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FEB 1 1 1932

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COMMERCIAL

STANDARDS

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JUL

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MONTHLY^

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v A Review of Progress in f

Commercial Standardization and Simplification

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ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS OF THE

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A.

Vol. 7, No. 1 JULY, 1930

For sale by the Superintendent ot Documents, Washington, D. C. See page 3 ot cover ior prices
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

R. P. Lamont, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

George K. Burgess, Director

COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY

S. F. Tillman, Editor

DIVISIONS OF THE COMMERCIAL STANDARDIZATION GROUP

DIVISION OF SIMPLIFIED PRACTICE, Edwin W. Ely.

The division of simplified practice was formed in November,

1921, 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 con- cerned. 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.

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 dftr the

quality of building construction .promotes •Wie** pjaejtiWl ap-\

plication of the latest developmenf.iit design* And "use o’Pbuiltf-. ing materials. This division was also formed in.*1^2l. In furthering home ownership, an effort is made to' develop an enlarged, steadier, more intelligent,.*aj)d

<moii& diebj'itnjDatj'ug*

demand for soundly built dwelling^* ttig l&tg£s*t Usis^lcJ •ctass.of I buildings which the construction industries provide. The

division also cooperates with many butsiaeSs* a»d g?<5fgs3£ic{nal; groups in efforts to distribute buildinglacfij'j.ty tPW^tev&ilvI

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.

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 standardization group. The cooperation with

governmental agencies and other consumers includes the bringing of Federal specifications and commercial standards to the

attention of the maximum number of producers and the maximum number of users of commodities complying with these

specifications and standards, thereby assisting in broadening

the field of supply. The cooperation with producers involves the compilation and distribution of lists of manufacturers who

have expressed their willingness to certify to purchasers, upon

request, that material supplied by them on contracts based on

certain Federal specifications or commercial standards comply

with the requirements thereof. The cooperation with distributors involves bringing to their attention the benefits to be

derived by them as both buyers and sellers from handling

nationally specified, certified, and labeled commodities. The

division prepares the directories of governmental and nongovernmental testing laboratories; the Directory of Specifications;

and is working on an encyclopedia of specifications, the first volume of which, Standards and Specifications in the WoodUsing Industries, has been issued. It also aids in preparing the Standards Yearbook.

DIVISION OF TRADE STANDARDS, I. J. Fairchild.

.The commercial standards unit, now known as division of •G*ade standards, ivas created on October 1, 1927, for the purpose

of aiding those industrial and commercial 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 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.

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 7 WASHINGTON, D. C., JULY, 1930 Number 1

CONTENTS

FEATURE ARTICLES

Page

Accidents in the home ; 16 Cooperation in reducing industrial accidents 17 Discrimination in purchasing 18 Gasoline and steam engines improved through research. 8 National weights and measures conference 9 Reducing accidents among automobile drivers 11 Some random suggestions on the purchase of paints 3 Standard specifications for road equipment 24 Standardizing Army equipment 14 Standardization—should it be feared or fostered? 20 Standards of service in the electrical industry 22 Testing typewriter ribbons 26 Uniformity of traffic laws urged 28 Value of distribution census to manufacturers 30

SIMPLIFIED PRACTICE ITEMS

Industry to study stock sizes for polished cotton twine. _ 21 STANDARDIZATION ITEMS

Current activities of the American Standards Association. 31 Maximum spans for joists and rafters 29 Revision of Federal specifications 7 Standardization briefs 27

TRADE STANDARD ITEMS

Page

American National special screw threads 25

Feldspar standard adopted by industry 17 Hickory golf shafts . 16 Plug and ring gage blanks 32 Red cedar closet lining 29 RESEARCH ITEMS

Composite beams and slabs of hollow tile and concrete

tests 19 New standard of light first suggested by Waidner and

Burgess 30 Performance characteristics of 2-blade propeller fans.. 23 Platinum plating for analytical weights. _• 32 Research on purified wood fibers 21

Specification for roofing slate 15

FOREIGN ITEMS

British specification for Vandyke brown 10 British standard covers aluminum conductors 7

AN 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

expeits but in growing numbers many of our people visit the bureau ' from ' a-' public-spirited desire to acquaint themselves with its research work. All visitors, front the- newspapermen, who have called the

bureau a "house of wonders,” to the specialists, who use its services., are, wplcopie, for it is their bureau

in a very real sense. They are the owners of the business, apd’ it’s, bfeneftcihries.., The annual per capita

cost of 2 cents which the average citizen pays toward ithd 'opdifaltioh 'of : 'the “bureau yields returns sometimes a hundredfold or a thousandfold. How science turns, wastes -.in to profits, increases the useful life of materials, adds new efficiencies to industry, advances: newiarts^ 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.

A cordial invitation is extended to all citizens interested in scientific progress to visit the laboratories

of the Bureau of Standards when in Washington. A personally conducted 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 asking. 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 Iv. Burgess, Director.

119903—30 1 1
SAFETY STANDARDS

on the HIGHWAY

%.RAFFIC ACCIDENTS in the United States have steadily increased

year by year. In 1930 there were about 31,000 fatalities due to accidents in

which motor vehicles were involved, or about 85 for each day in the year.

What can be done to improve this situation? To answer this question

the Secretary of Commerce convened the Third National Conference on

Street and Highway Safety, which is the subjedt of an article by Col. A. B. Barber in this issue of the Commercial Standards Monthly. The conference found this answer. Poor driving is undoubtedly responsible for a

large number of accidents, and this element can probably be improved by

a general requirement for the licensing of operators based upon the ability

of the operator to demonstrate his fitness. This should be supplemented by

prompt and systematic revocation of the licenses of those operators who

have demonstrated their unfitness to drive.

But even for a good driver to avoid accidents it is desirable that he

should be informed of conditions which he is approaching which might

involve him in an accident. With the large amount of interurban and interstate traffic of the present day, this necessitates the intelligent use of signs

and signals, which, to have the greatest usefulness, should be uniform in

their character and uniformly applied. Furthermore, driving practices should

be the same all oVef/Jhe fccruntr.y, and this indicates the need for uniform

regulations .\ ••*•••* ’ . h

* *’ ’ * :

• A•* / : The conference. mac]e but few changes in the text of the uniform aefts, which wdfe ‘ deyelop‘ecq by; pAyiqusl ‘national conferences, but these documents have beep p.erfedted in the light of wide experience in many parts of

the country. There ds^nbw>ajn; insistent demand for the widespread application of the “uniform State aAs,

M

*the “model municipal ordinance,” and the

Standards for signs, signals, and pavement markings, especially as to those

items which immediately affedt the control of traffic on the public highways.

Nearly all of the State legislatures will meet in 1931, and that year should

be outstanding for the Standardisation of traffic regulations.

O
JULY, 19301 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 3

SOME RANDOM SUGGESTIONS ON THE PURCHASE OF PAINTS

When and How Buyers Can Profitably Make Use of Approved Requirements

By Percy H. Walker, Chief, Paints and Varnish Section, National Bureau of Standards

The purchase of any kind of engineering material

under definite specifications is a very modern development. So far as can be learned, the first serious effort along this line in America was made by Dr. C. B.

Dudley, of the Pennsylvania Railroad System, and he

entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railway System in November, 1875. That Dudley was the first man in America to attempt methods of test and specifications for other engineering materials may be open

to question, but there is little doubt that he was the

first one to seriously consider paint and paint materials. His first publications on this subject appeared

about 1890; therefore, we may say that the whole

development has taken place in the last 40 years. Other large users, notably other railroads and the

United States Navy, followed his lead, and ever since

the latter part of the nineteenth century individual

specifications for a variety of paint materials have

been in use. There was, however, no pooling of interests by either producers or consumers, and anyone

looking for a specification for any particular material

would find such a wide difference in the requirements

and in the methods of test that he would have great

difficulty in deciding which specification to adopt and

how to learn whether material delivered was in accord- ance with the specification.

In 1898 the American Section of the International

Association for Testing Materials was organized,

which in 1902 developed into the American Society for

Testing Materials. The charter of this society states that it “ is formed for the promotion of knowledge of

the materials of engineering, and the standardization

of specifications and the methods of test.” The work

of the A. S. T. M. is carried on by standing committees

composed of producers, consumers, and representatives

of general interest in the subjects handled by the particular committee. One of the oldest of such committees, first designated as Committee E, and later as Committee D-l, is concerned with paint and paint materials. From the time of its organization this committee has done invaluable service in developing and

standardizing methods of test, thus laying an important part of the foundation of purchase specifications

for paint and paint materials. Prior to the World

War, however, it did not issue any specification cover- ing the quality of a paint material.

War interest in purchasing.

When the United States entered the World War,

the Government needed immense quantities of paint

and paint materials, and it had no standard specifications, the specifications for a given material intended

for the same use being different in the various branches

of the service. The paint committee of the War Industries Board realized the necessity of standardizing

the Government specifications, and this committee was making such satisfactory progress when the war ended

that it requested the Secretary of Commerce to con- tinue this Avork.

As a result of a request from this committee, which

represented the American paint industry, there was

organized in February, 1919, an interdepartmental

committee on paint specifications standardization

which, in cooperation Avith manufacturers, prepared a number of specifications which were recommended for use by all Government agencies. These specifications

Avere recommended. The interdepartmental committee had no authority, and did not seek authority, to force the adoption of its specifications by any branch

of the service. HoAvever, I believe they Avere generally

used by the various Government agencies.

In October, 1921, the Bureau of the Budget organized the Federal Specifications Board “to compile and

adopt standard specifications for materials and services and to bring the Government specifications into

harmony with the best commercial practice wherever

conditions permitted, bearing in mind the desirability

of broadening the field of supply.” The old interdepartmental committee on paint specification standardization was appointed by the Federal Specifications

Board as its technical committee on paints and oil, and its recommended specifications were promulgated

by the board as standard specifications to be used by

the various branches of the sendee.

Method of procedure.

Since this was the first attempt of a A^ery large

group of consumers to prepare specifications for paint

and paint materials with extensive cooperation with

the manufacturers, it may be of interest to reAdew the

method followed. The use of specifications must in- volve sampling and testing of deliveries, and since

there may be misunderstanding as to hoAv a specific

material should be tested it was decided to incorporate

in each specification, in addition to the description of

the material wanted, detailed directions for sampling

and' testing. : Tn lotheu words, we aimed to have the

technical requirements' so explicit as to eliminate anj7 possibility Ofvdispute.

A proposed draft of the, specification, giving methods of sampling and testing, was prepared by the committee and .submitted 'to ‘all interested manufacturers

with a request fpi; constructive criticism and suggestions has ' to 'improvements. All such comments were

thdn 'carefully ‘considered, and the specification re- written if the comments showed that rewriting would

improve it. It was then submitted to the various departments for final criticism and possible correction

before adoption. The specification Avas finally adopted

by the board on recommendation from the technical

committee after considering all comments.

Specification needed to cover requirements.

It was made perfectly plain to Committee D-l of

the A. S. T. M. that the Government had no desire to have any exclusive authorship of paint specifications,

but wished to adopt any existing specifications that

would meet its needs. I f the A. S. T. M. had prepared

such specifications Ave Avould certainly haA-e adopted
4 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930

them. Many of the men most interested in the Government specifications are also members of Committee

D-l, and this committee has in the last few years

adopted a number of the F. S. B. specifications; it has

formulated others which will undoubtedly be adopted

by the Federal Specifications Board. In fact, except

for delay due to a change in form and method of publication bjr the F. S. B., most of the A. S. T. M. specifications would now be also F. S. B. specifications.

The cordial cooperation of the A. S. T. M. committee and the Federal committee makes it almost

certain that neither committee will adopt any specification that is radically different from a specification

for the same kind of material adopted by the other

committee. This does not mean that each committee will necessarily adopt all of the specifications

adopted by the other.

Looking over the titles and numbers of the A. S. T. M. standard and tentative specifications, we find

25 covei'ing materials for structural painting, and 1 more will probably be adopted in June. A corre- sponding survey of the F. S. B. list shows 29 adopted

specifications, and 7 more will be adopted in the near

future. In Table 1 there is given a summary showing that, eliminating duplications, there are 41 available specifications that can be relied upon as having

been carefully prepared and representing the best

judgment, at the time of preparation, of the committees preparing them. The explanation may serve

to indicate some important things in the specification

that a user must bear in mind. This table is merely

a rough guide. It can not be taken as a substitute

for reading and understanding each specification that

is to be used.

Two methods of procuring paints.

Attention is called to the fact that there are two

methods of procuring paint ready for use. The older

method is to mix the paint for each job; that is, the

painter secures certain raw or partially prepared materials and mixes them to make the desired paint.

The other method is to buy the paint ready for application. It will be noted that the A. S. T. M. specifications cover a wide variety of materials .for. rpj^dng on

the job, but no mixed paints. .‘-.The F.j J3.; j>..‘ spe'cjfi-. cations include both raw materials rtfix'ecl paints*. , Anyone using a specification either ‘ijifefctly or in*-. • directly should attentively read the specification and

then decide just how he will* fhjdtp; u^e. ojt it, « .Tablfiil/

with the explanation, indieat&s what* fhnst ;b<i feaynpck,'

from the specification before . in.tej]ig£nt .use

. can be

made of it. For example, refelitingj t0 iteul ‘il;vfe find

that the specification covers two varieties* of walw dinseecl oil. On reading the specification it will be seen that one has a minimum iodine number of 177 and the

other 188. The buyer should decide which he wants,

and if he buys under the specification should select the variety he desires and so state in his invitation

for bids. He then needs nothing else except to assure himself that the delivery meets the specification. He

not only needs no precontract sample, but it is unwise

to accept such a sample.

A similar reference to item 8 and the corresponding

specification will show that the white lead may be

procured either as dry pigment or paste, and the buyer

must state which he wants. He will also find that

when color or color strength are specified the delivery must be equal in these respects to a sample mutually agreed upon by buyer and seller. Since different

lots of white lead do not vary greatly in these respects,

it is not generally necessary to agree upon a sample.

If, however, the material is to be used for making

some delicate tints, it may be necessary to agree upon

a sample with which to compare deliveries for color

and color strength only.

Variety in chrome yellow.

Referring to item 15 and the corresponding specification, we find that chrome yellow can be furnished

either as dry pigment, paste in oil, or paste in japan.

The buyer must state which form he wants. He will

also find that a great variety of colors can properly be

called chrome yellow. The selection of the one desired is entirely a matter of taste. There is no practical method of getting the color desired, except that

of having it match in color, character of tint, and

tinting strength a sample mutually agreed upon.

Referring to items 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 39 it will

be seen that these paints are obtainable as semipaste

and as ready-mixed paint. In my opinion the semipaste is the preferred form. My reasons for this are

(1) that there is generally less labor involved in mixing a semipaste with the necessary oil, drier, and thin- ner than in properly mixing the more or less settled pigment in a container of ready-mixed paint with the

liquid floating on top, (2) there seems to be a universal tendency for every painter to add something to any paint given to him, and the semipaste, having the

desired color and containing considerable oil, can be

properly diluted and is generally less likely to be

ruined by improper dilution than is a ready-mixed

paint. In other words, the semipaste seems to be the

most nearly foolproof.

While I believe that the list of 41 items in Table 1

is the best available list of specifications, I do not

consider all of them the best that can be prepared.

For example, attention is invited to item 29, which

refers to U. S. Government Master Specification for

White Paint and Tinted Paints Made on a White Base,

Semipaste and Ready-Mixed, B. S. Circular No. 89. When the committee adopted this specification we ' thought we had a good title and a good specification

that would insure a wide source of supply, but the

subsequent appearance of excellent white paints coni' taining more than 15 per cent of titanium pigments

l* has shown that the term “ white base ” instead of

“ lead-zinc ” in the title was a mistake. Of greater

importance, however, is the joker in the pigment

specification. This specification states that the pigment shall be composed of—

Maxi- mum

Mini- mum

White lead (basic carbonate, basic sulphate, or a mixture thereof)- Per cent 7055

15

Per cent

4530

0 White mineral pigments, containing no lead or zinc compounds,

A careful reading of this pigment specification

shows that a great variety of mixtures equally fill the

requirement. If the reader will compare the formulas
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 5

of most of the high-grade lead-zinc paints on the market, he will find that almost all of them fall within

the limits of the specification. One who does not consider the cost of the components will come to the erroneous conclusion that they can be bought in competition under the specification. Experience in Federal purchases has clearly shown that this is not the

case. Any manufacturer has a right to assume that any

composition falling within the limits of the specification is acceptable, and he will naturally furnish the one that will cost him the least. The most expensive

component of this pigment is white lead, and the least expensive is the white mineral pigments containing no lead or zinc compounds. The bidder will, therefore,

figure on a pigment containing 15 per cent of an ex- tender, such as asbestine, the equivalent of 45 per cent of white lead, and the remainder (40 per cent) of zinc

oxide.

This is approximately what will always be delivered,

and it does not give as good a paint as one containing more lead and less extender and zinc. The Government committee is now considering a revision of this

specification. The revision may prescribe several

grades, each with definite minimum limits of lead and

a maximum limit of extenders, the remainder in all cases to be zinc oxide. From the way the present specification is written and made obligatory for Government purchases, such revision is necessary for Government use before the specification can be considered sat- isfactory. For users who are privileged to make

modifications of the present specification it is recom- mended raising the minimum of white lead to 60 per

cent. If no other changes are made in the specification, except increasing the minimum white-lead content, a minimum limit of 60 per cent white lead will

give a pigment containing 10 per cent extender, 30

per cent zinc oxide, and 60 per cent white lead. A

minimum of TO per cent white lead will give a pigment

of 70 per cent white lead and 30 per cent of zinc

oxide.

It will be noted that in the other specifications that cover ready-mixed paint (items 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 38,

39, and 40) there is no ambiguity as to the meaning

of the pigment composition ; that is, in each case

definite maximum or minimum limits are prescribed.

Advantages of specifications.

How can a purchasing agent make advantageous use of specifications? No single answer can be given to such a question ; but first let’s point out what are believed to be the advantages and the disadvantages of

purchasing under specifications and then see what use

a purchasing officer with power to use his best .judgment can make of specifications. Briefly, the advantages of a properly drawn specification is that it clearly

states just what the minimum requirements are for the

material in question, so that all bidders can bid on the same quality and kind of material. It furnishes the

buyer directions for testing, so that any man with adequate knowledge and equipment can learn from the

examination of the delivered material whether it does

or does not meet the requirements.

