f

I

I y

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Division of Simplified Practice

Washington

MONTHLY NEWS BULLETIN April 15, 1925 No. 1

EDITOR’S NOTE &

With the accompanying material, a monthly bulletin

service of the Division of Simplified Practice makes its

how.

This service is intended to keep the industrial and

commercial world informed of the progress of Simplified

Practice, both as to projects already in effect, those

which are going through the procedure which has been

found by the Division to be the most valuable, and those

which are merely in the initial steps.

If this Bulletin or its successors can help to

improve the position of any industry, through cooperation

in the elimination of waste and excessive variety, it will

have fulfilled its purpose.

None of the material contained herein is restricted

as to its use in trade journals or newspapers. Trade

journals or newspapers desiring '.to ;heceive this regularly

may do so by communicating^with-' thd ' Ddvi'sicm/of Simplified

Practice, Department of. .•Cummer cep \V

’

’THAT INDUSTRY IS DOINU 'f^ARD SIMPLIFICATION.

The milling cutter industry, after surveys lasting for some months,

placed its proposals for reduction in variety before a general conference

of distributors, users and manufacturers on March 25th, with the result

that the conference went on record in favor of a 35 Per cent reduction of

varieties. Proceedings of this conference and the recommendations are being sent out to the three groups for formal acceptance. The conference

discussions developed suggestions for further reduction of variety and

for technical improvements.

The preliminary conference stage — always an illuminating and

interesting point to an industry which is considering reduction of variety — was reached by several industries during March.

One such industry — whose products enter into ovoryhome — was

that producing sheet metal ware, whether enameled, tinware, black iron ware

or galvanized ware. This industry has been aware for a long time of

the wide range of variety of its products, and its Simplification Committees : are now submitting to the manufacturers concerned their initial recommendations for further suggestion and criticism.

2

Another industry which has reached this stage is that concornod with

dining car ehinawarc. Manufacturers and dining car superintendents held

a preliminary conference in Chicago on March ?A, and the next step will be

tho calling of a general conference of all interested groups by the

Division of Simplified Practice early in May. Initial steps have also

been taken in cooperation with tho American Marine Standards Committee to

determine whether tho variety retained in the simplification of hotel and

of restaurant and cafeteria chinavra.ro can be similarly used to cover the

rango necessary on board the ships companies which arc participating in

American Marino Standards.

* * *

Among other industries which have begun a serious consideration of

the possibilities of simplification of the variety of their output are the

sterling silver ware group, which is analysing a questionnaire to its

members, and the shoo polish group, which is about to develop plans for a formal survey. Meetings of these groups will bo held during April.

tjv -•* ^

From a rango of sizes and variations which is complex in the extreme,

the grocery paper bag industry has developed a simplification program of

importance t® evory householder as well as nearly every retailer. This

program, as thus far prepared, will bring about a uniformity of capacity

for bags of the same nominal capacity -- which was not the case before tho

committee on simplification undertook its studies. Before this work was

begun bags of a nominal size 'would vary as much as 50 per cent in capacity.

The simplification committee of tho industry has boon aided by tw.o technical experts who have evolved a guide by which manufacturer s can change

their machinery with a minimum of trouble and expense to approximate a uniform size, regardless of tho- type of machinery which the plant uses.

* * * *

In tho field of lumber there arc <a number of simplification and

standardization projects which will be of great importance to the homo

builder and the bxiilding industry generally. Steps taken by the American

Lumber Standardization Conference last May will be elaborated into a further standardization program to be presented at a conference in Washington on May 1. This work will be the summarization of the efforts <jf the

Central and Consulting Cemmittces on American Lumber Standards, which have

been giving unstinted effort and time to further developments. While

this will affect the s©ft wood field, progress is being made in conjunction

with the Forest Products Laboratory, toward tho formulation of standards

for hard woods.

In conjunction with this general program, a simplification program

is being worked out for the northeast section of tho country in tho sash,

door and millwork industry. Tho results will be presented at a general

conference to be held in Washington, on April 29, and if adopted will mean

that a single set «f -standards will replace a widely divergent set of

sectional ones.

Progress is still being made in the survey of the use of short length

- o -

lumber , which, it is expected, will be conn leted before May 1.

Still another wood-using industry which is initiating steps which

may result in simplification is that of office furniture. The many variations in sice of office desks, and the constantly- changing models, have

made the problem of purchasing agonts of largo concerns complicated,

especially in view of the need for conservation of floor space. A mooting

is to be held the latter part of April to develop a program for action.

* * & *

In the distribution field there is keen interest in work done by the

carton manufacturers looking toward simplification. Because of the effect

on transportation and retail stores as well as on manufacturer s -- 200,000

retail stores being affcctod — the simplified practice program of this

industry will be of tremendous importance. The manufacturers have worked

out a sot of tentative recommendations, providing sweeping elimination, and

these will be submitted for the consideration of 35 shippers associations

soon for consideration. It is probable that a general conference of all

interests in the carton field will bo called before June 15.

* * * *

Sharing interest with the general conferences and with the preliminary meetings -- and fully as important because of the values discovered — arc the meetings for revision of Simplified Practice Recommendations

which have been put into effect by various groups. Periodical revision

is as much a part of the procedure of the Division as is the initial step;

for by such revision it is possible to keep pace with changing business

conditions and with the progress of invention.

The record number of such revision conferences has been that of the

paving brick industry. Starting with 66 varieties of size and shape of

paving brick, this industry reduced the range tc 11. It soon found that

those were too many, and further reduced its variety to 7. A yoar later

the revision conference found the bulk of business had been done in 6 sizes

and another variety was eliminated. In March a fourth revision conference

applied the acid test of demand to the tonnage, with the result that but

four sizes now remain on the :, rocognizcd list" of sizes. And the production figures show that the paving brick is gaining ground in the struggle

between the various types of paving materials.

Another group which is getting data together for prosontation at a revision conference is that of the metal lath industry which last year

reduced its sizes and varieties from 125 to 24.

The paper industry, which last year decided to concentrate on eight

basic sizes, is to plan for a further survey which will consider the adherence to the Simplified Practice Recommendation now in effect and will

consider further problems.

Still others which aro surveying their respective fields to determine

bases for revision conferences are: Asphalt, files and rasps, range boilers, milk bottles and caps, bod blankets, and hollow building tile.
' ’ ' ’ . b \ ; ' . . . ,
* f V

The .Division of Simplified Practice has received from the Government

Printing Office a number of Simplified Practice Rccommundations which embody

the action of the manufacturers, distributors and users of:

Structural Slate

Blackboard Slate

Builders Hardware

Steel Barrels and Drums

Hospital Beds

Copies of these may be bought from the Super intendent of Documents.

The Government Printing Office is also soon to issue the Simplified

Practice Recommendation on:

Plow Bolts

Hot Vs at or Storage Tanks

Steel Reinforcing Bars

Loaded Shells

Concrete Building Units

Cafeteria and Lunch Room Chinaware

if. if if. if

Considerable interest was shown in recent conferences on the

simplification of commercial forms, invoice, purchase order and inquiry

forms. Many firms which have been asked to give their formal acceptance

of this simplification are still to be heard from, but every mail brings

in more of those acceptances.

The simplification of warehouse forms from hundreds of variations to

one uniform sot, which was adopted in general conference a few months ago,

has been issued from the Government Printing Office. Five thousand copies

of this recommendation arc being mailed out now for final acceptance.

When a sufficient proportion of acceptances have boon received from each

group concerned in those simplifications, the Division of Simplified Practice will issue the results as Simplified Practice Recommendations, in the

"Elimination of Waste" scries.