MONTHLY NEWS BULLETIN

of the

DIVISION OEvSIMPLIJTED PRACTICE

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Washington

June 15, 1926 No. 15

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSUMERS

By Ray M* Hudson, Chief, Division of Simplified Practice.

Several publications of late have devoted editorial space to discussions

| which have an important bearing on the Simplified Practice Movement, and the

; responsibility of the consumer.

One, that of a banking institution, says in part: ” Any practice, custom or method of consumption that tends to substitute the temporary for the durable is

wasteful and extravagant. * * In other days houses were furnished to meet the need

of succeeding generations as well as those of the generations then living. Today

the furnishings and decorations of our houses are changed almost with the season.

These habits and customs are wasteful of materials, time and money. Tney are

vastly more detrimental to progress than many of the other forms of extravagance

to which our attention is frequently called, * * They either rob us of the leisure

we might otherwise have, or deprive us of opportunities for devoting our time and

endeavors in the direction of adding new and useful products to the list of those

| we now enjoy.”

As if corroborating this comment, a leading hardware journal says: n * * All of the blame for the almost endless variety of everything cannot be placed on

the retailer or manufacturer , * * It has largely been the wishes rather than the

; needs of the consumer that have helloed boost costs * * ”

However, there is an important effort being made through educational and

other activities to check these wastes, another bank publication notes; and one

| result is that the American consumer is now striving to satisfy his desires for

the artistic as well as the useful. This journal notes that "Concerted action by

trade groups is developing to remedy waste, piracy and overproduction of certain

styles. * * The movement sponsored by the Department of Commerce for Simplified

Practice or the elimination of unnecessary types and patterns does no^/'encroach

on the art industries. Economies derived from reducing the varieties of nails,

shovels and milk bottles will help American industry to balance the cost of

design experiment in other lines.”

The fact that to date nearly 300 consumer organizations have accepted

Simplified Practice recommendations and that the adherence to 11 such recommenda-*

tions in 1925 ranged from S4 to 99$

an average of 82%— shows that the American

consumer is awakening to the advantages accruing to him.

The educational influence of such groups as the National Association of Purchasing Agents, American Hospital Association, American Railway Association, with

their thousands of members, is one which will leave its impact as the unorganized

consumer recognizes the advantages his organized brother reaps through waste

elimination.

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Elimination of 7^2 seldor:>uoed sizes of valves and fittings and 13 sizes

of wrought iron and wrought steel pipe and pipe fittings was adopted on May 23

at a. conference of makers, distributors and users of this commodity, hew

production will become effective on September 1, and existing stocks will be

reduced to the recommended sizes by January 1, 1927, the conference voted.

********

Uniformity in size of "dealer helps", selling suggestions and advertising

helps supplied by manufacturers, wholesalers and others, is urged by a reader of

the "Hardware Retailer5'. ^ ^ ^ Ox shoes forming part of an obsolete stock of one southwestern hardware

dealer have been turned to sale as souvenirs of a past era, in transportation.

* * * * * * * * Sears, Roebuck & Co., and 53 other individual concerns as well as ten trade

associations have accepted Simplified Practice Recommendations for tin and

galvanized household ware, ********

The California State, County and Municipal Purchasing Agents Association

are holding their 9 th convention at Los Angeles, and their program includes a study of Simplified Practice and waste elimination on behalf of the taxpayers.

****** **

"ITow the purchasing account on the larger systems is being reduced by

amounts running into six figures by more care in inspection and holding for

repairs quantities of material formerly sold for what a scrap dealer chose to

cid" , says a report on Waste reclamation by the Santa Pe Railroad system which

shows savings for 1925, through reclaimed and repaired articles, of $322, 53^’

Manufacturers of plumbing goods, meeting

********

_ with the Division of Simplified

Practice on June 9 th, were unanimously in favor of reducing the number of trap

screw ferrules used in plumbing fittings, and indicated that the rational Trade

extension Bureau might well accept sponsorship for such a program. The Bureau

lias been asked to do this in the interest of savirgs of time and expense to maker:

master plumbers and home owner.

if •%. ^ .'t: Jjc ^ Another evidence of international interest in Simplified Practice comes in a request from the Banco de la Nacion, Buenos Aires, Argentina, for informationregarding methods employed and results obtained by the "waste elimination campaign"

Dr, Alejandro E. Bunge, economic adviser of this great banking institution, has

lectured in a number of colleges in the United States.