The disadvantages of a specification are that it does

not make any distinction between material just passing

and material of distinctly higher quality, and that it places the responsibility of finding out that the material does or does not comply, on the purchaser. If material is in compliance with the specification and is nevertheless not satisfactory, the buyer and not the

seller must stand the loss. Inspection and testing cost money, and the cost of such inspection and testing

should properly be added to the purchase price in comparing cost of material bought strictly under specification with similar material bought on the reputation of

the seller without tests. Considering the use a purchasing agent can make of specifications, let us assume

three cases. We Avill assume that the buyer has or can get the

service of competent inspectors and testing laboratories

and that he frequently buys large lots of the same kind

of material, each item in every order amounting to several hundred dollars. It will pay this buyer to use

a specification and buy from the lowest responsible

bidder. He should see that the inspector reads and

understands the specification and that at the time of

inspecting he makes the simple tests that are as important as the more complicated laboratory tests. If

the inspector convinces himself that the material does

not comply with these easily determined requirements,

he should reject the material without incurring the

expense of laboratory tests. In other words, no

samples should be sent to the laboratory for test ex- cept such as have passed all tests that the inspector can make at the time of drawing the sample.

The inspector should be required to assume the

responsibility of intelligent inspection and should not

be permitted to transmit obviously unsatisfactory

material to the laboratory. When, and only when, the

inspector thinks the material is satisfactory should he

send a sample for the more expensive laboratory tests. No delivery should be accepted until a properly taken

sample has been tested and found to comply with the

specification.

We will assume that the buyer occasionally needs

small amounts of paint material, no single order in- volving any great cost. Under these circumstances,

if possible, let the man who will use the material consult a reliable dealer and buy what the user and the

dealer recommend as probably satisfactory. It is hard

to think of a more foolish procedure than the strict use of specifications for such small purchases.

Buying at frequent intervals.

We will assume that the bi^er must purchase moderately large lots at rather frequent intervals for use by different branches of his organization, but not

enough to regularly employ inspectors and testing

laboratories. He has recommended to him a number

of different manufacturers’ products at varying prices,

the salesman of each claiming that his material is better than the others. The buyer can then select a

specification and in any available manner ascertain

which of the materials offered meet the specification.

He can eliminate from consideration the products that

do not comply with the selected specification and select from the remaining the products made by manufacturers known to be entirely trustworthy. In this way

he can get reasonable competition, as well as force

salesmen to discuss facts rather than extravagant

claims.
6 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 The user of any extensively advertised product pays

for a good deal of printer’s ink. It is the consumer who

pays for all sales cost, including full-page advertisements in the popular magazines. The man who buys

strictly according to specifications will often be told

by salesmen that the material he is getting can not be made at the price paid. This statement is sometimes true, a contractor may lose on a contract or he

may be dishonest and expect to “ beat ” the specification, but in many cases the rival salesman does not

know what he is talking about, because he adds the

cost of selling the name to the cost of the material

without considering that the man buying under a specification is buying material and not a name. While it will take technical knowledge to accurately

compute the cost of any given paint or varnish material, there are three raw materials which may be safely

used as rough indications of what should be maximum

prices. These are white lead, red lead, and linseed oil. No oil varnish, or thinning liquid, will cost the manufacturer any more than linseed oil—such products can

generally be made for considerably less than the cost of linseed oil. The most costly house paint is a straight white-lead paint. Such a paint will weigh

about 19y3 pounds to a gallon and will contain about

TO per cent of pigment. Hence, the cost of a gallon of

house paint should never be more than, and should

generally be considerably less than the cost of 13y2 pounds of white lead + 5% pounds (% gallon) of lin- seed oil. Red-lead linseed-oil paint is the most costly paint

used on steel. An ordinary recommended red-lead

paint will have in a gallon 2*0 pounds of red lead and

5 % pounds (% gallon) of linseed oil. Most other

paints for steel will cost considerably less than house

paints.

To sum up, it is believed that no purchasing agent can better prepare himself for intelligent buying of

paint than by a careful study of the specifications

listed in Table 1. They will help the man who intelli- gently uses them, but they are not a substitute for

common sense. If one wishes to keep their paint and

painting costs down when buying under specifications or in any other way, use dark-colored paints whenever

possible. Do not forget that white and light-tinted

paints are not only the most expensive decorative struc- tural paints, but are at the same time the least durable.

Any white paint can be made distinctly more durable

by tinting it. On all surfaces except iron and steel, paint is used

mainly for decoration, and the cost of keeping a struc- ture painted will vary with the individual ideas as to what the decoration should be, with the kind of sur- face to be painted, and the location of that surface.

The best paint for one surface may be worthless for

another. Durability of the paint as well as retention

of color and appearance is of great importance for

outside work, but retention of color and appearance

are the important considerations for an interior paint,

because when properly applied on a surface that re- mains in good condition a paint that will last for only

a few months outdoors will last for years in a room

where no direct sunlight reaches it. On the other hand, an oil-gloss white paint that

will last well and remain white outdoors will turn

yellow indoors. A mixture of pure water and pigment is about the poorest paint that can be imagined

for application to exterior wood. Such a paint, if applied in a proper manner to freshly laid plaster, is the best paint that can be used on interior plaster.

Table 1.Available specifications

Item Material Varieties A. S. T. M. F. S. B Remarks

1 Raw linseed oil 2 D 234-28 Yes..

2 Boiled linseed oil ..... 2 D 260-28T _ _ Yes..

3 Petroleum spirits (mineral spir- i D 235-26T. _ Yes. ._ (a), (c).

its). 4 Turpentine, gum spirits, steam- 2 D 13-26 Yes... (a), (d). distilled wood.

5 Turpentine, destructively dis- 1 D 236-27 No.... (a), (d).

tilled wood.

6 Composite vehicle for thinning 1 No Yes... (a), (c). semipaste paint when the use

of straight linseed oil is not

justified. Liquid paint drier _ 2 No Yes...

8 Baiic carbonate white lead, dry. i D 81-24 Yes... (a), (d). Basie carbonate white lead, i D 81-24 Yes... (a), (d). paste in oil. Basic carbonate white lead, soft i No (') (a), (d). paste in oil. Basic sulphate white lead, dry__ i D 82-24 Y’es... (a), (d). Basic sulphate white lead, paste i D 82-24 Y'es... (a), (d). in oil. 10 2 D 79-24... Yes.. (a), (d) Zinc oxide, paste in oil 2 D 79-24 Yes... (aj, (dj.

11 2 1) 80-24 Yes (a), (d). Leaded zinc oxide, paste in oil.. 2 D 80-24 Yes... (a), (d). 12 ] D 85-27 Yes.. (a), (f).

1 D 85-27 Yes.. (a), (f).

1 D 85-27... No. _ (a), (f). 13 2 D 83-24 Yes

2 D 83-24 Yes... (a), (c). 14 Lithopone, dry. 1 D 208-26 No.... (a), (d). Lithopone, paste in oil 1 D 208-26 No.... (a), (d). 15 Chrome yellow, dry ... i D 211-27 Yes... (a), (f). Chrome vellow, paste in oil . . 1 D 211-27 Yes... (a), (f). Chrome yellow, paste in japan.. 1 I) 211-27 Yes... (a), (f). 16 Lampblack, dry 1 D 209-26 (>) (a), (f). Lampblack, paste in oil ... i D 209-26 0) (a), (f). Lampblack, paste in japan i D 209-26 (>) (a), (f). 17 Bone black, dry. 1 D 210-26 0) (a), (f). Bone black, paste in oil 1 D 210-26 (>) (a), (f). Bone black, paste in japan.. 1 D 210-26 (>) (a), (f). 18 Pure chrome green, dry . .. i D 212-27 () (a), (f). Pure chrome green, paste in oil. 1 D 212-27 () (a), (f). Pure chrome green, paste in D 212-27 (') (a), (f). japan.

19 Reduced chrome green, dry 1 D 213-27 No.... (a), (f) Reduced chrome green, paste i D 213-27 No (a), (f). in oil. Reduced chrome green, paste i D 213-27 No.... (a), (f). in japan.

20 Chrome oxide green, dry . . i D 263-28 (>) (a), (f). Chrome oxide green, paste in oil. 1 D 263-28 (') (a), (f). 21 Prussian blue, dry i •D 261-28 0) (a), (f). Prussian blue, paste in oil i D 261-28 0) (a), (f). Prussian blue, paste in japan i D 261-28 0) (a), (f). 22 Ultramarine blue, dry ... 1 D 262-28 (>) (a), (f). Ulti amarine blue, paste in oil... i D 262-28 () (a), (f). Ultramarine blue, paste in japan. i D 262-28 (>) (a), (f). 23 Aluminum powder for paints i D 266-28T... No.... (a), (d). (aluminum bronze powder),

dry.

24 Gold bronze powder, dry i D 267-28T... No.... (a), (e). 25 1 D 84-27 No....

1 D 84-27

26 Iron oxide and iron hydroxide i Yes... (a), (e), (g). paint, semipaste. Iron oxide and iron hydroxide i No.... Yes... (b), (e), (g). paint, ready-mixed.

27 1 No Yes... (a), (d).

1 No Yes (b)', (d). 28 1 No Yes (a),' (e).

1 No Yes... (b)', (e). 29 White paint and tinted paints i No Yes... (a), (e). made on a white base, semipaste. White paint and tinted paints i No.. Yes... (b), (e). made on a white base, ready- mixed.

30 I No Yes.. (a), (e). Olive drab paint, ready-mixed.. i No Yes... (b), (e). 31 Outside white titanium-zinc i No Yes... (a), (e). paint, semipaste. Outside white titanium-zinc i No Y es.._ (b), (e). paint, ready-mixed.

32 Shellac, orange, dry 4 D 237-29T... Yes..' (a), (d). 33 Shellac, bleached, dry 2 D 207-29T... No.... (a), (d). 34 12 No Yes.

(b), (d). 35 1 iVo Yes . - i (h); (cj. 36 1 No Y'es.. (b), (c). 37 1 Varnishj asphalt . 1 No... Yes.. -1 (b), (c).

1 In preparation.
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL, STANDARDS MONTHLY 7

Table 1 . —Available specifications—Continued

Item Material Varieties A. S. T. M. F. S. B. Remarks

38 Water-resisting red enamel 1 No Yes... (b), (c). 39 Interior lithopone paint, flat (a), (e). and eggshell, semipaste.

1 No Yes...

Interior lithopone paint, flat and eggshell, ready-mixed.

1 No Yes... (b), (e).

40 Gloss interior lithopone paint, ready-mixed.

1 No Yes... (b), (e).

41 Putty 2 0) Yes... (b), (d).

1 In preparation. EXPLANATION The numbers under the first column headed “Item ” are not identification marks

of either the A. S. T. M. or the F. S. B., but are identification numbers for this paper only. In the second column headed “Material,” the name of the material specified is given andi nformation as to any different physical conditions specified.

The third column headed “Varieties” gives the number of varieties having some

specific difference in requirements. See specifications for details. The fourth column headed “A. S. T. M.” gives the A. S. T. M. identification symbols. The word “no” in this column means that there is no A. S. T. M. specification. In the fifth column headed “F. S. B.” the word “yes” means that there is a Federal specification and the word “no” means that there is no Federal specifi- cation. “In preparation” means that a Federal specification will probably be adopted in the near future. No F. S. symbols are given because the marking and

publishing system is being revised. In the sixth column headed “Remarks”:

(a) Material that is not used alone, but one that is used when mixed with other

materials.

(b) Material ready for use.

(e) No samples necessary prior to contract or delivery.

(d) Samples not commonly necessary prior to contract or delivery, but sometimes desirable. See specifications for details.

(e) Advisable to have agreed upon sample for color and appearance only. Quality in other respects covered by rest of specification.

(f) A variety of colors and grades can be had under the specification, hence it is important to have agreed upon sample for color, etc., before making contract. See

specification.

(g) Mineral iron oxide, paste in oil of A. S. T. M. is the same as iron oxide and

hydroxide, semipaste of F. S. B. The A. S. T. M. specification covers the material

as a dry pigment but not as mixed paint, while the F. S. B. covers a mixed paint but no dry pigment. ,, a jU a _« _

REVISION OF FEDERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Eighty-five Specifications Proposed for Revision Submitted

for Comment and Criticism

Eighty-five revised specifications, proposed for the

National Government, are now before the departments

and others interested for comment and criticism. These

specifications, in accordance with the scheme used with

the Federal Standard Stock Catalogue, also bear the new designation. For copies of the proposed revisions or for further information pertaining to the specifications, address the Federal Specifications Board, care of the National Bureau of Standards, Washington,

D. C.

F. S. No.

23c

26

3641b 50b

Commodity New designation

Lamps, electric, incandescent, large, tungsten-filament, with 1931 supplement

Soap, toilet, floating, white

Fire-extinguishing liquid (carbon-tetrachloride base) Hose, pneumatic.

Hose, suction, water, smoothbore

W-L-101.

P-S-616. O-F-380. ZZ-H-491.

ZZ-H-561.

73

9596c

100 102

Oil, vegetable, salad Packing, asbestos, valve-stem

Packing, asbestos, sheet, compressed

Packing, fiber, for lubricating and fuel oil Packing, metallic, flexible...

JJJ- 0-361. HH-P-51.

HH-P-46.

HH-P-96.

HH-P-126.

103a

106 107a

162a

164

Packing, asbestos, rod, high-pressure Packing, metallic, plastic Packing, semimetallic

Pipe, welded-steel, black and galvanized. Ink, writing

HH-P-36.

HH-P-131.

HH-P-166. WW-P-431.

TT-I-563.

165 209

210 215b 233b

Ink, red Linoleum, battleship.. Linoleum, plain, inlaid, and printed. Aprons, rubber, surgeons

Sheeting, rubber

TT-I-549. LLL—L—351.

I. LL—L—361. ZZ-A-611.

ZZ-S-311.

236

250

271

271

271

Tubes, colon Quicklime, for structural purposes.

Potatoes, sweet

Potatoes, Irish Onions..

ZZ-T-751.

SS-Q-351. HHH-P-611. HHH-P-621. HHH-O-531.

288 315b

336 339a

345a

Cotton, absorbent

Sirup Hardware, builders’ template

General specifications for metals...

Textile materials, general specifications, method of physical and chemical tests.

JJJ-C-561.

JJJ-S-351. FF-H-101. QQ-M-151.

CCC-T-191,

353 354

355 358a

381a

Powder, insect, Pryethrum powder ... Sodium-floruoride, insecticide Sodium-cyanide, for use as an insecticide in fumigation. Desks, wood..

Milk, dry, powdered, skimmed, and whole

O-P-571.

O-S-601.

O-S-591. AA-D-201.

C-M-351.

381a

389

389

389

389

Oleomargarine EE-M-91.

Nuts, assorted and mixed.. Y-N-711.

Coconut, prepared Z-C-571. Hops HHH-H-491.

Soda, baking.. EE-S-571.

389 Yeast

396a Brushes, calcimine. EE-Y-131.H-B-141.

F. S. No. Commodity New designation

397a 399b

400a

Brushes, dust, ceiling and wall. Brushes, Fitch, flat Brushes, sweeping, floor, hair.H-B-191. H-B-241.

H-B-651.

401b

402a

403a 404b

405a

Brushes, glue, round

Brushes, glue, flat Brushes, lacquering, flat. Brushes, marking

Brushes, mottling

H-B-301.

H-B-291.

H-B-351.

H-B-371. H-B-391.

408a

411 412

420 477a

Furniture and cabinets, office, sectional, steel. Tableware, silver-plated Paste, library and office Wax, sealing Desks, steel... —

AA-F-791. RR-T-51. N-P-101. JJJ-W-151. AA-D-191.

485

538

539

541 543

Gaskets, metallic-encased Receptacles, waste-paper, fiber, office and lobby.

Erasers, steel Goggles, eyecup

Goggles, welders’

HH-O-101.

LLL-R-191.

GG-E-671. GGG-G-501.

GGG-G-541.

544

547

553 554a

618

Helmets, welders’ — — Shields, welders’, hand

Bases, metal, for plaster and stucco construction Mucilage... Lamps, electric, incandescent miniature, tungsten-filament, with proposed 1931 supplement.

GGG-H-191

GGG-S-311

QQ-B-101.

JJJ-M-791. W-L-lll.

Watchmen’s-report apparatus Mold wash, silica Facings, foundry, carbon-base Enamel, pigmented (air drying and baking) black. Boneblack

W-W-101.

SS-M-501.

SS-F-111. TT-E-521.

TT-B-601. Chrome green, oxide.. Lampblack

Ultramarine blue (dry, paste in oil, and paste in Japan)

Prussian blue (dry, paste in oil, and paste in Japan) Chrome green, pure (dry, paste in oil, and paste in Japan)..

TT-C-231. TT-L-71. TT-U-451.

TT-P-691. TT-C-236.

BRITISH STANDARD COVERS ALUMINUM

CONDUCTORS

A specification recently issued by the British Engineering Standards Association, and designated as No.

215-1930, refers to hard-drawn aluminum and steel- cored aluminum conductors for overhead power trans- mission purposes. The publication is a revision of

the 1925 edition of the specification, and differs from

its predecessor mainly in that the value of the resistiv- ity has been slightly altered in order to conform to the

value recently adopted by the International Electrotechnical Commission.

The tables given in the specification have been re- calculated in accordance with the new value of the

resistivity. Provision has also been made for certain

of the mechanical tests to be carried out both before

and after stranding. Slight modifications have also been made in the galvanizing test.
8 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 GASOLINE AND STEAM ENGINES IMPROVED THROUGH RESEARCH

Bureau of Standards Tests Fuels and Motors to Determine Most Efficient Equipment

By Henry D. Hubbard, National Bureau of Standards

Soap bubbles were used by the Bureau of Standards

in the experimental study of motor-gas explosions.

The bubble is a constant pressure bomb and may be

blown of the explosive mixture itself. On ignition its volume changes. The photographs of the expanding

bubbles showed most vividly that the explosion is a beautiful and orderly phenomenon.

