Send orders for publications under this heading with remittance only to the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.

Subscription to Technical News Bulletin, 25 cents per year (United States and its possessions, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Newfoundland, and Republic of Panama);

other countries, 40 cents. Subscription to Bureau of Standards Journal of Research,

See footnote next column. $2.75; other countries, $3.50.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

R. P. LAMONT, Secretary

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

GEORGE K. BURGESS, Director

COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY

Important Notice

Commencing with this issue the Commercial Standards Monthly is issued as a printed magazine. In its expanded form it will contain:

1. Current status of projects of the commercial standardization group, which includes

the divisions of simplified practice, trade standards, building and housing, and

specifications, and the American marine standards committee.

2. Commercial aspects and applications of standardization activities of the research

and testing divisions of the bureau.

3. Standardization work of the Department of Commerce and of other Federal establishments, which appears to be of interest to commercial enterprises. Particular

notice will be given to the work of the Chief Coordinator and Federal Specifications Board.

4. Important achievements of national standardizing bodies, such as the American

Standards Association, American Society for Testing Materials, Society of

Automotive Engineers, American Railway Association, etc.

5. Outstanding examples of waste-elimination effected by trade associations and

individual companies.

6. Abstracts of articles, reports, etc., which bear on national or regional standardization.

7. Notice of foreign standardization work likely to be of interest to American business

men, particularly importers and exporters.

8. Miscellaneous; for example, notice of new publications and announcements of new

plans, programs, etc., of the Bureau of Standards in its effort to assist American

business.

By arrangement with the Superintendent of Documents each of our readers receives a complimentary copy of this issue. It is suggested, however, that, in order to make certain that you

will not miss any of the new issues, you fill in and mail the subscription blank appearing on the

bottom of this page, together with $1 per year (United States, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Newfoundland, and Republic of Panama), to the Superintendent of Documents, Government

Printing Office, Washington, D. C. The rate for foreign subscription is $1.25 per year. G. K. Burgess,

Director.

Commercial Standards Monthly

SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS,

Government Printing Office,

Washington, D. C.

Dear Sir:

Send me the “Commercial Standards Monthly ” for one year. Inclosed find

j j to cover subscription cost. NAME

ADDRESS

o

Standards and Specifications

in the Wood-Using Industries

Nationally recognized Standards and Specifications for Wood

and Manufactures thereof, including Paper and Paper Products

N ATTEMPT has been made to include in this publication the substance of all standards and specifications

in the wood-using industries formulated by the lumber manufacturers’ associations and other trade associations

having national recognition; the national technical societies, including those dealing with lumber and manufactures thereof, paper and paper products, and other organizations which speak for industry or with the authority

of the Federal Government as a whole.

ADVISORY BOARD

An Advisory Board composed of official representatives of 14 national organizations interested in the preparation, unification, and

utilization of specifications recommended that the material published

as the result of an exhaustive review of the standards, specifications,

simplifications, and testing methods in this country, be broken in- to two distinct parts—one part to consist of an index of existing

specifications with such explanatory matter as might be necessary

to elucidate the scope of each specification, and the other part to contain copies of actual specifications (or abstracts) instead of merely

titles. In 1925 the National Directory of Commodity Specifications was issued as the first part.

The present compilation represents the beginning of the other part

just referred to. It is the first of a series of publications dealing with

the standards and specifications in various industries to be issued as rapidly as conditions will permit. In it use has been made of the

decimal system of classification of paper and wood employed in the National Directory of Commodity Specifications. Under the proper

classification numerals have been listed certain important groups

of commodities for which there might well be, but are not as yet, specifications that can be referred to as nationally recognized.

Whether you are interested in the preparation or use of specifica- tions and standards in the wood-using industries; whether you are a buyer or a seller of wood or paper or manufactures thereof, this publication contains information which you can not afford to do without. DIRECTIONS FOR ORDERING

Copies of “Standards and Specifications in the Wood-Using Industries” (cloth bound) may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., by sending WITH the order a remittance

($1 .50) either in the form of post office money order, coupons (issued for the specific purpose of purchasing Government

publications), express money order. New York draft, or cash—at the sender’s own risk. It is important to follow these

directions explicitly to avoid delay and confusion. An order blank is given below for your convenience. Price $1 .70 if to be

mailed to a foreign country (other than Mexico and Canada)

.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

In addition to a list of technical societies, trade associations, and other organizations issuing standards and specifi- cations in the wood- using industries, the book contains

chapters devoted to specifications relating to the following groups of commodities:

Class No. Commodities 400-409 Timber and Other Unmanufactured or Partly

Manufactured Wood.

410-419 Lumber for Building and Factory Use. 420-429 Manufactures of Wood.

430-439 Furniture of Wood.

470-479 Paper (except printed matter). 480-489 Books and Other Printed Matter. 490-499 Miscellaneous Wood and Paper Products.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

GEORGE K. BURGESS, Director STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS

IN THE WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR WOOD AND MANUFACTURES THEREOF, INCLUDING PAPER AND PAPER PRODUCTS

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION No. 79

SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS,

U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. There is enclosed $1 .50 for which please send me “Standards and Specifications in the Wood-Using

Industries” (Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publication No. 79).

Name Address
“* * * this department * * * is devoted solely to aiding and fostering the development of higher standards of living and comfort of our people * * * its ideals are clear: That by cooperation and not by compulsion it should seek to assist in maintaining and giving the impulse of progress to commerce and industry in a nation whose successful economic life underlies advancement in every other field." —President Hoover, at the laying of the corner stone of the new building

of the U. S. Department of Commerce, June 10, 1929.

THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

R. P. LAMONT, Secretary of Commerce

AERONAUTICS BRANCH, William P. McCracken, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics. Establishment of civil airways and maintenance of aids to air navigation; inspection and registration of aircraft and licensing

of pilots; enforcement of air traffic rules; investigation of acci- dents; encouragement of municipal air ports; fostering of air commerce; scientific research in aeronautics; and dissemination of information relating to commercial aeronautics. (Some

of these functions are performed by special divisions of the Lighthouse Service, the Bureau of Standards, and the Coast and Geodetic Survey.)

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, William M. Steuart, Director. Taking censuses of population, mines and quarries, water

transportation, and religious bodies every 10 years; censuses of agriculture and electrical public utilities every 5 years; and a

census of manufactures every 2 years. Compilation of statistics of wealth, public debt and taxation, including financial statistics of local governments, every 10 years; annual compilation of financial statistics of State and municipal governments.

Compilation of statistics of marriage, divorce, births, deaths,

and penal and other institutions annually, and of death rates in

cities and automobile accidents weekly.

Compilation quarterly or monthly of statistics on cotton, wool, leather, and other industries; annually of forest products;

and publication monthly of Survey of Current Business. BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE.

The collection of timely information concerning world market

conditions and openings for American products in foreign countries, through commercial attaches, trade commissioners, and

consular officers, and its distribution through weekly Commerce

Reports, bulletins, confidential circulars, the news and trade

press, and district and cooperative offices in 65 cities. The

maintenance of commodity, technical, and regional divisions to

afford special service to American exporters and manufacturers. The compilation and distribution of lists of possible buyers

and agents for American products in all parts of the world and

publication of weekly lists of specific sales opportunities abroad. The publicity of statistics on imports and exports. The study of the processes of domestic trade and commerce. BUREAU OF STANDARDS, George K. Burgess, Director. Custody, development, and construction of standards of measurement, quality, performance, or practice; comparison of standards used by scientific or other institutions; determination

of physical constants and properties of materials; researches and tests on materials and processes; and publication of scientific and technical bulletins reporting results of researches and

fundamental technical data. Preparation of specifications for Government purchases,

through the Federal Specifications Board.

Collection and dissemination of information concerning

building codes and the planning and construction of houses. Establishment of simplified commercial practices through

cooperation with business organizations in order to reduce the wastes resulting from excessive variety in commodities.

BUREAU OF MINES, Scott Turner, Director. Technical investigations in the mining, preparation, and

utilization of minerals, including the study of mine hazards and

safety methods and of improved methods in the production

and use of minerals. Testing of Government fuels and management of the Govern- ment Fuel Yard at Washington.

Research on helium and operation of plants producing it.

BUREAU OF MINES—Continued.

Studies in the economics and marketing of minerals and col- lection of statistics on mineral resources and mine accidents. The dissemination of results of technical and economic

researches in bulletins, technical papers, mineral resources series, miners’ circulars, and miscellaneous publications.

BUREAU OF FISHERIES, Henry O’Malley, Commissioner.

The propagation and distribution of food fish and shellfish, in order to prevent the depletion of the fisheries; investigations

to promote conservation of fishery resources; the development

of commercial fisheries and agriculture; study of fishery methods, improvements in merchandising, and collection of fishery

statistics; administration of Alaska fisheries and fur seals; and

the protection of sponges off the coast of Florida. BUREAU OF LIGHTHOUSES, George R. Putnam, Commissioner. Maintenance of lighthouses and other aids to water navigation. Establishment and maintenance of aids to navigation

along civil airways. Publication of Light Lists, Buoy Lists, and

Notices to Mariners.

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY, R. S. Patton, Director. Survey of the coasts of the United States and publication of charts for the navigation of the adjacent waters, including

Alaska, the Philippine Islands, Hawaii, Porto Rico, the Virgin

Islands, and the Canal Zone; interior control surveys; magnetic surveys; tide and current observations; and seismological

investigations. Publication of results through charts, coast pilots, tide tables, current tables, and special publications.

BUREAU OF NAVIGATION, Arthur J. Tyrer, Commissioner.

Superintendence of commercial marine and merchant seamen.

Supervision of registering, enrolling, licensing, numbering,

etc., of vessels under the United States flag, and the annual

publication of a list of such vessels. Enforcement of the navigation and steamboat inspection laws,

including imposition of fees, fines, tonnage taxes, etc. STEAMBOAT INSPECTION SERVICE, Dickerson N. Hoover, Supervising Inspector General. The inspection of merchant vessels, including boilers, hulls, and life-saving equipment, licensing of officers of vessels, certi- fication of able seamen and lifeboat men, and the investigation

of violations of steamboat inspection laws. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, Thomas E. Robertson.

Commissioner.

The granting of patents and the registration of trade-marks,

prints, and labels after technical examination and judicial

proceedings.

Maintenance of library with public search room, containing

copies of foreign and United States patents and trade-marks. Recording bills of sale, assignments, etc., relating to patents

and trade-marks. Furnishing copies of records pertaining to patents. Publication of the weekly Official Gazette, showing the

patents and trade-marks issued. RADIO DIVISION, W. D. Terrell, Chief. Inspection of radio stations on ships; inspection of radio

stations on shore, including broadcasting stations; licensing radio operators; assigning station call letters; enforcing the terms of the International Radiotelegraphic Convention; and

examining and settling international radio accounts.

U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1929