********

Accepting Simplified Practice Recommendations on steel reinforcing bars and

steel spiral rods, the Alamo Iron Works, of San Antonio, Texas, one of the

southernmost supporters of Simplified Practice says of the former; "It is

evident that the Simplified Practice as applied to this commodity has been of

great assistance to all interests and has lowered costs." Of the latter it says:

"It is our opinion that the schedule adopted is in every way adequate for all

ouildings, and as a result of the Simplified Practice costs will be materially

lowered. " ********

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A recent joint convention of the Southern Supply and Machinery Dealers

association and the American Supply & Manufacturers Association in St* Louis

recently adopted as two of nine recommendations to the distributors. "Get back

of the Simplification Movement 11 and 11 Aim for Six Turnovers a Year . " The former

will help achieve the latter*

* * * * * * * * In an exchange in is noted that the Pratt & Whitney Company are today using

only nine classes of steel where five years ago this company used 24 types of

steel. ********

Cooperation' in securing proper methods of cost accounting is being considered

by 60 jobbing iron foundries in Los Angeles. Simplification of business documents and methods is gaining ground daily, as is shown by the adoption of the

National Standard Invoice Dorm in eight plants of Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc.

The Lynchburg foremen's Club, 'with 91 members from 29 different plants, has

now created an "associate membership" admitting executives whose entrance fees

are being used to secure expert speakers on industrial and managerial subjects.

This club is studying simplification. ****** * * Simplified Practice Recommendations as applied to bank checks and similar

instruments has received sufficient formal acceptances to permit its being issued

in the Elimination of Waste Series.

The practicability of Simplified Practice Recommended ions for brass lavatory

traps was tested by a committee of seven experts on behalf of the City of St*

Louis, whose code formerly required "crown vents" which were eliminated by the

Recommendations. Proving that the elimination was well founded, the committee's

report brought a revisal of the plumbing code. The report said: "We believe

that these simplified methods will result incheaper plumbing installations to the

individual, but that the men who sell the material and perform the labor will

find the total volume of business so increased as to more than repay them on the

individual job," ********

The National Standard Invoice form is being used by 370 Railway supply houses.

********

Use of Short length lumber in farm buildings is bei

Purdue University department of agricultural engineering

lumbermen. ********

ng studied jointly by the

and a committee of

The standing committee of the asphalt industry meeting on June 8, reaffirmed

the Simplified Practice Recommendations which reduced the number of varieties from

88 to 9. »'* s'/ .U -A* Fifteen companies, including the Standard Oil Company of California, have

been added to users of the National Standard Invoice Form, according to H. L.

Kimball, chairman of the standardization committee of the Purchasing Agents Assn.

of Northern California. ******

The Bureau of Standards has issued, as Miscellaneous Publication No. 73*

"Subject Index of Government Master Specifications " formulated by the Federal

Specification Board. The "Chicago Purchaser" is sending this information to

5,000 purchasing agents. ******
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R, W, Sparks, deputy manager of Policyholders Service Bureau, of the

Metropolitan life Insurance Company has "been named as the official representative of the American Management Association for Management Week in place of

Col. J » P. Jackson of the Pew York Edison Company.

* * * * * * * Two delegations of Britons from widely separated walks of life have recently made studies of American industry. One group included eight British workmen

from engineering and mechanical trades, sent here by the London Daily Mail. The

other included two Cambridge students. Among the conclusions noted by the first

group, after traveling 5,000 miles and visiting many industrial centers, were:

n A prompt acceptance by managers and men of time-saving and labor-conserving

machinery; a continual search for new ways to cut costs; and an active spirit

of teamwork. n The latter group found the same state of affairs with the additional comment that: America, sticks to the principle of small profits aid

quick returns, and wealth is made by fine marging of profit on immense and rapid

turnover; Rapid turnover is secured by simplification and cheapening of processe

•which necessitates less capital for a given output; n and further that n Americans

are vigilant and acute in eliminating waste and in conserving time energy and

space. n These viewpoints coincide with the report of a commission—previously

mentioned—of the Federated British Industries as to the reasons for American

prosperity,

* * >f * >1= -r The International Electrotechnical Committee is working toward the development of standard nomenclature for electrical apparatus , and for a technical

language for world use, the American Engineering Standards Committee reports.

Jfi * aj< 4: Jj: jfc The California Manufacturers Association has received a wide number of

replies from its membership interested in the more profitable use of waste

material. Such material from one factory is often desirable raw material

for another industry, and the Association is seeking to bring the two groups

into closer contact,

# * >;< Simplified Practice Recommendations ITo - 44, on Box Board Thicknesses; Ho,

47 on Cut Tacks and Small Cut Hails, and Ho. 49 on Sidewalk, Floor and Roof

nights, have been issued by the Government Printing Office this Month,

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