In another research very lean mixtures of gases were

studied, too lean for an explosion to occur. Local combustion, however, was detected at low temperatures in a novel manner. The device was immersed in solid

carbon dioxide snow so that when the oxygen and hydrogen burned locally the water formed by the combustion promptly produced microscopic crystals of snow. In another research 31 clear quartz windows were

set in the wall of a motor cylinder to observe visually

how the flame advances from the point of ignition. In

a later research a study was made of the number of

molecules united as a result of each single spark. The

number of molecules uniting Avas readily measured by

the reduction in gas pressure after the spark. Here

the place Avhere ignition occurred was indicated by

ice formation, the device being cooled by liquid air. Available space is insufficient eA’en to name the great

number of researches of interest to the transport field. A probable cause of mysterious forced landings of

planes is found in the so-called vaporlock gas bubbles

in the feed line. A remedy recommended and applied

Avas to specify a minimum distillation temperature

which would eliminate gasolines too likely to boil in

the fuel-feed line. Studies of gasoline energy wasted

by rubber tires from poor design were reported to the

industry as a potential national saving touching seven

figures annually. The Bureau of Standards devised

methods and devices for measuring such power losses and of testing the useful life of tires. Economic value of research.

Of great economic significance, little known to the

public, were the tests showing that Ioav A'olatility fuels were practicable for motors. As a result many

millions of gallons annually Avere added to the potential supply of liquid motor fuel. Researches such as these lay sure bases for scientific advance in motor

design and operation.

With notable advances in steam engineering—the

use of higher pressures, for example—the need for accurate data on the properties of steam became acute. The Bureau of Standards Avas asked to join in developing experimentally the numerical magnitudes of the

thermal properties of steam as a basis for the refer- ence tables to be used in research and steam engineering. This exacting research is completed and the

results available for the public. The bureau’s classic

determinations of the properties of refrigeration

aided greatly in bringing the era of refrigeration

Avliich Ave are entering. Similar accurate numerical

data will make possible the development of the possibilities of steam, still the most widely used primary

source of motive power for railways and shipping.

Numbers rule the world, and the measured data

stated in numbers Avith high accuracy are the warp

and Aveft of efficiency in the field of transport. The

possibilities of the motor have no natural limit. To

perfect it, howeAT er, the scientific bases must be established in the research laboratory with requisite

accuracy.

The giant scales on which the great cargoes by land

and sea are weighed, and upon which Aveighings the

collection of $6,000,000,000 in freight charges is based,

present an interesting problem in nation-wide standardization. In this enterprise, the Bureau of Standards sends it standard test car with 50 tons of standardized weights on a pilgrimage of standardization

to test and certify the accuracy of the great track

scales of commerce. Improvement in scales.

Slow but notable has been the steady improvement

in the accuracy of these scales, and concurrently

charges are more just and dependable, to the mutual

gratification of shipper and carrier. The bureau

maintains near Chicago (at Clearing, 111.) a master

track scale depot, headquarters of the field work of

testing track scales. Here 726 track scale test cars were adjusted to standard Aveight value in a single

year. For the operation and guidance of all types of trans- port facilities, measuring instruments are replacing

the limited powers of the pilot or operator. On the

switchboard of aircraft is a battery of measuring in- struments, each giving some item essential to perfect

flight. The Bureau of Standards has standardized some 40 such aeronautic instruments, giving the pilot

measured data which his five senses, hoAvever keen and

alert, could neA-er detect. A recent deAdee designed at the bureau gives warning when there is danger of ice forming on the plane, a real hazard and most dangerous between 4° and 0° C. The rate-of-elimb meter Avas a notable contribution.

A neAv photographic sextant, devised to order for polar flight, records the sun’s position to within about

five minutes of arc. An outstanding achievement of

bureau experts, which won the Magellan medal to its inventors, is the earth inductor compass, more dependable under flight conditions than the magnetic

compass. This instrument proved its success in the

first airplane flight around the world, and industrial

designers have since used the same principle and procured improved models for commercial use.
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 9

NATIONAL WEIGHTS AND MEASURES CONFERENCE

Important Topics Affecting Measurements in Daily Trade Reviewed at the Twenty-third Annual

Conference

By R. W. Smith, National Bureau of Standards

The twenty-third annual meeting of the National

Conference on Weights and Measures convened at the

National Bureau of Standards of the Department of

Commerce in this city on June 3 and remained in

session four days, during which time many subjects

pertaining to the regulation of commercial weighing

and measuring devices were discussed, and codes of

specifications and tolerances affecting such devices were recommended and adopted for uniform promulgation by the States. Specifications agreed upon.

The most important actions of the conference

centered around the various codes of specifications and

tolerances for commercial weighing and measuring

apparatus. Two additions were made to the general

specifications for weighing scales : Suitable antifriction elements shall be provided at all necessary points,

and provision shall be made for adjusting the balance

condition of all scales. Minor changes were made in

the codes for liquid-measuring devices and lubricating-oil bottles. A complete code for odometers was

adopted in tentative form. An amendment to the

code for grease-measuring devices was adopted; the

effective date of the application of the code was postponed until January 1, 1931.

It is anticipated that the development of a code of

specifications for automatic-indicating scales will be

given consideration for several years. The conference

committee on specifications and tolerances was in- structed to consider the question of a subcode under

this general heading, to regulate the ubiquitous coinoperated person-weighing scales. Conference adopts resolutions.

By resolution, the conference condemned the use

of a new type of bottle used in dispensing lubricating

oil at filling stations, garages, etc. This action was

taken in the belief that the bottles are conducive to the perpetration of fraud, and the resolution further

urged that all bottles used for dispensing lubricating

oil be required to conform strictly to all requirements

of the code previously adopted by the conference. The

objectional type of bottle is tall and narrow, with the

pouring spout usually integral with the bottle and not provided with vent to facilitate drainage, and not

suitably marked.

The conference voted that a new calcium-chloride

treatment for anthracite coal—designed to reduce dust

when such coal is handled—is not objectionable from

a weights and measures standpoint, provided the treat- ment does not increase the weight per ton by more

than 30 pounds, and provided that such coal is repre- sented in advertising and billing as “chemically

treated ” coal. A resolution indorsing the standardization activities of the National Scale Men’s Association was also adopted, a report on large-capacity rail- road and industrial scales having previously been

made to the conference.

Important activities.

An important part of the national conference activities is the consideration of general problems, such as weights and measures administration, new or improved methods for carrying on supervisory work, the

results of special surveys or investigations, and reports

of developments, new legislation, etc The iirogram for the standardization of the cotton

bale and the sale of cotton by net weight was discussed

by Arthur W. Palmer, U. S. Department of Agriculture. This standardization, when effected, is expected

to place American cotton in a more favorable position

in foreign markets, and to directly benefit American

cotton growers.

The suppression of fraudulent practices in connection with commercial weighing and measuring, formed

the subject of a paper by J. M. Vanderslice, Philadelphia bureau of weights and measures. H. S. Jarrett, State commissioner of weights and

measures of West Virginia, discussed the scope and

preparation of the annual report on official activities. The possibilities of graphical treatment and analysis of data were demonstrated by Henry D. Hubbard,

of the staff of the National Bureau of Standards,

who traced the development of graphs and charts from

the simplest form—the subdivided straight line—to the highly complicated 3-dimensional solid graph, and

then from assumed facts and figures showed the application of many of these forms to the presentation of

statistical weights and measures data. For purposes

of illustration, he used a variety of models, large-scale

charts, and lantern slides. The progress and developments during the preceding 3

7ear along weights and measures lines, with particular reference to the work of the Bureau of Standards, vere reviewed from the Federal standpoint in

the opening address of Dr. George K. Burgess, Director of the National Bureau of Standards, and president of the national conference. He also outlined the

bills introduced into Congress dealing with weights

and measures. A series of very interesting addresses

included one by Dr. Julius Klein, Assistant Secretary

of Commerce, who gave a picture of changing busi- ness conditions to-day compared Avith those of yesterday, and emphasized the necessity of collaboration be- tween business and industry, on the one hand, and governmental agencies on the other, if the commerce of

the Nation—both foreign and domestic—is to keep

pace with the swiftly changing conditions of the pres- ent era. Doctor Klein also stressed the fact that it is manifestly difficult for the Government to deal with

individuals, and that there must be a reasonable degree of organization on the part of the business interests of the country to provide channels through which

cooperation may be carried on. “ Fortunately,” said

Doctor Klein, “ the American is a gregarious animal,

and America is organization-minded. One of the rea119903-30-
10 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY t JULY, 1930

sons for the conspicuous leadership which we have es- tablished in the world of business is that very gregariousness; it is one of the reasons for our rapid re- covery from the depths of disaster after the World

War.”

Hon. Randolph Perkins, chairman of the House

Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, spoke

about standardization as an American characteristic. “ What we are trying to accomplish,” he said, “ is to standardize tangible things to be weighed or measured.

Standardization has resulted in the tremendous pros- perity of the country. Practically all advancement of

the world is based on weights and measures, because

science depends upon weights and measures and progress depends upon science.” C. P. Norgord, of the New York State department

of agriculture and markets, discussed in detail the

efforts being made in New York to raise the standard

of efficiency of all the officials engaged in weights and

measures work.

Henry Lohmann, representing the National Association of Retail Grocers, urged the desirability of in- creased efforts to bring about the sale of commodities on a weight basis, particularly in the field of wholesale purchases made by grocers. Technical papers.

Inspection of prescription scales, weights, and glass

graduates in pharmacies as carried on in Detroit.

Mich., was described by George F. Austin, jr., who

urged every official to undertake such work at their

earliest opportunity.

H. A. Spilman, U. S. Department of Agriculture,

discussed the administration of the standard container

act of 1928, a Federal law standardizing certain types

of baskets and hampers used in the shipment of fruits

and vegetables, which became effective as to its penalty

provisions last November. “ It has been found,” Mr.

Spilman stated, “ that as interpreted, this laAv does

certain things not contemplated by its framers, and

efforts are now being made in cooperation with the

National Bureau of Standards to bring about an amendment to the act so that existing State laws with

relation to sales of fruits and vegetables by weight

may not be interfered with.”

By the terms of a statute recently enacted in New

York, that State has effected standardization in the

sale of logs by prescribing the use of a certain “ log

rule ” to compute the number of board feet in standing or cut timber. Allen W. Corwin, sealer of weights

and measures of Allegany County, N. Y., pointed out

the amazing losses suffered when the sales of logs are based upon the “ Doyle ” rule, which has been com- monly employed heretofore in New York.

BRITISH SPECIFICATION FOR VANDYKE

BROWN

A revised edition of specification No. 319-1928,

dealing with Vandyke brown for paints, has been issued

recently by the British Engineering Standards Association. After two years’ experience in the use of this

specification it was found that certain clauses needed

J. C. Tinkey, deputy State sealer of Ohio, presented

for the consideration of the conference the problem of

the use of counter scales having “hidden beams”; that

is, beams on the dealer’s side of the scale and invisible

to the customers. The problems of the motorist received their share of

attention by the conference with respect to the delivery

of full measure in sales of greases, oils, and gasoline.

The types of grease-measuring devices at present on

the market for use at filling stations and garages were

described by the author and methods were outlined for

testing these devices to determine their accuracy. Paul E. Hadliclc, speaking in behalf of the petroleum

marketers, asked the conference for a postponement of

the recommended effective date of the code of specifications and tolerances for grease-measuring devices.

After considerable debate, a six months’ postponement was agreed to, as previously mentioned.

A demonstration of the measuring elements of seven makes of gasoline meters was conducted by representatives of the engineering staffs of several manufacturers,

who explained the principles of operation and the

methods of adjustment of their devices; they also dis- assembled the meters. To insure full measure deliveries, A. W. Schwartz,

assistant State superintendent of weights and measures of New Jersey, suggested that devices should be

used to release any air which might become incorporated in gasoline prior to its measurement through a power-operated dispensing meter system. He recom- mended that the conference give attention to such de- vices and study their efficiency and possible necessity

with a view to requirement by specification, if this course is found to be desirable.

Insurance against inaccuracies when petroleum

products are delivered in truck tanks was considered

in a series of three papers: Francis Meredith, director

of standards of the State of Massachusetts, told of the

testing of meters with which truck tanks are now being equipped, and through which all of the fuel oil or

gasoline delivered must pass to be measured in this

type of unit. In cases where the capacities of trucktank compartments are used as the basis for determining the amount of liquid sold, these compartments

must be officially tested and approved by the weights

and measures official. In some jurisdictions this is done by utilizing a carefully calibrated liquid meter,

and this method was explained to the conference by

H. N. Davis, of Vermont. Other officials make use of

100-gallon and 50-gallon standard measures, permanently mounted on a raised support, and calibrate the

tank compartments by measuring water into them

until the capacity of the compartment is reached. This

method of test was described and illustrated by S. T.

Griffith, Baltimore, Md.

modification in some small particulars, notably those

clauses dealing with ash and volatile matter. The form of the new specification follows that

adopted in the previous issue. Clauses regulating the

composition, together with standard acceptance tests for the purchase of the material, are given. Appendixes dealing with the standard methods for carrying

out the tests are also included.
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 11

REDUCING ACCIDENTS AMONG AUTOMOBILE DRIVERS

Regulations to Determine Responsibility for Highway Mishaps Deemed Necessary to Safety; Enforcement

Held to Be Prime Factor; Substitution of Ability to Stop for Miles per Hour as Measure of Legal

Speed is Advocated

By H. C. Dickinson, National Bureau of Standards

Most accidents occurring on the highway are col- lisions either between vehicles or between a vehicle and

a pedestrian. In such accidents at least two highway

users are involved. If each of these users could know

exactly what the other was about to do, and if each

driver could stop before reaching the point of collision,

such accidents would not occur. This may seem trite,

but we believe it contains a most important basic idea.

Two general topics in existing traffic codes apply

directly to the two essential conditions of safety noted

above. The various right-of-way regulations are designed to make clear when and where each user of the

road may and may not go. The various speed restric- tions are designed to insure the driver’s ability to stop

general criterion of ability to stop, which shall apply

at all times.

Safe driving.

A safe driver must know at every moment how much

assured clear space there is ahead and that he can

stop within it. Failure to know this or allow for uncertainties shortly must lead to a collision. This

necessity has come to be such an intimate part of

driving technique that its import seems to have been

generally overlooked. It is here proposed to make

use of this most basic of safe driving principles as a

direct method of safe speed. A direct result of the

adoption of this principle would be to educate inexperienced drivers as well as to regulate the reckless ones.

in an emergency. If these two classes of regulations were effective, the accident toll would largely disappear ; hence, the paramount importance of insuring the

effectiveness of these two portions of the code.

First, since the main object of the driver is to make

progress along the highway, it would seem logical to assume that the vehicle which is proceeding in its own

traffic lane should have the right of way over vehicles

making any other maneuver ; in other words, a vehicle

which is braking, turning, coming out from the curb, or crossing from one lane of traffic to another should

do so with full regard to the right of way of through

traffic. This is a general concept of right of way

applicable to all conditions with suitable conventions

as to intersections and in this respect differs from the

rules now in force. Second, since the safe speed of a vehicle depends

upon many factors besides speed, such as brakes, road

surface, skill of the driver, and so on, and since the

distance within which a stop must be made may be

anything from 5 to 500 feet, depending upon where

a vehicle is and what is ahead, there is a need of some

The accompanying illustration shows the safe and

practical speed on a 3.4-mile section of Washington

highway on which the present legal speed is 22 miles

per hour. The use of boulevard stops on some of the

cross streets would increase safe speeds at some intersections. To avoid comment, we have omitted speeds

exceeding 30 miles per hour, even where they are

safe. This chart applies for an average driver and a car having good 2-wheel brakes and average acceleration. The full line is for dry-road conditions, and the

dotted lines applies when the road is slipper}7

. A

uniform speed of 15 miles per hour on this stretch

of road under some conditions would be reckless, while an average speed of 25 miles per hour regulated by

ability to stop would be perfectly safe. With modern

cars with good 4-wheel brakes the safe speed would

be somewhat higher.

It seems clear that if ability to stop were substituted

for miles per hour, as a measure of legal speed, we

would have a sound general basis for meeting the

second of the two essentials for safe driving.
12 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930

Conditions can be met.

The author is firmly convinced that these two conditions can be effectively met by a simple and readily

understood codification of the principles suggested

above. Such a suggested codification is given below

without any attempt to introduce all the legal verbiage

which might be desired, and omitting some explanatory items which might be needed. The several provisions in this code are so interrelated that they must

When to yield right of way. —When a driver or a pedestrian who is halted by traffic requires a vehicle

to yield right of way, a signal shall be made with the

hand to the driver of the vehicle having the right of

way, who, if sufficient distance is available for the

necessary maneuver, shall signal his intent to yield

the right of way and shall be responsible for acting

accordingly. The driver or pedestrian having first signaled for right of way shall not proceed until his

signal is answered. (Note, any person having sigCliart showing effect of visibility at intersections on the allowable stopping distances

be considered in relation to each other rather than as independent items.

Right of way. —Right of way is defined as the right

to uninterrupted progress within the legal speed. Except as noted below the vehicle performing an}? maneuver except proceeding within the legal speed at a reasonably uniform rate in a single traffic lane shall

yield right of way to traffic so proceeding.

Exceptions.-—At intersections the vehicle approaching from the left has the right of Avay. At crosswalks

pedestrians have the right of way over vehicles. The

right of way of any vehicle, person, or animal at rest in any traffic lane takes precedence over the right of

any moving vehicle, subject to regulations governing

higliAvay obstructions!

naled for right of way as herein provided may re- port as a matter of record the license number of a car failing to yield right of Avay. Habitual disregard

of sucfi signals by any driver as shown by such records

from different complaints would be grounds for dis- ciplinary action.)

When vehicles are in motion in traffic the driver

making any maneuver which may interfere with traffic on any traffic lane shall first signal his intent and

make sure that the signal is seen and can be acted on. Legal speed. —Under all conditions the legal speed

shall be such that the vehicle can be brought to a stop

within its own traffic lane before reaching any point

ahead at which there can be a legal obstruction in this

traffic lane. Legal speed may be determined at desig-
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 13

natecl crossings or on any blind curves by an officer who

may require any vehicle to come to a stop as provided

hereafter. Should a collision occur between a vehicle

and any object, this fact is prima facie evidence of

illegal speed and hence of the responsibility of the

driver. Proof that the object with which the vehicle

collided was at the point of collision in violation of the

right-of-way regulations shall be a defense.

Notes and definitions.

Traffic lane. —In the absence of lines or other highway markings, the traffic lane shall be determined as follows: On a 2-lane highway the traffic lane shall be

the right half of the highway. On a 3-way lane highway the traffic lane shall be the right third of the

pavement, neither vehicle having the right of way over

the other in the center lane except where special regulations are in force. On a 4-lane highway the two

traffic lanes shall be the right and left halves of the

portion to the right of the center. Thus a vehicle oc- cupying the outside lane shall not encroach on the lane

to his left except at his own risk, and the vehicle occu- pying the lane next to the center shall not encroach

upon the right quarter of the pavement except at his

own risk. A driver may pass from one traffic lane to another

only at his own risk or by requesting right of way as jjrovided herein. This applies to a driver also who is stopping, turning in either direction, coming out from

the curb, or making any other maneuver aside from

traveling at a reasonably uniform rate of speed in his

own traffic lane. Determining legal speed. —On any curve on the open

road where the view is obstructed, an officer on the

highway signaling a vehicle as it comes into view may

require it to stop within its traffic lane before reaching

his position. Failure so to stop will be a proof of illegal

speed. (The situation here is exactly that of an unexpected obstruction, such as a stalled car or a group of

pedestrians. Stopping under these conditions is imperative.)

At crossings where the view is obstructed a line may

be marked on the pavement as follows: The illustra- tion below represents an intersection obstructed by

buildings. A line, A, is marked on the pavement, such

that a driver approaching the crossing will just clear

the car approaching from his left if both vehicles proceed at a uniform and legal speed. Similar lines may

be drawn at all four approaches. A traffic officer may

require any vehicle which seems to be exceeding the

legal speed to stop on signal between the line, A,

marked and the curb line. Mounted police may require that all traffic keep to the right half of the paved highway except as required

in overtaking other vehicles, and in particular that

vehicles do not cross the center line on curves or at

hill tops. Enforcement of these three provisions, to- gether with definite responsibility for collisions, should

keep the speed at all danger points down to safer limits

than any miles-per-hour regulations, at the same time

permitting reasonable speeds under conditions which

are safe, where the road is straight and the view is clear. Speed at danger points, of course, can not be

measured, since to make a measurement a uniform

speed must be held for several hundred feet.

Left-hand right of way at crossings.

Some of the advantages of this provision have been

generally recognized, such as (1) the fact that once a vehicle has entered the intersection it has the right of

way to proceed. (2) That it requires a vehicle to slow

down before entering the crosswalk, thus tending to protect pedestrians. There is another particular advantage which this system presents in connection with

the traffic-control system here advocated. (3) When it

is necessary to signal with the hand for a vehicle to yield right of way as here contemplated, such signal can be seen by a driver approaching from the left very^

much more readily than by one approaching from the

right. If the system here recommended were adopted,

overtaking on the right would be permissible on 4-lane

highways, with entire safety, particularly if the traffic lanes were marked. It would be impossible on 2-lane

highways, however, as at present.

Hand signals would be required only when requiring

another vehicle to yield right of way. This would

avoid useless signals which often become confusing, as does the present hand signal when a vehicle is making

a right turn from the right traffic lane without slowing down.

Summarization.

The system here proposed is a consistent unit. It

differs considerably both in form and in basic conception from present legal enactments, but it approaches

much more nearly the existing practice of all safe and

courteous drivers. It fixes responsibility definitely in

substantially all cases, provided only the facts are known. The present system does not definitely fix responsibility in many cases even if the facts are known. The proposed system offers a definite criterion

of legal speed in the most outstanding cases where

speed is important. If such a speed provision were

enforced, it would reduce speed at danger points and

still might increase the average driving speed.

There are, of course, obvious objections to any

traffic-control system; hence a fair conception of this one can be had only on a basis of comparison between

it and present systems. We believe that there is no

provision in the proposed system which would offer any serious difficulty in changing over from the present

system. The only two provisions which appear at all radical are the left-hand right of way and the requirement that a hand signal shall be answered. As a matter of fact, the right of way at intersections is very

seldom invoked and a change could be readily made.

A similar change was made in the District of Columbia several years ago from north and south bound

traffic having the right of way to the present righthand rule, and there was no confusion whatever. As

for the answering hand signal, the actual procedure

is not greatly changed as the driver demanding right

of way at present nearly always gets what is in effect an answering signal from the response of the other

driver in slowing down or otherwise manipulating the

vehicle.

The legal-speed provision is safe and we believe can

be enforced where it is needed. No fixed speed limit

which will be obeyed is safe and no such limit can

be enforced at danger points where slow speed is important, because the speed at any given instant can

not be measured by an officer.
14 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 STANDARDIZING ARMY EQUIPMENT

Quartermaster Corps Concerned With Reduction of Superfluous Variety of Equipment; Standard Designs

Promulgated for Army Supplies

By Maj. Louis C. Wilson, Quartermaster Corps

The economic interests of the Government, so far as they lie within the scope of the Quartermaster Corps,

are the basis for applied effort to standardize and

simplify equipment and supplies procured for use by

that branch of the Army service as well as such as

is procured by it for use by other branches of the

Army. This consideration which is in constant progress, with new vistas of opportunity frequently appearing, is best illustrated by concrete examples.

There is now nearing completion a study having in

view a recommendation for the adoption of a standard type of rolling kitchen for use by troops in the

field. At the outbreak of the World War there was,

of course, a hurried period of preparation in connection with equipping vast numbers of soldiers, and in

the matter of securing required quantities of rolling

kitchens it was necessary to accept devices of various

types and designs, because time did not permit of

awaiting production of a standard type and design

under the critical circumstances. Not only were these

kitchens of varying kinds and patterns, but the appli- ances used in connection with them, such as the boilers

and other incidentals and parts, varied and differed

as did the colors in Joseph’s coat. Each kitchen required equipment and appliances pe- culiar to itself—each rolling kitchen was “ on its own.”

After the war ended, there were, naturally, many of

these rolling kitchens left on hand, and, from the viewpoint of economy, it was considered inadvisable to needlessly sacrifice them by sale bringing in returns only on a junk basis, consequently they were continued

in use until they should become unserviceable.

Standard type being developed.

In the meanwhile, however, and in anticipation of

synchronizing new procurement with a standard fox- devices of this kind, not only for peace time, but wax- time also, a careful study has been made of the entix-e subject in detail, and a standard model of rolling

kitchen is being developed so as to embody the selected

best features of all the war-time kitchens, and at the same time meet the varied requirements of the several arms and services which will use such model of rolling

kitchen.

Upon the completion of the plans for, and thorough

practical testing of, this device, the Army will, upon

approval of the War Department, have an article all parts of which will be interchangeable, the equipment

and utensils will be identical in form and size for all the kitchens in use, and this vei-y essential item of

equipment for providing food for the troops can be

utilized as an animal-drawn or motor-drawn kitchen, or transported as a trailer, or even motor propelled.

No matter what the transportation or other problem

may be as affecting any particular arm of the military

service, the rolling kitchen, as standardized, will lend

itself to that requirement as well as to all others.

Variety of machetes.

As another illustration, take the item of machetes,

a large heavy knife, 18 to 40 inches in length—used

in the olden days of Spanish America for cutting cane, clearing paths, or as a weapon. Such a character of

device has been, and is, a part of the prescribed equipment of certain arms of the military service, but heretofore under several different nomenclatures, although

basically for the saxxxe general kixxd of utilization.

Under the term “ bolo ” it has been a part of the

equipment for the Infantry and for the Cavalry; under the title “ hook, brush,” it has likewise been in use by the Infantry ; under the desigixation of “ machete ”

it has been utilized by the Corps of Engineers; the

Signal Corps has an instrunxent known as “ knife,

brush cutting.” All these have been, as to designation

and utilitarian application, combined under the general term of “ machete, commercial, 22,” with result- ing practical application of economic principles.

Simplifying equipment.

Cartridge belts were, until study and action resulted

in change, different for mounted troops from those designed for the dismounted tx-oops. Under the desideratum of simplification and standardization, this practice has been discontinued, and one and the same desigxx of cartridge belt is issued both branches of the

service—that issued the mounted troops including a detachable pocket to meet the additional requirements

of that particular service over and above the requirements of the dismoxxnted troops.

Again, in the case of paulins and galvanized-iron

cans, a number of various sizes were formerly used in

each case, but the authorized sizes have been reduced to two, which takes care of all essential requirements and

likewise staixdarclizes the procurement and issue of

such articles. Studies aloixg other lines than those

set forth above are now in progress, such as establishing one type of picket line for the entire service instead

of separate types for individual arms, such as the Cavalry and the Field Artillery.

One of the xnost widely assorted items of supply

used by the War Department is that of stationery and

office supplies, which are stocked by quartermaster

depots subject to x-equisitioix by the using agencies. If

the Army were to attempt to stock paper of every

color, quality, weight, and size, as produced commercially, or which the individual choice of some activity

might express a desire for, it would result in tremendous loss of public funds due to waste and deteriorated

stock, to say nothing of large sums being tied up in

general, and in high prices being paid for relatively

small lots. Therefore, the range of selections has been

restricted to efficient operation and the items listed are the only ones stocked and issued. Allowance is made

for technical requirements which can not be met from

this normal list.
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 15

A test is now being made in regard to canvas leggings, with a view to considering the adoption of a standard article in lieu of both canvas leggings and the

spiral woolen legging now provided as a part of the

soldier’s equipment.

Many helpful suggestions, which will be the basis

for consideration in this effort to standardize and simplify, have been and are resulting incidentally in the

preparation of the recently directed Federal Standard

Stock Catalogue, under the direction of Rear Admiral

T. H. Hicks, U. S. Navy. The Quartermaster General

supplies the data for the catalogue for all items with

which the Quartermaster Corps has to do. Many of the articles of Army equipment are produced by the Army at its own plants, including depots

and arsenals, etc. Other classes of articles are obtained through contracts with commercial enterprises.

Still other classes are such as have been produced, commercially, for sale on the market generally, but after

production are purchased by the Army. One of the

major items in the last-named class is that of subsist- ence, including, among other commodities, foods that

are canned, bottled, or otherwise packed. Necessarily

these are put up in a more or less numerous variety of

sizes, supposedly within the lines of public popularity.

There has been, comparatively recently, a get-together

movement on the part of manufacturers of the

same class of products with a combined movement to eliminate certain sizes, or rather to reduce the number

of sizes of containers in order to apply the principles

of simplified practice.

Army adopts simplified practice.

The Army has recognized the practical wisdom of

fitting in, so far as possible, with the commercial practices in this matter of food containers, and its specifications for subsistence articles have, during the past

year or so, been carefully revised with this objective

in view. There are, possibly, justifiable exceptions, but

as a general rule it is recognized that to go beyond the

lines of commercial production and purchase a special

production of a standard article in a container which

is not commercially standardized would, logically, re- sult in a higher cost to the Government than if the

usual commercial article were to be bought.

This same principle also applies to the food commodities themselves. These, so far as the Army, the

Navy, and the Marine Corps are concerned, are covered

by specifications promulgated by the Federal Specifications Board, and are mandatory upon the three military services named whose representatives make up

the personnel of the provisions committee, which makes

recommendations upon which the Federal Specifications Board bases its specifications.

SPECIFICATION FOR ROOFING SLATE

Bureau of Standards Conducting Tests as a Basis for Federal Specification

A few months ago the National Bureau of Standards was called upon by the Federal Specifications

Board for information on roofing slate to form the

basis of a specification for this material. After a study of the data available it was concluded that the

information on weathering qualities was too meager,

and the significance of various tests in this connection was not thoroughly understood.

It was decided therefore to make a study of weathered slates which had been in service for a considerable

period of time to determine what weathering agents

are mostly concerned in the destruction of slate roofs

and what qualities in slate are most effective in resist- ing such destructive agents. Several hundred samples were collected, some of which had been on roofs for more than 100 years. These were carefully studied to determine what alterations had taken place, especial

attention being given to the decayed portions.

Slate, being a metamorphosed clay sediment, is composed largely of chemically stable elements. It is a very dense material with a higher flexural strength

than any other common type of rock. With such

properties it might be expected to be almost immune to weathering effects. Nevertheless it is evident that some slates can not be depended upon for more than

30 years of service on a roof. Frost action of no consequence.

Frost action, which is commonly assumed to be very

destructive to masonry, has been found to play a very

small part in the weathering of slate. The decay of

slate on a roof is confined mainly to the covered portions of the shingles and manifests itself by a slow

process of crumbling and scaling in thin layers.

Chemical and petrographic examination of the cle- caj^ed portions reveal the presence of considerable cal- cium sulphate, although this compound is almost to- tally absent in the fresh slate. Some slates contain as much as 4 per cent of calcium carbonate which could

be converted to calcium sulphate by rainwater bearing

traces of sulphuric acid.

This led to experiments on slate which involve a soaking in dilute sulphuric acid. Such tests on slates containing appreciable amounts of calcium carbonate

caused a surface action similar to that shown on badly

weathered slates, but underneath the thin layers so

affected, the slate was still sound. This seemed to indicate that the action of sulphuric acid is not the

only agent concerned in slate weathering.

Evidence of a hydration process has been found,

and is now being investigated by the bureau. Soaking and drying tests have shown that some slates can be destroyed in 20 or 30 cycles of such treat- ment. While it is probably too early to draw conclusions, it seems likely that the hydration effects go hand

in hand or, perhaps, precedes the decomposition of

carbonates.
J 6 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 ACCIDENTS IN THE HOME

Eliminating Obvious Hazards in the Home Should Reduce Fatalities Amounting to 23,000 Annually

By M. G. Lloyd, National Bureau of Standards

There are every year in the United States nearly

100,000 deaths due to accidental causes. The number

of injuries due to accidents is not so definitely known,

but it has been estimated from the claims paid by

insurance companies that there are about 200 nonfatal

injuries for every death due to accident.

Accidents in the home are responsible for about

one-fourth of the total fatalities. Of these deaths in the home about three-fourths occur to children under

15 years of age. Falls constitute the most numerous

type of home accident.

When we realize that some citizen of our country

meets death by accident on the average about every

six minutes, night and day; that some one in our homes is injured by a fall every half minute; and

that some other member of the hottshold is, on the

average, burned or scalded nearly as often—the great

importance of taking steps to reduce this enormous

toll and to standardize accident-prevention measures

is irresistibly borne in upon us. Accident-prevention work in industry lias been

going on for a great many years and is well organized.

State labor officials and many others are constantly at work on the problem, and real progress has been made

through the guarding of machinery and educational

campaigns. In contrast with this, traffic accidents are on the increase. Less is known about accidents in the

home, but their number is large enough to demand

attention from those who are concerned with this

sphere of human activity.

Bureau conducts survey.

The National Bureau of Standards has recently con- ducted a survey of accidents in the homes of members

of the North Carolina Federation of Women’s Clubs

and in the Home Demonstration Clubs of that State. This was carried out through the cooperation of the

General Federation of Women’s Clubs. Reports were

turned in up to May 7 covering 6,292 homes in that

State. From these homes, 469 accidents of sufficient severity to interrupt usual activities were reported, or, on the average, 1 in every 13 homes. Of the reported

accidents, 13, or less than 3 per cent, resulted in fatalities, and all these occurred to children or to elderly

people. There were no fatalities to persons between 15

and 55 years of age.

Two-thirds of the fatalities occurred to children, and

these were about equally divided between boys and

girls. Four of the fatalities were due to falls, elderly

ladies being involved in three cases. Eight of the

fatalities were due to burns and scalds, and one was

due to an infant choking.

Of the accidents reported, 240, or more than half, were due to falls of one kind or another, such as slid- ing on rugs, stumbling on the stairs or at play. One

hundred and twenty of the accidents, or 26 per cent,

resulted in cuts or bruises of some kind. Sixty-eight

of the accidents, or 15 per cent, were the result of heat,

and consisted of burns or scalds. Accidents to women in lead. As might be expected in the home, accidents to fe- males predominated over the accidents to males. During the period of life when the men are largely away

from home during the day—namely, between 15 and 54

years of age—accidents were more than twice as nu- merous among women, and above 54 years they greatly

predominate. On the other hand, below 15 years of

age, accidents to boys predominate. Among the very

young children they are almost equally divided be- tween boys and girls. More than one-half of all the

accidents in these North Carolina homes occurred to children under 15 years of age. As a result of this survey, the General Federation

of Women’s Clubs proposes to undertake a campaign

which will stimulate the women all over the country

to take precautions which are generally overlooked,

and to have an active part in the effort to prevent

accidents in the future. It is hoped that each housewife will strive to avoid having her home constitute

the unlucky thirteenth in which the typical accident

occurs. Many of the accidents which are daily taking place

in the home are undoubtedly preventable. The elimination of obvious hazards; the instruction of children

in proper methods of handling tools and toys; the

placing of poisons, matches, vessels of scalding water,

etc., out of the reach of little children; a campaign

against carelessness ; and many other precautions which

are obvious from a study of reported accidents, should

result in greatly reducing the unhappiness and suffer- ing now caused in many homes.

HICKORY GOLF SHAFTS

Printed Pamphlet on Commercial Standard Now Available

Commercial Standard CS18-29 Hickory Golf Shafts,

has recently been received from the Government Printing Office. This pamphlet covers the semifinished

product known in the trade as “ B ” form shafts. Moisture content, dimensions, and dimensional toler- ances are speciefid together with a very practical test

for the determination of stiffness—the major requisite

of a high-class hickory golf shaft. By this testing device shafts may be placed in four distinct grade classes,

thus eliminating the controversy that was always imminent when stiffness was a matter of personal judgment ascertained by merely bending the shaft in one’s hands.

Copies of this standard may be obtained from the

Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing

Office, Washington, D. C., at 10 cents per copy.
JULY, 19S0] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 17

COOPERATION IN REDUCING INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS

Chairman of Governor’s Labor Committee of New York Explains Duty of Cooperation in Promoting Safety

By John Sullivan, Chairman, Governor’s Labor Committee, State of New York

Accidents in industry are preventable, and because

of the vigilance of the department of labor, safety or- ganizations, and factory preventive measures many

thousands of accidents are prevented. It is true, nevertheless, that there are more than 300,000 such accidents

each year in this great industrial State of New York.

Taking judicial notice of this sum total of death and

maiming of humanity, Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt,

in cooperation with Industrial Commissioner Frances

Perkins, has appointed a committee composed of representative wage earners to examine into this matter of

accidents in industry, in an effort to find a way' to reduce

materially the resulting misery and the handicap to industry in the interruption in application of the skill and knowledge of his job that is always inherent in

the workman familiar with his job and its processes. No one any longer accepts workshop or constructionwork accidents as inevitable. At one time they were

considered as acts or omissions of a Divine Providence.

Now we are coming to recognize clearly that many of

them are due to human improvidence. A particular

accident at its first occurrence may involve no personal

fault, but its recurrence in the same work place usually

does. Where the fault is originally in the ways, works,

or machinery its recurrence is plain negligence and

thus becomes personal fault. Without inquiring as to whether personal fault is attributable to either an employer or an employee, in

any given instance, we can all join in the conclusion

that personal fault can and should be corrected and

stay corrected. Such a correction is a task of cooperation, and such corrective cooperation is a mutual

duty.

Cooperation necessary.

If this great safety movement initiated by the governor of the State is to realize its possibilities, there

must be the highest degree of enthusiastic support by

all the human elements that enter into industry.

Temporary support will not do. There will be re- quired persistence if the objective is to be attained.

The mere posting of safety warnings in work places

will not bring the desired result. In the early days of

inspection in the New York State Department of Labor

orders issued did not make the desired impression.

The wage earner knew from the way the inspector

went about his task that he did not understand the

technolog}' of the shop; that he might be able to pass

the civil-service examinations, but that he could not

tell how the actual task of safeguarding was to be

accomplished.

Fortunately that has been changed. The orders

issued by the factory inspection bureau now not only

have behind them the majesty of the law, but also the respect of the employee, who knows the law and

knows that the inspector knows his job.

Safeguarding has become a science. Compensation

has aided in its development. The wage earner places

great value on the compensation law. At the same

time he knows from personal experience or from

knowledge gained through association that it is much

better to prevent an accident than it is to be paid

two-thirds of his wages not in excess of $20 a week.

For many years the accident toll in construction

work has been very heavy, about 25 per cent of all compensated injuries. Perhaps a better security would

result if Ave had a special and trained inspection

force operating in this department. There seems to be much carelessness on the part of both master and

mechanic; it may be the contempt that is associated

with familiarity.

Employers’ indorsements.

In many factories and other work places the sensible

employer welcomes suggestions having to do with

making the premises and the machinery safe. Some

employers make it a rule to give consideration to all such suggestions ; and if they are not practicable or are unnecessary, to explain just why that is so. This

is one of the finest forms of cooperation. It is unfortunate that there are employers who, to their own

detriment, resent such suggestions, and that they in- spire the employees with the feeling that the employer

does not care. I haAre just as strong condemnation

for the employee who does not care, and who thus

endangers the safety of his fellows.

If the governor’s labor committee is able to reduce

materially the sum total of industrial accidents, we

will haAT e much to be satisfied with, much to be proud

of. It is also well to stress the fact that if we do

succeed in reducing the number of accidents in this

great industrial State, the way will then be open for

material extensions and improvements in the proA

T isions of the compensation law.

FELDSPAR STANDARD ADOPTED BY

INDUSTRY

The commercial standard classification for feldspar

has been enthusiastically approved by all branches of

the industry, and the success of the project Avas accordingly announced in a circular letter from the division

of trade standards to all those cooperating in the

formulation of this standard.

The principle use of feldspar is that of a fluxing

agent in the manufacture of whiteware, tile, etc. It

is also finding increasing application in the manufacture of glass.

The uniformity of physical and chemical testing

methods and the universal terminology and classifica- tions embraced in the newly adopted standard should

greatly facilitate the sale and use of this product for

the consumers as represented in practically all lines of

the ceramic industry, as well as the feldspar grinders.
18 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 DISCRIMINATION IN PURCHASING

American Home Economics Association Working for Significant Information on Household Commodities

By Miss Alice L. Edwards, American Home Economics Association

Variety may be the spice of life, but the situation

faced by the homemaker who wants to purchase bed

blankets, as contrasted with that met, let us say, by

the professor who buys a compound microscope for

the zoology laboratory, is enough to produce a peppery

outburst on the part of the homemaker if she realized

her relatively unfavorable position.

The worthy professor is able to secure specific and

reliable descriptions of the various microscopes available. Essential facts about important features, such

as magnifications, adjustments, and attachments are provided, giving him ample opportunity to choose the

instrument which best meets his need. Should corre- sponding information be available for the would-be

purchaser of household commodities ? Many students of consumer problems are becoming

convinced that this question should be answered in the

affirmative ; but before the essential information about

blankets, for example, is made available, research on

the problems involved will be necessary; and, furthermore, the consumer will have to convince manufacturers and retailers that she really wants and expects to be

given information on significant points.

What does the homemaker need to know about the

blankets she finds on the retail counter before she can make an intelligent choice? Probably the most important factors for her to consider are size, fiber composition, tensile strength, weight, and construction.

Similar facts about the material used in the binding

would be desirable, and, in so far as available, in- formation about performance would be very valuable.

Concerning each of these, useful data should be provided on the blanket label. Then, to secure the most

satisfactory results, the homemaker should measure

these known qualities and their combinations in different blankets against her own particular needs and

choose the blanket which most nearly meets her re- quirements. Let us consider more in detail under the

different headings the present situation and possible

developments.

Determining size and fiber composition.

The size of the blanket is usually indicated on the

label, and if it is not, can be readily determined. The

purchaser’s most frequent error in this connection is the selection of a blanket which is too short to tuck in

securely at the foot of the bed and still reach up comfortably over the shoulders of the occupant. Since

beds for adults are 6 feet or more in length, the standards which are being set up call for blankets at least 80 to 90 inches in length. The desirable width for a

single bed should not be less than 60 inches and for a double bed not less than from 70 to 80 inches.

Some blankets carry a label guaranteeing that the

fiber is all wool, others are labeled as part wool, while

still others do not indicate anything about the fiber content. Here, therefore, the purchaser is often left to guess as to the composition or to trust to the word

of a salesman, who may or may not have been given

reliable information. Wool is a poorer conductor of

heat than cotton; hence, a woolen blanket will tend

to be much warmer than a cotton one of equal weight

it is possible to construct a cotton blanket so that it

is as warm as a woolen one, but it will differ in air

permeability and absorption of moisture. Since cot- ton is much less expensive than wool, the mixed blankets now on the market usually have very little wool in

them. It is possible for a blanket to be labeled as such

a mixture though its only wool is a single thread in

the border. The amount of wool in mixed wool and

cotton blankets in most cases runs between 3 and 7 per

cent of the total fiber content, an amount conceded even by many in the trade to be too small to be of any

value save as it affords opportunity to place the selling

price well above that of an all-cotton blanket. Consumers should realize that unless they are insistent

they will not be given specific information as to fiber content. They should demand this in justice to the

honest manufacturer as well as to themselves.

Ranges of tensile strength.

The durability of a blanket depends largely on its tensile strength, a factor concerning which it is almost

impossible at present to secure any information. In a very few instances do even the manufacturers know

the tensile strength of the blankets which they are making ; and since the average customer can not afford

to secure samples for testings, she remains totally ignorant save as she may be able to form some judgment

from looking at and handling the blanket.

In the napping process the tensile strength of a blanket is often greatly reduced and unfortunately

many very fluffy, attractive-appearing blankets have

been unduly weakened by it. This is particularly true

if the fiber is short or loosely caught in the yarn.

Because of the strain on the warp during the weaving,

these threads are always stronger than the filling

threads. In recent reports on the physical properties

of a number of blankets the tensile strength for the

warp per inch ranged from 54.5 down to 17 pounds,

while for the filling threads the figures ranged from

27 down to as low as 3 pounds. Think what would

happen if in the laundering process such weak filling

threads, were called upon to carry the weight of the

water-soaked blanket. These lower ranges of tensile

strength are so inadequate that the blankets in which

they are found can not be expected to wear for a reasonable length of time. Standards for tensile

strength for blankets of different fiber composition

should be established. Probably in no case should the

minimum tensile strength of warp be less than 35 or 40 pounds per inch and of filling not less than 20

pounds.

Construction important factor.

At one time the weight of a blanket was considered

a very important matter, and reasonably so, for a blanket of a given construction containing 6 pounds
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 19

of wool would naturally be warmer and more durable

than one similarly constructed and containing only 4

pounds. Of course, if the heavier blanket is made of cotton and the lighter one of wool, the weights can not

be taken to show their comparative warmth. Some

manufacturers and retailers are endeavoring to do

away with the former practice of giving the weight,

but it is hoped that the consumer will insist on this

being given. It still remains valuable in comparing

blankets known to be of similar fiber content. If, as

is hoped, the practice of indicating fiber content be- comes more generally followed by the trade, it will

be very unfortunate to have dropped the practice of

indicating the weight.

Durability is the characteristic of the binding which

should be given, most consideration, Certainly a lightweight china silk is wholly unequal to the wear to which a blanket binding is subjected. Moreover, the

binding should not be applied in a manner nor the

material be of such nature that it will shrink more

than the blanket when it is laundered.

Durability, warmth, and ease of laundering are important factors in judging the performance of a blanket in use. How will the blanket wear? How

warm will it be under usual conditions? How warm

will it be on a camping trip when a cold breeze is

blowing over the bed? How will its warmth be af- fected by laundering? Will it fade, and how much

will it shrink in the cleaning process? These are some

of the questions which need to be carefully studied so that some means may be developed by which probable

performance can be indicated to the buyer. Construction is important, as it has much to do with the durability of the blanket and also influences its warmth.

Then, too, the effect of laundering on the appearance

and warmth of the blankets in influenced by the construction. Certainly the properties of warp and filling

threads and the tension to which they are subjected

in the process of weaving should be such that certain

stripes or portions of the blanket will not shrink when

cleaned so as to give a puckered appearance.

Teachers of classes in textile buying might well dis- cuss this movement with their students and discover

the specific points on which local homemakers desire

information. Progress in the standardization of

blankets will be aided if home economists and all others interested will seek to inform themselves on

the questions involved, and help to direct public demand in such fashion that manufacturers and retail- ers will recognize the consumer’s interest in and probable use of information if this is made available.

(Journal of Home Economics.)

COMPOSITE BEAMS OF HOLLOW TILE AND

CONCRETE TESTS

Bureau of Standards Determines Value of the Tiles in Assist- ing Concrete to Resist Shearing and Bending Failures

In cooperation with the Hollow Building Tile Association (now the Structural Clay Tile Association),

tests have been made at the National Bureau of Standards to determine the strength of composite beams and

slabs of hollow tile and reinforced concrete. The tests were planned to obtain information on the value of the

tiles in assisting the concrete to resist shearing and

bending failures.

Sixty beams were fabricated and tested in the laboratories of the bureau. Forty-eight of those were composite beams consisting of either one or two reinforced

concrete ribs similar to those in ribbed floors of concrete and hollow tile. The remaining 12 were concrete beams, each being similar in design and materials to the concrete portions of some of the composite beams.

Some of each type were heavily reinforced for bending

stresses and were tested in a manner to produce shearing failures; others were designed and tested to develop high compressive stresses in the concrete. All

beams were 8 inches in depth ; those for the shear tests were 6 feet 4 inches in length and from 4 to 29 inches

in width, while those for the bend tests were 15 feet in

length and either 8 or 29 inches in width.

The hollow tiles used in the construction of the

beams for the shear tests were selected to provide data

for the determination of the effect on the shearing

strength of the physical properties of the tiles, their

weight, and number of vertical interior webs. The

bend tests were planned to give information on the

effects of the weight, number of cells, and arrangement of the tiles on the strength of the beams in

bending.

Results sought.

In the construction of the beams no attempt was made to obtain specimens representative of commercial

construction. On the contrary, the aim was to obtain

specimens of uniform quality as regards the characteristics of the concrete and workmanship in order

to minimize variations in the results from uncontrolled causes. All beams were kept damp for 28 days

after construction and were then permitted to dry in

the laboratory for approximately two weeks before

testing. The average strengths of 6 by 12 inch cylinders representing the concrete of the beams were 2,720

pounds per square inch at the age of 28 days and

3,070 pounds per square inch at 42 days.

The results of the tests indicated that one row of

tiles was equivalent in resisting shear to a concrete

rib of the same depth and having a width of from

1.6 to 2.4 inches. These equivalent widths were greatest for the tiles made of the material of the highest

strength and modulus of elasticity. However, the tiles made of the weaker materials usually had thicker

shells which compensated in part for their weaker

structure. At loads considerably less than the maximum the

tiles were more effective in increasing the resistance

of the beams to bending deformations than at the

higher loads. The relatively lower values for the

higher loads are believed to be due, at least in part,

to partial failure of the bond between the concrete and

tiles. The results of subsequent tests indicated that

the method followed in the construction and aging of

the beams was not favorable to the development of as strong a bond as would have been obtained with other

methods.
20 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1030 STANDARDIZATION—SHOULD IT BE FEARED OR FOSTERED?

An Examination of the Principles of Standardization as Applied in Nature Points the Way

By I. J. Fairchild, National Bureau of Standards

The term “ standardization ” is perhaps one of the

most overworked and undervaluated words in modern

usage. The inestimable comforts and conveniences

made possible by standardization are so unapparent

and so thoroughly a part of our everyday life that we give little heed to their existence and blandly ac- cept them among the many other gifts of modern life. If, however, we turn to the “ good old days ” when

each railroad had its own idea as to the gage for its tracks, and its rolling stock was confined to its own

lines; when one could never be sure that an electric bulb would fit a particular type of socket, and when

the threads of automobile bolts and nuts were as different as the cars in which they were found, and a breakdown necessitated the services of a blacksmith, as well as a mechanic, we begin to see that standardization has, indeed, been made the servant of man. Too frequently standardization is construed as meaning complete uniformity, and many are apprehensive lest individual expression and taste will give

way to the sameness of housing, clothing, etc., which

characterizes prison life. To allay any such forebodings we need only glance at the rich background of

standards exhibited in the everchanging and fascinating field of nature. To nature, the process of standardization and the

evolution of standardized forms is an old, old story.

Throughout the ages nature has standardized all in- dividuals of the same species so as to be essentially

alike, and at the same time fundamentally. different

from individuals of other species. In the same species

of plants, fishes, birds, or animals, individuals re- semble each other in the minutest detail of structure and function. So thorough has nature been that every

species may be recognized by the standardized organs,

functions, characteristics, or habits peculiar to each.

Standardization necessary to development.

It is difficult to imagine any human progress without the wonderful standardization nature has provided; in fact, without the systematic and orderly

influence of standardization, civilization would be impossible. Every item of existence would present a separate problem with no precedent for guidance,

with no possibility for generalization, and, therefore, no possibility of knowledge which is based on generalization. There would be no organized life, no insti- tutions. no customs, no laws, for these depend upon

an underlying limitation of action and reaction. There

could be no medicine and no surgery, for how could

it be predetermined where to look for the heart or the

stomach, or, if you please, whether or not a given

body contained such organs.

The more the mysteries of nature are dispelled by

knowledge, the more is standardization revealed, as in

the geometrical arrangement of crystal formation, pre- dicted discoveries of new chemical elements, or the

coming of a comet. We depend upon the meticulous

regularity of the sun’s appearance, the recurring

phases of the moon, and the perfectly timed rotation

of the planets. We accept as indisputable facts, the

definitely established boiling and freezing points, the

peculiar behavior of certain materials and the changeless normal properties of elasticity, strength, hardness,

ductility, viscosity, refractivity, electrical conductivity, permeability, and other properties of the ele- mental things of nature which man is constantly

appropriating for his use. The variations of color available to the painter are composed of parts of a narrow band of spectral wave

lengths and all of the artistry in music is conveyed

through another small group of frequencies. And yet we hear no complaints that nature has carried standardization to extremes, that life is dull, drab, or stagnant as a result of standardized chemical elements,

standardized crystalline growth, or wave lengths, as in

sound, radio, light, and X rays. The tennis player is confined to standards, such as the size, weight, and resilience of ball, dimensions of

court, racquet and net, rules of the game, etc. The

same is true of baseball, golf, and of every organized

sport or athletic event. The architect may be limited to two sizes of face

brick, but he has a choice of color, texture, and ar- rangement sufficient to produce an unlimited variety

of structures and effects, while the accomplished limitation of dimensions gives him a basis upon which to

start, and relieves his mind altogether of the problem

of the size of brick to be employed.

Standardization found in every direction.

In every direction we find standardization, whether we look to the orbits of the electrons about the atom,

the constellations of the stars, the microcosm or the

macrocosm, commerce or the arts, industry or sport.

In the words of Albert W. Whitney, under the title “ The Place of Standardization in Modern Life,” in

the May, 1928, issue of Annals of the American

Academy of Political and Social Science:

There should be then a strong resemblance between the processes of nature and the processes of man * * * and

the part that standardization has played in nature should give us a very excellent idea of the part that standardization can

play and should play in the world of human activity.

Thus, it is a natural and logical step for us to follow

the precedents set by nature and apply them, for our mutual benefit, to the commodities of everyday trade

since experience proves that controlled standardization

is not to be feared, but fostered. Our concern, then,

instead of frowning upon standardization as a growing threat to individuality, should focus upon a proper

control of standardization in commerce and industry

to the end that this greatest factor in our modern civ- ilization shall continue to serve our best interests and

shall not be permitted to run wild.

In order that industries may be encouraged to control standardization of their own commodities, a serv-
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 21

ice is provided by the National Bureau of Standards,

available on request, by means of an orderly and wellbalanced procedure to establish acceptable standards on a nation-wide basis. A recent pamphlet describing this service entitled “ The Commercial Standards Service and Its Value to

INDUSTRY TO STUDY STOCK SIZES FOR

POLISHED COTTON TWINE

Preliminary Conference of Manufacturers on May 28 Indorsed

Proposal to Study Varieties of Products

A preliminary meeting of manufacturers of polished

cotton twine was held in New York at the Harvard

Club on May 28, under the auspices of the division of

simplified practice of the National Bureau of Standards, in cooperation with the twine committee of the

National Paper Trades Association, to consider the

simplification of this commodity. Manufacturers rep- resenting more than 90 per cent of the total annual

production were present or represented at this meeting.

The need for simplification of polished cotton twine was discussed at a joint meeting of manufacturers and

distributors held in New York in February, 1930. Following this meeting, an important manufacturer,

in requesting the division of simplified practice to call a meeting of manufacturers to consider simplification,

summarized the situation as follows:

At present we believe twines are produced in as many as 8

to 10 different qualities, and if the number of qualities to be produced could be narrowed down to, say, only 4 definite, dis- tinct ones, it would enable the manufacturers to produce each

of the various qualities more cheaply. Another one of the drawbacks to good production, and something which, at the present time, is responsible for excessive expense, is a matter

of put-up, such as balls, tubes, cones, reels, etc. There is no

standard for the weights that these styles of winding shall have. Some of these put-ups are very expensive to make, and

undoubtedly could be eliminated. We would find it difficult to suggest any particular standards which would be applied to the cotton-twine trade ; but we do feel that if the various manufacturers could be brought together to consider this whole matter, that a much more simplified schedule of production could be had, which would result itself into lower costs to the manufacturer as well as the consumer. To this end we urge that your division inquire of other manufacturers their opinions on

this matter ; and if they And there is sufficient interest to offer a fair chance of success, to call a meeting of those manufacturers for the purpose of going over the situation carefully, and

the appointing of a committee to draw up a tentative plan of simplified practice for the approval of the group. Those attending the meeting of May 28 were unani- mous in their opinion that there existed a need for

simplification, and all oAired to cooperate in the development of a program. A simplified practice committee was appointed, as follows : W. E. Penny (chairman), of the Cayuga Linen & Cotton Mills, Auburn,

N. Y. ; IV. D. Anderson, of the Bibb Manufacturing

Co., Macon, Ga.; E. S. Pratt, of the Samson Cordage

Works, Boston, Mass.; and George Underwood, jr., of

the Auburn Converting Co., Auburn, N. Y. The committee will prepare a survey form which will be sent

to all manufacturers for certain data which it was

agreed would be necessary as a basis for a tentative

schedule. The division will send out this survey form

when completed by the committee, and will compose a

Business,” sets forth a procedure whereby the Department of Commerce can be of assistance to industries

desiring to set up standard nomenclature, definitions,

grading rules, dimensional standards, or specifications

as a basis for marketing. Copies are available on

request.

combined report of the information thus received.

This combined report will form the basis for discussion

as to a future conference.

RESEARCH ON PURIFIED WOOD FIBERS

Bureau of Standards Is Making Tests on Purified Wood

Fibers

The buyer of certain kinds of paper is greatly interested in the probable durability thereof. The life of

paper is affected by three factors—the material of

which the paper is made, the process of manufacture,

and the storage conditions to which it is subjected.

The first of these three factors may be further broken

down into the kinds and amounts of fiber and of other

ingredients, such as sizing materials used to make the

paper water resistant.

Before a standard for permanence can be set up it is necessary that the effects of all of these three factors

be well understood. An investigation of the properties of papers made from purified wood fibers, with

different kinds and amounts of sizing, is now under

way. A number of tub-sized papers were prepared

in the Bureau of Standards paper mill, and these

papers are now being subjected to the various permanence tests. Three basic papers of purified wood

fibers, were tub sized. These were: (1) A waterleaf

paper, (2) a paper sized with one-half per cent rosin,

(3) a paper sized with 1 per cent rosin. Each of these

basic papers were tub sized with the following: (l)

glue, (2) glue and alum, (3) starch, and (I) starch

and alum.

The testing is under way on all these papers, but

sufficient data are not yet available to draw many conclusions. The basic papers and most of the glue-sized

papers have been subjected to the 72-hour heat test. The stability of the papers, as indicated by the reten- tion of their physical strength properties after heating,

is very high. The retention of glue, in the case of

papers tub-sized with glue, has not been determined

as yet, but the sizing has resulted in all cases in ex- pected increase infolding endurance, bursting strength,

and tensile strength. It is interesting to note that the

base paper sized with only one-half per cent rosin appeared to be sufficiently v7 ell sized. The possibility of

using such a small amount of rosin for the effective

sizing of papers from this type of fiber is of importance

from the standpoint of relative permanence.

In the case of starch-sized papers the amount of

starch retained was found to be in proportion to the

absorbency of the basic paper. Thus the waterleaf

sheet retained the most, about 2 per cent; the paper

sized with one-half per cent rosin retained about 1 per cent starch ; while the paper sized with 1 per cent

rosin retained about three-fourths per cent starch.

Tub-sizing with starch also resulted in the expected

increases in strength.
22 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 STANDARDS OF SERVICE IN THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY

Accurate Measurements and Codes of Practice Give Definite Basis for Commercial Relations

By E. C. Ckittenden, National Bureau of Standards

An earlier article in the June issue of this journal

described work of the National Bureau of Standards

affecting materials used in the electrical industry. The

bureau has two other general lines of work which

affect more directly the actual service rendered and

the relations of the electric power industry with the

public. These are methods of measuring the service,

and standards of practice to be followed in rendering it.

The primary function of the Bureau of Standards

is to supply the means for accurate measurement, and

this function it has endeavored to fulfill both for scientific and for commercial purposes.

Basic standards for electrical measurements.

The first step necessary is for the bureau itself to have highly accurate standards. Electrical units of

measurement are derived originally from mechanical

forces exerted by the electric current. In ordinary machines these forces are tremendous, but they can not be

calculated with high accuracy.

Special devices made to the most exact dimensions

and built of the purest obtainable materials must be

used to determine whether the practical electrical units

have the correct values. In spite of the care with

which this lias been done in the past it is now known

that there are errors in the units large enough to be

significant in some engineering work. For several

years, therefore, the bureau has had skillful experimenters designing, building, and adjusting new devices

for the determination of the correct values of the ampere and ohm, from which the volt and watt would

follow. At the same time it has been carrying on negotiations for international action in correcting the old

units.

Much study has also been given to the laboratory

standards by which the values of the units are maintained when they have once been established.

Standards for industrial and commercial measurements.

It is not sufficient, however, for the bureau itself to have highly accurate standards and instruments.

There must be ways provided to carry over this accu- racy in such degree as may be practicable to the operations of commerce and industry.

Every meter used in the sale of electricity in this- country has its scale of measurement derived directly

or indirectly from the standards of the bureau. In

order to make this possible, standard instruments are

calibrated, first, for the manufacturers who produce

the meters; second, for utility companies which are usually required by State or municipal regulations to check their meters at specified intervals; and finally,,

for the State public service commissions which usually

check the measurements of the companies and make

special tests on meters concerning which complaints

are made by customers.

Typical electrical instruments tested by the Bureau of Standards, and distributing panel for power supply to instrument

testing laboratories
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 23

Improved methods for calibrating transformers.

The bureau also tests the various types of instruments which are used by electric companies in the control of their own operations, an .. in the measurement

of power interchanged between companies. The growing magnitude of the electric power industry continually calls for new instruments of larger range.

The bureau has devised improved methods for the

calibration of the instrument transformers used in the

measurement of electric power in large amounts, and

it calibrates these transformers as well as the instruments that go with them. New instruments for the accurate measurement of electric currents up to 12,000

amperes and of voltages up to 300,000 are now being

built in the bureau’s shops.

Standards of practice.

The standards of practice for which the bureau is sponsor are developed with the cooperation of all in- terests affected by them. They serve as guides to good practice in industry.

Some are supplied chiefly by voluntary action of

those affected, while others are codifications of re- quirements suitable for legal enforcement by States or cities. The bureau itself has no authority to applj

or enforce these codes, but their widespread acceptance

by State utility and industrial commissions has helped

greatly in furthering uniformity of regulations, as well as in making them reasonable and adequate.

The standards of this class which affect electric

service most directly are Standards for Electric Service, the Code for Electricity Meters, and the National

Electrical Safety Code. The first includes a compilation of actual State and city regulations regarding

electric service, a discussion of the elements which

must be considered in determining the adequacy and

safety of such service, and drafts of regulations and

ordinances which are recommended for use by States,

cities, and towns.

The Meter Code is a joint project of the bureau, the

Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, and

the National Electric Light Association. It gives complete specifications for the testing and acceptance of

types of electricity meters and prescriptions for their

proper use. The Electrical Safety Code is a very complete set of rules to be observed in the generation, distribution,

and use of electric power, in order to make the service

as free as possible from hazards to persons. The bureau has also published a Code for Protection

Against Lightning, one part of which deals with protection of electrical circuits and equipment.

Assists in periodic revisions of National Electric

Code.

In addition to these codes for which it has primary

responsibility, the bureau also takes an active part in

the periodical revisions of the National Electric Code,

which is prepared by a committee under the auspices

of the National Fire Protection Association, primarily

for the purpose of minimizing fire hazards. This code

includes detailed requirements for electrical wiring in

buildings and is the basis of most of the legal regulations on this subject. It is therefore of vital importance to the whole electrical industry, and numerous

committees are continually at work in perfecting it and revising its rules so as to encourage the best practices in wiring. The Bureau of Standards is repre- sented on 12 of these committees and furnishes chairmen for four of them.

Similarly, through committees of various engineering societies and trade associations, the bureau helps

in the development of many other standard codes and

specifications which find application in the electrical as well as other industries.

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF

2-BLADE PROPELLER FANS

Tests at Bureau of Standards Develop Important Data for Industry

Some time ago an investigation was undertaken of

the performance of 2-blade propeller fans, to obtain

data needed by industry. Recently there has been a trend toward the use of fans of this type in coolingtower installations, and their use has been considered

for other applications where it is desired to move large

volumes of air against relatively low pressures. Since no data were available as to the operating characteristics of 2-blade propeller fans, the importance to the

manufacturer and user of obtaining this information

is obvious.

Seven 2-blade propeller fans, 8 feet in diameter and

of pitch diameter ratios 0.250, 0.375, 0.500, 0.625, 0.938,

and 1.063, respectively, were tested at the National

Bureau of Standards under operating conditions

approximating those encountered in cooling towers. Each fan was operated at constant speed of rotation

against resistance conditions which were varied by

steps, from a completely blocked passage to as nearly

an open passage as the conditions in the test duct per- mitted. The volume of air moved in unit time, the

head developed, and the power absorbed by the fan were determined for each resistance condition. Data

were obtained for two conditions of operation, (1)

with the fan operating as a blower, and (2) with the

fan exhausting air from the test duct.

Results obtained.

The results were expressed in the form of coefficients and plotted to facilitate their use in estimating the

performance of fans of other diameters and of other

rotational speeds.

The chief effect of variation of pitch diameter ratio

is to increase the range of the head and volume coeffi- cients with increase in pitch diameter ratio, up to pitch

diameter ratio of 0.938. Pitch diameter ratios greater

than 1 should not, in general, be used.

Two-blade propeller fans are suitable for moving

large volumes of air against pressures that do not

exceed 1 inch of water. For pressures greater than 1 inch of water the rotational speeds become inconveniently large. The speed of rotation and the fan diameter should be carefully chosen to obtain maximum

efficiency.
24 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR ROAD EQUIPMENT

Highway Department Official Reviews Value of Standard Specifications for Purchase of Road-Building

Equipment

iy W. A. Van Duzer, Assistant Chief Engineer, Pennsylvania Department of Highways, and President American Road Builders' Association

If the specifications covering supplies, material, and

equipment used by the different highway authorities

could be standardized, we believe the benefits derived

would more than recompense the effort and expense

necessary to bring about such standardization. It is, of course, obvious that the large majority of purchases,

especially in the equipment line, can not be completely

standardized, neither do we believe it would be advantageous to carry standardization too far as it would have a tendency to retard improvement in

designs.

No one would care to make the statement that any

particular design is the acme of perfection and does

not offer opportunities for improvement. However,

there are many items which, it is believed, could be

standardized and from which standardization, much

benefit would be derived. Among these benefits are the following: The manufacturers, knowing that the

different States would require materials covered by

the same specifications, could manufacture such materials throughout the year, stocking them during the

dull seasons. This would have a tendency to stabilize

industry and would permit a more economic production which should be reflected in the purchase price.

If materials were standardized, deliveries could be

made promptly, and costly delays would be avoided.

In case of emergencies the highways departments

would be able to obtain material meeting their specifications and requirements. At present it is often impracticable to Avait until such materials can be obtained, and consequently substitute and often inferior

materials are accepted in order that the work may not

be delayed.

Value of Standardization.

By promulgating standard specifications better materials or equipment can be obtained. As an example

of this, Ave would cite the 10-gallon caretaker’s heating kettles, as they were sold by the leading supply

houses four or five years ago. These kettles were made

of light-gage sheet steel which Avas too thin to lend

itself to welding. Consequently, the spouts and seams on these kettles were riveted and almost invariably

leaked when neAV. In addition to this, the kettles Avere so light that a rough handling soon had them out of

shape and unserviceable. About four years ago Ave drew up specifications increasing the gage of the metal

and specifying that all joints should be welded. Practically all the manufacturers adopted these specifications, and noAv the heavier kettles can be purchased

from any of the supply houses handling this class of

equipment.

Another example where standard specifications haA'e been of benefit is on road drags. For years Ave purchased road drags on competitive bids. Different manufacturers had special points about their particular

drags that they emphasized which were good, and others Avere merely talking points. Tavo years ago we

Avent into this matter carefully and made a draAving

of a standard road drag. In doing this Ave embodied

the really worth-Avhile points in all the drags adding

weight and strength where required. "VVe submitted

these drawings to the different manufacturers of drags

and obtained competitive prices. The drags Ave purchased cost very little more than Ave had been paying

for an inferior product, and not only gave us a very

efficient drag, but also gave us drags where all parts

Avere interchangeable, and as soon as the entire State

is equipped with these drags confusion relative to the

purchase of drag blades and repair parts will be a thing of the past.

Variety of Equipment.

Speaking of drag blades brings up the point of

cutting edges for graders. A survey about tAvo years

ago showed that while we had graders with four different lengths of blades, it required 54 different cutting

edges to supply our needs. This Avas due to the different shapes and different punchings as furnished by

the various manufacturers of road graders. About

that time Ave adopted the standard as recommended

by the standardization committee of the Mississippi

Valley Association of State Higlrway Departments.

All graders purchased iioav are equipped with moldboards punched to take these cutting edges. As soon

as our old machines are worn out the purchase of

cutting edges for graders will be simplified.

Another class of equipment that lends itself Avell to standardization is snow fence. At present practically

the only difference in the specifications of different States covering snow fence is that some of the States specify No. 12y2

Avliile others specify No. 12. There

is also a slight difference in the test of galvanizing on

tliis wire. Consequently, snoAv-fence manufacturers,

of whom there are only five or six in the country, are unable to manufacture fence for the different departments until they have been definitely awarded the contracts. This often leads to delays in furnishing this

equipment. We minimize these delays by advertising

early in the year; usually in June. HoAvever, if the

different States had the same specifications Ave are often quite sure that Ave Avould obtain better prices,

prompter deliveries, and that the manufacturers Avould

be better satisfied. This also might apply to corrugated pipe. At pres- ent pipe manufactured to the specifications of some

States Avill not be accepted by Pennsylvania due to the

specifications relative to riveting and width of the lap.

Consequently, if we require pipe on short notice Ave often are compelled to wait until such pipe can be

fabricated, while if the specifications of the different States were standardized such pipe could be shipped

directly from stock.
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 25

The specifications covering crushed stone, as promulgated by the different States, give a good example of

wasted effort and money on the part of the stone producers. For instance, producers who are shipping in- terstate business and have orders for two or more

States must change their screens in order to meet the

grading requirements of the different States. They do

not dare to stock a large quantity of stone for fear

they will not be able to dispose of it. Very few of the

stone producers have space to stock different sizes as required bir different States. Specifications should be coordinated.

We see no reason why specifications covering bituminous materials for surface treatment, penetration,

etc., can not be standardized ; and there is every reason

to believe that if they were, the highway departments,

as well as the producers of such materials, would be

mutually benefited. The same applies to paints used

especially for highway purposes, such as traffic paint,

guard-rail paint, sign paint, etc. In the higher class of equipment, such as trucks,

standardization is rather a difficult problem to solve. We have standardized on dumping equipment for

manually operated dump bodies. The principal idea

being to obtain a dump body that will be safe in operation or, in other words, one that can not run down and

injure the operator by a flying crank or wheel. Three

years ago, when we insisted on this type of equipment,

there was only one manufacturer who produced a dumping arrangement that met our specifications.

However, to-day there are at least four that comply

with our specifications with regard to safety.

On various other items of equipment we realize that

complete standardization is impracticable. In drawing specifications for such equipment it is our practice

to draw specifications sufficiently tight to exclude

equipment we know is not suited for our purpose and

sufficiently open to accept all other equipment. This we believe should be the purpose of all specifications.

To-day there has been very little concerted effort on

the part of the different highway departments to attempt standardization or to cooperate, or to coordinate,

in the promulgation of specifications.

We believe that if the testing division, the equipment

division, and the purchasing divisions of the different

States would give this matter careful and serious consideration that much benefit would be derived. At

first it might be opposed by the manufacturers, but we

believe if the matter was properly handled their objections could be overcome by the potential benefits to be

derived by them through such standardization.

Road builders interested.

The American Road Builders’ Association, recognizing the benefits to be derived from standardization

of purchase and standardization of equipment models,

appointed a committee about two years ago to work

in conjunction with a similar committee appointed by

the Associated General Contractors of America to work out a depreciation schedule on equipment. This

committee made a progress report at the annual meeting of the American Road Builders’ Association in

1929, showing the rates of depreciation on practically

all kinds of equipnient used in highway construction.

The final report was made at the Atlantic City meeting of the association last January, and these schedules

are now available.

The American Association of State Highway Officials and the American Road Builders’ Association

appointed a joint committee, of which the writer was

chairman, to work out a method of standardization

of purchase. A report was made last year and the

committee will continue during the coming season. There was also appointed a joint committee of the

American Association of State Highway Officials and

the American Road Builders’ Association, to standardize the construction of weighing devices for fine and coarse aggregates for concrete, which has been

adopted as standard by the two associations.

It is proposed during the next year to continue these

studies and make recommendations which will help

the equipment manufacturers as well as the road

authorities in determining set standards for each piece

of equipment used in highway construction.

AMERICAN NATIONAL SPECIAL SCREW

THREADS

Industry Adopts Recommended Program

The 12-pitch thread series recommended by the National Screw Thread Commission has been followed

by some producers and users for several years where

a certain pitch is essential for a range of sizes, as in railroad practice where worn stud holes are required

to be retapped or in machine construction where thin

nuts are used on shafts and sleeves. While the recommendations of the National Screw

Thread Commission are mandatory upon the War and

Navy Departments and as far as practicable apply

also to purchases by all Government departments, it seemed desirable to determine the extent to which

these standards were being applied by the industries

concerned. Accordingly, at the request of the National

Screw Thread Commission, the National Bureau of

Standards circulated Section II of the National Screw

Thread Tables for Shop Use—Special Threads, to the

industry to determine the extent of adoption and use

of these recommendations in industry.

As a result of this circulation a satisfactory majority

of written acceptances have been received and an- nouncements have been issued stating that the Commercial Standard for Special Screw Threads may be

considered effective for new production as of Julv 1, 1930. This commercial standard covers limiting dimensions and tolerances for classes 1, 2, 3, and 4 fits of the

American National 12-pitch thread series as well as other screw threads of special dimensions, pitches, and

lengths of engagements. The tables given comprise

the most essential dimensions as recommended by the. National Screw Thread Commission and are recom- mended primarily for shop use.
26 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 TESTING TYPEWRITER RIBBONS

Requirements of Federal Specification for Typewriter Ribbons to Insure Legibility

By C. E. Waters, National Bureau of Standards

The popular notion is that almost any intensely

colored liquid can be used as writing ink. What gives

the color and how the liquid is prepared are given no thought. A typewriter ribbon is another thing

which is taken for granted, yet a great deal of

technical skill goes into the making of it. This starts when the bale of cotton is opened. Near

the very beginning of the Federal specification (No.

167a) is the requirement that the cotton shall be

“thoroughly combed and free from waste. It shall

be evenly woven and free from an excessive number

of avoidable imperfections of manufacture.” Evidently the fabric can not be made in a careless or haphazard way.

Further requirements concerning the fabric are its thickness and its thread count, or number of threads

per linear inch in each direction. If a ribbon has a high thread count it follows that it can not be excessively thick. Suppose it has 150 threads per inch

of warp and of filling. Each thread will be slightly

less than inch in diameter because there are spaces

between them. So the thickness where two threads

cross one another would be less than inch, even

if each did not slightly indent the other. The influ- ence of these two factors will be made plain by a simple calculation. The specification limits the thick- ness to 0.0057 inch. If the threads were in close contact with those beside them, and did not indent one

another, this thickness would correspond to a count

of 350 in each direction, for -j-Lt equals 0.00286 inch,

which is almost exactly half of 0.0057. Although thread count limits the thickness, the re- verse is not true. Mosquito netting is thin, yet has

a low thread count. The specification calls for a moderately high count so that the ribbons will have a comparatively smooth, fine-grained surface and will

not be so thick as to give blurred impressions.

Manufacture of ribbons.

Most ribbons are cut from wide pieces of fabric and

have their edges gummed to prevent fraying. They

are believed to be preferable to ribbons which are woven of the desired width. The tension of the fill- ing threads near the selvages is apt to make them lie less flat than cut-edge ribbons. However, for some

computing and recording machines selvage ribbons

are preferred because of their greater tensile strength.

The ink used on typewriter ribbons consists of an

oily vehicle mixed with solid pigments which impart

the color. The manufacturer shows his skill and ex- perience in making the ink and in applying it to the

ribbon evenly and in the required amount. The inking must be light, medium, or heavy, to suit different

users. As previously stated, carbon is an exceedingly

permanent pigment. It is also an excellent pigment

for making the ink for typewriter ribbons. The blow

of the type forces part of the carbon into the interstices between the paper fibers, where it should remain

indefinitely, or as long as the paper lasts. Naturally,

for the best results the ribbon should not have been

used so long as the writing is gray instead of black.

Colored ribbons contain dyes, usually in the form of

insoluble lakes, which are intimate mixtures of dye

and inert mineral matter. Though it may take a great

many years, the dye will finally fade, so only black

record ribbons should be used for writing important

documents that are to be kept for a long time. In addition to the usual pigments, copying ribbons contain

soluble dye. When moistened in a letter press, enough

of this dye to make a copy of the writing will dissolve.

Testing ribbons.

In testing ribbons, 25 short lines are written in rapid

succession over exactly the same part of the ribbon, so

as to find out how rapidly the ink will be exhausted.

The first lines should not be too inky, nor the last un- duly faint. The best ribbon is the one which shows the

least decrease in blackness of writing from one line to the next. After the 25 lines have been written the

ribbon is allowed to rest for an hour, after which one more line is written. If there is good “ recovery,” or

flow of ink from the adjacent parts of the ribbon to replenish the exhausted spot, this last line should be

as black as the third line of the 25. In actual use, a ribbon is not put to so hard a test as this. It moves forward a little after each stroke

of the type, and no part of it is written over more

than once without being given time to recover. A ribbon is 12 yards long, and all but a few inches at each

end is written on. The point exactly midway between

the ends moves forward almost 6 yards and back the same distance before it is again struck by the type. It

is easy to see how the point at the beginning of the

ribbon, where the type first hits, will travel nearly 24

yards before it again comes into play. On the average,

any given point on the ribbon travels almost 12 yards

before coming under the type a second time.

A serious fault of some ribbons is that the ink fills the loops of a, e, and other letters, which causes an

unsightly blur on the paper and gives a blotchy effect to the writing. A simple test for this fault is to write

the letter e 800 times. With a good ribbon the last e will be as sharp as the first. A moderately bad ribbon

will be detected before the end of the test. Sometimes,

in an extremely bad case, ink will accumulate in the

loop of the e, will be picked out by the ribbon, and

will again accumulate. This may occur several times

while the 800 e’s are being written.

Sometimes when a ribbon is approaching the end of

its useful life, a page of writing will show great un- evenness in blackness, as if the ribbon were not uniformly inked. This effect is certainly not due to variations in the operator’s touch. The ribbon is generally

blamed for being unevenly inked. There is no practicable laboratory test for detecting this condition.
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY

Only by writing continuously for a great many hours

or days, and using many sheets of paper, can the ribbon be brought to the state where evidence of uneven

inking will be apparent. Attempts to uniformly re- move enough of the ink to bring the ribbon nearly to the end of its life would have the tendency to dis27

tribute the ink more evenly and would thus defeat the

test.(In a forthcoming issue of the Commercial Standards Monthly the author will present the third and

last chapter of his article, which will deal with carbon

paper.)

STANDARDIZATION BRIEFS

The success that has marked the simplification of

paint and varnish brushes and floor sweeps has

prompted the American Brush Manufacturers’ Association to request the services of the division of simplified practice of the National Bureau of Standards in

developing a recommendation covering dutch, semidutch, and baby dutch kalsomine brushes. Multiplicity of sizes seems to run rampant in this line of

brushes, and a reduction to those sizes and types which

meet the largest demand of the consumers should result

in very definite economies to the industry.

The report of the committee on standards for constant current transformers, which has been available in

printed form since June, 1929, has been recommended

for approval and publication as an American Institute

of Electrical Engineers standard. The final standard

will include certain revisions of the material contained

in the report. These revisions are the result of suggestions received since the general circulation of the

report.

The committee of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers on automatic stations has recom- mended the revision of standard No. 26, automatic sta- tions. The revision consists in certain changes in functional numbers used to designate apparatus, and also changes in the table showing requirements for minimum protection of power apparatus.

A plan has been inaugurated for the standardization

of all hydrants and fire-fighting equipment in the

State of South Carolina, according to Sam B. King,

insurance commissioner of that State. Although this

work can not be expected to diminish the number of

fires, it can be readily seen that, with the present day

of good roads and fast motor-driven vehicles and

standard equipment, the possibility of an uncontrollable conflagration will be next to impossible.

Beprints of American Petroleum Institute standardization bulletin No. 104, presenting Belt Fastener Report for 1929, by Glenn H. Bowlus, General Petro- leum Corporation of California, have been mailed to members of the institute’s division of production committee on standardization of oil-field belting. The re- print contains a summary of the work of the committee on this subject, with suggestions for improved

practice.

A proposed American standard for rolled threads

for screw shells of electric sockets and lamp bases has

been developed by a committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, working under the

procedure of the American Standards Association.

This proposal is now being distributed to the industry

for general criticism and comment.

A preliminary meeting of manufacturers was held

in Utica, N. Y., May 26, for the purpose of appointing a simplified practice committee and to study the

combined report of the survey made in conjunction

with the division of simplified practice and the Associated Knit Underwear Manufacturers of the U. S. A.

The sectional committee of the American Institute

of Electrical Engineers on insulated wires and cables

has prepared three new specifications as follows

Specifications for weatherproof (weather-resisting)

wires and cables ; specifications for heat-resisting wires

and cables; and specifications for code rubber insulation for wire and cable for general purposes. These

specifications can be obtained, for comment, from

Francis J. White, care of the Okonit Co., 501 Fifth

Avenue, New York, N. Y.

Manufacturers of wooden tubs for butter, lard, etc., have been circularized for comment on the possibility

of developing a simplification program in this field.

More than 40 manufacturers of hay presses are being circularized in order to ascertain whether or not

they believe there is a need for simplification of varieties of this machine.

The report on air-circuit breakers, No. 20, has been

recommended for approval and publication as an American Institute of Electrical Engineers standard.

The report has been available in printed form since

June, 1928. The final standard will be identical with

the printed report with the exception of the addition

of five definitions as follows: High-speed breaker,

trip-free electrically and mechanically, interruptingrating. standard operating duty, interrupting per- formance.

Manufacturers of steel joists, through their association, the Steel Joist Institute, have requested the division of simplified practice to call a general conference

of all interests to consider for approval, a tentative

simplified practice recommendation which they have

drafted. This conference will probabh7 be held in

July of this year. An extensive revision of the standards for trans- formers, induction regulators and reactors. No. 13, has

been approved by the standards committee of the

American Institute of Electrical Engineers. The re- vised standard will be available shortly as a new edition of No. 13.
28 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JUDY. 1930 UNIFORMITY OF TRAFFIC LAWS URGED

Third Annual Conference on Street and Highway Safety Recommends That All States Adopt the Uniform

Vehicle Code and Model Ordinance

By Col. A. B. Barbee, Director, National Conference on Street ancl Highway Safety

Standardization and uniformity of laws and ordi- nances and of traffic signs and markings provide the

most direct approach to solution of the intricate problem of vehicular congestion and prevention of acci- dents in the view of the Third National Conference on Street and Highway Safety. Uniformity should

extend also to driving practices and rules of the road.

The vehicular problem is essentially one for the

States and cities to handle. While it is recognized that

it calls for concerted action of governmental authorities of all States and cities, and of civic organizations

and public bodies, the task does not come within the

proper functions of the Federal Government. The

Federal authorities have sought, however, to be of

assistance to the States and cities in approaching the

problem without encroaching upon authority that

belongs to them.

Congestion mainly in cities. Congestion in its most acute form is probably found

in cities and towns with street systems that were

designed many years ago to accommodate an entirely

different class of traffic and type of vehicles from those

in use at this time. * Practical solution of the traffic problem in many of these towns and cities must ulti- mately be found in changes in the street systems to accommodate the new conditions that have arisen.

The program of the National Conference on Street

and Highway Safety, which is advisory to the States and cities, is divided naturally into ways and means

for immediate improvement, and into changes that

contemplate permanent relief. The conference ex- pressed the belief that adequate control of traffic at important street crossings, with enforcement of sound

regulations, the proper marking of streets and highways, and standardized practices, will in the majority

of cases afford immediate improvement. Permanent

relief, however,, will require a longer period of time,

and involves the question of adequate finances, street and road rearrangement, and uniformity of State laws

and municipal ordinances.

The conference said in its final report “ effective

and lasting remedies must correct the primary causes of congestion; they must put the available facilities to the best use; provide needed additional traffic ca- pacity, and coordinate land utilization with traffic and

transportation facilities.” Uniform vehicle code.

The Uniform Vehicle Code of the conference, regulating traffic on public highways, has already been

adopted in whole or in substantial part by approximately half of the States of the Union. The experi- ence of the States and cities where it has been adopted

indicates that it has proved distinctly successful in

application, and, with few exceptions, has been found

adequate for the purposes intended. The conference

took emphatic stand on the position that the remaining States and municipalities should accept the uniform code and model ordinance.

It was pointed out that political boundaries from

the standpoint of traffic have been largely wiped out and the motor vehicle has created a universally recognized need for uniformity in traffic laws and regulations in all jurisdictions which participate in any

considerable degree in vehicle movement between different jurisdictions. Uniformity of laws is desirable

to assure an effective and harmonious regulation

throughout the country and to facilitate understanding

by the motor driver of the requirements of any State

or locality in which he may find himself.

Code divided into four parts.

The uniform code is divided into four acts, as fol- lows: (1) Uniform motor vehicle registration act;

(2) uniform motor vehicle antitheft act; (3) uniform

motor vehicle operators’ and chauffeur’s license act; and (4) uniform act regulating traffic on highways.

The model municipal traffic ordinance is supplementary to the Uniform Vehicle Code and is designed to meet the needs of municipalities for standardized regulations conforming to State laws. In addition, there

is recommended a standard system of street traffic signs, signals, and markings, which have been devised

by a committee of the American Engineering Council

after a thorough study of practices and tendencies.

The conference stated as follows

State laws should prescribe a uniform system of enforce- ment to be applied in part by State adm'nistrative machinery

and the State courts and in part by the local authorities. The

necessary special traffic control and traffic patrol police should

be provided and the regular police should cooperate in traffic enforcement. Provision should be made for prompt and

thorough collection of evidence and investigation of accidents;

for the proper preparation of traffic cases for trial; for special

traffic courts or special traffic sessions of general courts, and

traffic violations bureaus with a schedule of penalties for dis- posing of minor infractions, so as to give the courts more time

to deal adequately with more serious cases ; uniform permanent

records of all convictions of traffic v'olations and traffic acci- dents, suspensions and revocations of operators’ licenses, and

refusals to grant licenses ; and the exchange of detailed infor- mation between jurisdictions as to suspensions and revocations

of licenses and convictions for serious traffic offenses. The

courts, the prosecut’ng attorneys, and the police, through vig- orous enforcement and even-handed treatment of offenders, should instill in the public respect for the traffic laws and

regulations. Public opinion in support of enforcement should

be organized through a representative citizens’ committee in each locality, forming part of an organized effort of all ele- ments in the community interested in street and highway acci- dent reduction. Recommendations of conference.

The conference also made recommendations as to standard road-building practices. In this respect the

conference said that there should be: (1) Adequate

roadway width for the traffic, with separate footways

along highways with heavy vehicular and pedestrian

traffic, and adequate rights of way to provide for parking space, clear view at curves and intersections, and
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 29

future roadway widenings; (2) space for parking off the traveled portion of rural highways, either continuously or at intervals not exceeding 300 feet; (3) rea- sonable grades of not more than 6 per cent where

feasible, and curves of not less than 300 feet radius, on highways of primary importance, with widening and

banking of curves; (4) avoidance of combinations of

heavy grades and sharp curves; (5) cross sections of

the pavement or roadway as flat as drainage conditions will permit; (6) guard railings of substantial

type on the shoulder of embankments; (T) clear view

of approaching vehicles for at least 500 feet on highways of primary importance, provided by necessai'y

control of private advertising signs on the right of

way or on private property near the highway, and by

removing the trees, shrubs, and sloping banks on or

off the right of ivay, and cutting down sharp hill crests; (8) bridges at least 22 feet wide to enable two

lines of traffic to pass without difficulty, and suitable

provision for the safety of pedestrians on such bridges

(9) careful selection and wide marking of detours,

with their maintenance in safe condition, and the

prompt removal of obsolete detour or temporary construction signs; (10) maintenance in good condition

of pavements and roadway shoulders; (11) prompt

removal of snow from streets and highways of heavy

traffic; and (12) proper illumination of city streets and of highways wherever financially practicable.

Adequate and ample protection of highway intersections is deemed by the Third National Conference on

Street and Highway Safety to be one of the most important phases of assuring the safety of the road and

reducing and forestalling accidents and vehicle mishaps. Not only should the physical hazards be re- moved, but special protective measures, such as signs

and markings, should be installed. These signs and

markings, the conference urged, should be uniform in

every State and on every highway. The hazard at highway intersections is such as to require the same

safety measures and precautions as are taken in respect

to railway grade crossings.

The conference stated that the special protective measures and safeguards at highway intersections in

the way of standard fixed signs and markings should

be as follows

Advance warning signs in the form of standard “ cross road ” or “ side road ” signs at approaches to highway intersec- tions where the crossings would not otherwise be readily recognized, or where there is a hazard that is not otherwise obvious

also, center line markings on roadways of heavy traffic, and

lane markings on wide roadways. At points nearer the inter- section 20-mile speed signs where the view is obstructed or other special hazards exist and the highway is not protected

against crossing traffic by stop signs ; and stop signs at the

entrances, to through highways ; also, where these signs can not be seen sufficiently in advance, the placement of standard

“ slow ” signs, and with pavement markings, if necessary, to supplement them.

Short directional lines on the pavement with arrow to indicate direction, or suitable traffic markers or buttons to direct the movement of traffic within the intersection. Where

the traffic is dense on both of the highways at an intersection, the conference believes that unless grade separation is economically practicable there should be a stop-and-go control of

traffic by automatic lights or by traffic officers. Where the

traffic is dense on one road and light on the other, the con- ference believes that traffic-actuated control signals afford a

practical means of avoiding excessive interruption of the travel on the main thoroughfare, or undue delay of traffic on the smaller road.

RED CEDAR CLOSET LINING

Conference Approves Proposed Standard

On May 23, at Chattanooga, Tenn., a general con- ference was called by the division of trade standards

of those interested in the manufacture, sale, and use of red cedar closet lining.

Tins meeting considered and approved for recom- mendation to the entire industry standard grading

rules for aromatic red cedar closet lining. This commercial standard is a minimum specification for clothescloset lining made only from genuine aromatic red

cedar { Juniperus virginiana) and covers width, thickness, minimum length, matching, heartwood requirements, and permissible defects.

It is the desire of the manufacturers to set a high

quality standard for this product. According to the

recommended standard the red heartwood which produces the characteristic cedar aroma must constitute

75 or more per cent of the face of each piece.

In addition to the standard specifications there are given some of the manufacturers’ recommendations

for the most efficient construction of cedar closets and

precautions necessary in the storing of clothes and

other articles in cedar closets and other cedar storage

receptacles.

These recommended standards are being circulated

to manufacturers, distributors, and consumers of cedar

lining for their formal approval and copies may be

had by addressing the Division of Trade Standards,

National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. MAXIMUM SPANS FOR JOISTS AND RAFTERS

New Handbook of National Lumber Manufacturers Association Deals with Problems of Interest to Construction

Industry

A new handbook of Maximum Spans for Joists and

Rafters has been published by the National Lumber

Manufacturers Association, for the guidance of architects, engineers, contractors, and carpenters. Span

tables are given for joists of various sizes and spacing,

with different live loads, and for plastered as well as unplastered ceilings.

There are also tables for maximum spans of ceiling

joists and attic floor joists, rafters, and roof joists. A

complementary table deals with the area of cross sec- tion, weight per linear foot, moment of inertia, and

section modulus of American standard dressed sizes of

nominal timber sizes, from 2 by 4 up to 24 by 30 inches.

A foreword explains the use of the tables and shows

how their application to species and grade of lumber

may be determined by the local building code or by ref- erence to the forthcoming Working Stresses for Structural Timber, another publication of the National

Lumber Manufacturers Association in its construction

information series.
30 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY [JULY, 1930 VALUE OF DISTRIBUTION CENSUS TO MANUFACTURERS

Survey Data Will Serve as Basis for Developing Standard Marketing Practices

Manufacturers probably will derive nearly as much

benefit from the census of distribution as will accrue

to either wholesale or retail dealers, according to the

Bureau of the Census of the Department of Commerce. For years alert and progressive manufacturers

have been searching constantly for comprehensive and

reliable data regarding markets and the country’s dis- tributive system in order to adapt their productive

processes to the changed and changing conditions in

wholesale and retail trade.

In response to the demand of the business world

generally, Congress authorized the census of distribution to be taken as a part of the fifteenth decennial

census. As a result of this nation-wide survey of the

vast distributive field, statistical tabulations will be

compiled which will form a great storehouse of in- formation of direct value to manufacturers. Figures

regarding the size of each establishment in the Nation

engaged in distribution, the activities of chain stores, the prevalence of cash as against credit operations, and

other data needed by manufacturers in laying out

sales quotas and sales campaigns will be made

available.

All retail stores, little or big, no matter where lo- cated, in downtown districts, outlying sections, towns,

villages, and country crossroads; also wholesalers,

jobbers, and commission merchants are being can- vassed in the census. Others included are construction contractors doing $25,000 worth of business;

hotels having 25 rooms or more; automobile repair

shops, restaurants, butchers and abattoirs, country

buyers of farm products, cooperative buying and sell- ing organizations, brokers, supply houses, and equipment dealers.

Scope of inquiries.

The inquiries of the distribution questionnaires are designed to reveal information concerning the geographical distribution of the various types of retail and wholesale outlets, the kind of merchandise handled

and by what stores, in the various sections of the country. A question also will be asked of all manufacturers, which will reveal the extent to which manufacturers are engaged in wholesale and retail merchandising activities, and will show the extent to which

their products are sold through the assistance of

agents. When the census is completed accurate and

complete information should be available showing the manner in which the manufacturers of each of the 340

different kinds of industries in the country are selling

their products.

The statistics will show to what extent manufacturers are performing the functions of both the wholesaler and retailer through direct selling to the con- sumer, or through their affiliated,- owned, or controlled

retail stores. They will also show the extent to which

the manufacturers are selling direct to retail stores, other than their own, througli their affiliated, owned,

or controlled branch wholesale houses ; likewise the extent to whicli manufacturers of different sizes in

different localities and in different industries are uti- lizing manufacturers’ agents. £5 C5 Such data will indicate the changes being wrought

in the manufacturing and merchandising mechanism

of the country. All this information will be available

geographically as well as industrially and by size of

establishment.

NEW STANDARD OF LIGHT FIRST SUGGESTED

BY WAIDNER AND BURGESS

During the past two years the National Bureau of

Standards has perfected a light source which is suit- able for use as a primary standard of light.

Up to the present time no satisfactory standard has

been available. In this country the unit of light (the

candle) has been maintained by a group of 45 carbonfilament electric lamps, to which have been assigned

definite ratings when burned under specified conditions. To keep the size of the unit of candlepower

unchanged with such electric-lamp standards it was

necessary that no changes take place in the lamps

themselves, a requirement which can not be met indefi- nitely by any electric lamp or group of lamps.

The new light source consists of a hollow inclosure

of fused thoria immersed in a bath of pure freezing

platinum. It is reproducible in that it can be set up anew at any time and does not depend upon the un- changing character of any particular pieces of material. It depends only upon the constancy of a natural

phenomenon, namely, the fact that pure platinum will

always freeze at the same temperature. The light

emitted each time the source has been set up anew has

been found to be the same, as compared with the

bureau’s carbon electric lamp standards, within 1 part

in 1,000. This is about the limit of accuracy attainable in photometry.

The old electric lamp standards were irreplaceable

and their loss or a serious change in their properties,

such as must eventually occur, would in the past, have

been nothing less than a catastrophe. If, however,

such a loss occurred now, the bureau could replace

these lamps without the assistance of outside laboratories by rating a new set of lamps in terms of the

light emitted by the platinum standard. The relation

of this light to the present unit of candlepower has

been accurately established as one candle for each

1,700 square millimeters of opening.

It happens, fortunately, that the color of the light

emitted by the new standard is practically identical

with that emitted by the old standard. It is hoped

that before very long the new light source will be

recognized generally and adopted as an international

standard.
JULY, 1930] COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY 31

CURRENT ACTIVITIES OF THE AMERICAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION

Yearbook for Association Announced; New Projects Reviewed

The American Standards Yearbook, a review of the

National standardization activities of the American

Standards Association during the past year, has just

been published by the association. The following are among the high spots of the year’s activities as noted

in the yearbook

The underwriting by industry of nearly $500,000 for

the promotion of national standardization during the

next three years. The affiliation of the American

Standards Association with the national standardizing

bodies of 20 other nations through the International

Standards Association. This body, which has its headquarters at Zurich, Switzerland, will promote international cooperation in standardization work ; important

progress in the standardization of products directly

affecting the ultimate consumer, such as textiles and

household mechanical devices; increased recognition of

the value of national industrial standards in the field of foreign trade; the completion of an agreement between the American Standards Association and the

National Bureau of Standards providing for a maximum degree of cooperation between the Government

and private bodies in the promotion of industrial

standardization.

The economic importance of standardization is pointed out in a foreword to the yearbook by George

B. Cortelyou, president of the Consolidated Gas Co.

of New York, who says

Standardization is of prime importance at the present time

to practically every American industry as a means of pro- moting industrial stabilization and of minimizing unemployment. It permits the continuous production of products and

parts, during periods of slackened buying, in anticipating of future demand. For the same reason, it makes for steady employment of labor. It broadens markets nationally, and even

internationally. As a principal means of introducing improve- ments in design and economies in production and distribution,

it furthers the sound development of industries and helps to open potential markets. On these grounds alone it merits

sympathetic study on the part of every business executive. In

all this, the American Standards Association, which occupies

movement, is performing an indispensable function—making

the key position in the national industrial standardization

for stability, growth, and service. At the time the yearbook went to press the association had approved 166 national industrial standards

and 171 other standardization projects were under

way. Among these are both standards and projects

affecting practically every American industry. The new standards approved during the past year include

important mechanical standards, such as tool holder

shanks and tool post openings. In the electrical field,

m addition to the standard for outlet boxes, there is a new standard of regulations for electric wiring and

apparatus in relation to fire hazard, the code for protection against lightning, the first national standard

for radio, fixing the dimensions governing fit of 4-pin vacuum tube bases, and the arrangement of terminals.

The railroad industry is represented by a new standard

for materials for use in the manufacture of special

track work. Of interest to almost all engineers is the

new standard for symbols for hydraulics, aeronautics,

for electrical quantities, and for telephone and tele- graph use. The new projects initiated during 1929 include such

subjects as annular ball bearing, method of laboratory

sampling and analyses of coal and coke, standardization of Diesel fuel oils, specifications for coal-mine cars and for mine timbering, locomotives for coal mines,

graphical symbols used in radio communication, and

general methods of testing woven textile fabrics.

Approves abrasive wheel safety code.

Following the unanimous approval by the American

Standards Association technical committee on the

abrasive wheel safety code and by the Grinding Wheel

Manufacturers of the United States and Canada, and

the International Association of Industrial Accident

Boards and Commissions, sponsors for the committee,

the revision of the abrasive wheel safety code has been

approved as an American standard by the association.

The purpose of the code is to provide the rules and

specifications necessary to insure safety in the use of

abrasive wheels operating at peripheral speeds exceeding 2,000 feet per minute.

One of the most important changes in the revised

code is that making the use of cast-steel protection

hoods permissible. The code contains sections on

types of protection devices, handling and storages, general machine requirements, protection hoods, work

rests, protection for cup cylinder and sectional ring

hoods, flanges, mounting, speed, and operating rules. It has been the policy of the grinding-wheel manufacturers of the United States to design their machines in accordance with the provisions of the original code. It

is understood that this policy will be continued in connection with the revised code.

Standards for symbols.

A table of symbols for photometry and illumination

has been submitted to letter ballot of the association

for approval as an American standard. The proposed

standard was prepax'ecl by a subcommittee of the general A. S. A. techfiical committee on scientific and engineering symbols and abbreviations which is under the

sponsorship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,

and the Society for the Promotion of Engineering

Education.

A standard on this subject was originally adopted

in 1925. Revision was undertaken at the time of the

organization of the general committee on scientific and

engineering symbols and abbreviations in 1926. One

of the last changes made in the code was the addition

of equations defining the meanings of the symbols.

One of the problems considered by the committee was the use of the symbols “ I ” and “ E ” for illumina-
32 COMMERCIAL STANDARDS MONTHLY JULY, 1930]

tion and luminous intensity, respectively. It was noted

that these symbols are identical with symbols previously recommended for certain electrical quantities.

The subcommittee reported that “ while the general

principle of avoiding the use of the same symbols for

two different quantities is a good one * * * nevertheless, these letters are so well established in this connection, having international recognition as well as national, that it has appeared undesirable to change

the accepted practice.” The standard provides, however, for alternative symbols where confusion may

result. The proposed standard for navigational and topographical symbols has also been submitted for the approval of the American Standards Association and sent

to letter ballot. This standard has also been approved

by the technical committee on scientific and engineering symbols and abbreviations and by the sponsors.

PLATINUM PLATING FOR ANALYTICAL

WEIGHTS

Even Platinum-Plated Weights May Not Be Constant For many years platinum plating was generally

considered a doubtful value for weights. The character of the plating done by different firms differed

widely, fhe platinum coating was likely to be very

porous, and the weights tended to gain excessive

amounts.

Within the past few years there appears to have

been considerable improvement in the general character of platinum plating. In particular, sets of 1- piece weights have shown very satisfactory behavior on boiling in distilled water, and on short-time tests of constancy under good atmospheric conditions.

These improvements induced the National Bureau

of Standards about two years ago to try platinum

plating on some old sets of ordinary analytical weights

that were in need of repair. These weights were of

the usual screw-knob type, and some trouble was ex- perienced because of failure to thoroughly wash out

the cavity under the knob. Such trouble, however,

may be experienced from any kind of electroplating- on weights of this type. Thirteen sets of these weights,

repaired at various times, have been retested during i the past three months. All but three sets had been

in use under fairly good conditions, since the weighing rooms where they were used are separate from the

laboratories. The three unused sets had been kept in

the stock room for about six months.

Changes recorded.

The unused sets showed no significant changes, the

maximum apparent change being 0.03 mg. There is some doubt as to whether many sets are likely to show

this degree of constancy even under these conditions.

Weights of the sets which had been regularly in use showed a marked tendency to gain. There Avere no

significant losses even in sets which had been used to: such an extent that losses normally would be expected

through Avear. About 30 per cent of the weights

gained nearly or more than 0.1 mg. The two largest

Changes were those of tAvo 100-g weights, one of which

gained 0.4 mg and the other 0.8 mg. These results

do not prove that platinum plating causes a greater

tendency to change than would be caused by plating

Avith other metals, but they do sIioav conclusively that

platinum plating can not be relied on to produce

constant weights. Any plated Aveights, no matter Avhat

plating is used, must be carefully checked for

constancy.

Porosity of the brass, resulting in surface spotting

of many of these Aveights, may account for some of

the tendency to change. Therefore, there is danger

in electroplating old Aveights, especially old lacquered

weights, because they may be made of porous metal.

Moreover, some of the weights tarnished without any

delinite evidence of porosity Avhile some Aveights gained

serious amounts without any evident tarnishing or

spotting. Among the latter was one set that had been

plated at the National Bureau of Standards.

In repairing old sets the advantages of platinum

plating may sometimes outweigh the danger of inconstancy, especially where the weights can he recali- brated often enough to insure the accuracy of the

values used. The experience with these weights sIioavs,

however, that danger of some inconstancy must be

included in the consideration of advantages and dis- advantages.

PLUG AND RING GAGE BLANKS

Industry Adopts Standard Effective July 1 Under date of June 2, 1930, the National Bureau of

Standards announced the success of the Recommended

Commercial Standard for Plain and Thread Plug and

Ring Gage Blanks ; and that, sufficient written accept- ances having been received, the commercial standard

became effective July 1, 1930, for neAV production.

The standard includes details of construction for

plain cylindrical plug gage blanks, thread plug gage

blanks, plain ring gage blanks, thread ring gage blanks

of all sizes above 0.059 to and including 4y2 inches di- ameter and the official monogram used to identify such

gages. The recommendation applies to gage blanks

only and does not attempt to set up dimensions or toler- ances for finished gages. The standard was developed by the American Gage

Design Committee as a means for simplification of

gaging practice through the adoption of standard

designs for gage blanks and component parts. While

the committee was given full support and recognition

by the American Standards Association, the War and

NaATy Departments, and the National Screw Thread

Commission, the majority of the Avork was contributed

by the industry itself, many of the country’s largest

industrial units in Aviclelv diversified fields being repre- sented by active membership on the committee.

The committee’s efforts to make available in every

instance the best possible design of gage blank was

materially furthered by the generous action of the

gage manufacturers on the committee, all of whom

offered without reservation to dedicate to public use

their proprietary patent rights on any gage construction the utilization of which might be desired by the

committee.
SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL, AND COMMERCIAL

PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS ISSUED BY THE

national BUREAU of standards

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH

The new Journal describes the bureau’s re- search results in science and technology. The

union of science and its applications in one

journal shortens the lag between discovery

and application.

All engaged in industry and commerce should

have available for current use and permanent

reference, the Bureau of Standards Journal of

Research.

Early in its firSt year the Journal developed a

liSt of paid subscribers double the anticipated

maximum.

This Journal is full of interest to executives

and technicians controlling industries and

commercial enterprises. It enables them bet- ter to promote efficiency by determining the

scientific measured controls ofprocess through

experimental and theoretical research.

TECHNICAL NEWS BULLETIN

The Bureau of Standards periodical with a WAR RECORD! Started during the dark

days of 1917 to keep the Army and Navy and

other branches of the Government informed

of progress in scientific war research at the

bureau. Upon urgent request this publication was continued and expanded to serve the

Government, science, and industry.

The TECHNICAL NEWS BULLETIN will

keep you informed of current progress in the

scientific and technical work of the bureau’s

laboratories, and gives each month a liSt of

the publications of the bureau. A complete

cross index is published with the December

issue.

You can not afford to be without the TECHNICAL NEWS BULLETIN. Every article is short and to the point. The busiest executive can afford the time to read it. Issued monthly

Subscription price, $2.75 per year

COMMERCIAL STANDARDS

MONTHLY

o>- ; Issued monthly

Subscription price, 25 cents per year

STANDARDS YEARBOOK

FOR 1930

This new governmental periodical is a review

of progress in commercial simplification and

standardisation. It is the only journal of its kind. It covers the national movement initiated by President Hoover for the reduction

of needless sizes and varieties of products and

the promotion of voluntary commercial

standardization by industry.

The Secretary of Commerce in the firSt issue

of this new journal said: “Certain Standards,

such as those used for weights and measures,

* * * 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.”

Subscription price, $1 per year

The new Standards Yearbook for 1930 is the

fourth annual issue ofa publication devoted to the great and growing field of standardization

in its broad aspects. It gives a summary of

progress.

Standardization is a world-wide movement.

It covers all industries. It is part of the application of scientific methods to industry. Its achievements are of interest and concern to business men and manufacturers as well as to engineers. To the technician it is full of

example of methods and results of suggeSlive

and Stimulating value. To business men it discloses trends which deeply concern their

interest.

NOW READY Price, 75c. ORDER AT ONCE

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

activity supplemental to others.”

To obtain regularly the above-described monthly periodicals send your order, with remittance, addressed: Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. Foreign prices (countries other

than the United States and its possessions, Canada, Mexico, Newfoundland, Cuba, and Republic of Panama) are: Journal, $3.75; Bulletin, $0.40; Monthly, $1.25; Yearbook, $0.90
“* * * 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, Clarence M. Young, 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,

William L. Cooper, Director. The collection of timely information concerning world market

conditions and openings for American products in foreign countries, through commercial attach4s, 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. 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 airwavs. 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: 19 30