Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-22
STANDARDiZiNG BUREAU
BOARD OF VISITORS TO MEET TO
CONSIDER A SITE.
Tract in Northwest Section of the
District to he SeIected-In-
terest in the Work.

The beard of visitors of the national bu-
feaE OF standards was called to meet in
this city tomorrow. and it is expected that
the meeting will be held at the building oc-
cupied by the coast and geodettc survey.
The offices of the bureau of standards are
located in that building. and are presided
over by Prof. Samuel w. Stratton, the d.
rector. The meeting has been called for
the purpose OF passing upon proposed sites
for the laboratory of the bureau, and It Is
the understanding that site will be select
ed so that arrangements may go forward
toward commencing work on the new build
ing.
The visiting committee of five members
was appointed by Secretary Gage on the
mrs. OIL TINS fiscal year, and its members
are as follows: DIR. H. S. Pritchett. pres
ident of the Massachusetts School of Tech
nology; DR.. Ira Remsen of Johns HOPKINS
University, Elihu Thompson Of Boston, Ed
waro l.. nichols OF Cornell University and
Albert L. Colby of Pennsylvania The law
requires the members of the board to serve
without compensation, except their actual
travelling expenses. One member of the
committee will retire each year. and there
after MS successor will serve a term of
i've years.
Seeking a Site.
frof Stratton. Secretary Gage and the
treasury officials Interested have been en-
gagged for several months in looking over
proposed sites for the laboratory. They have
oae,s from ten or fifteen people of tracts of
ANU containing from five to twenty acres
Ii mas been decided to secure a tract in the
northwest portion of the District 1t is
Desired to have about eight or ten acres of
sIouId' IL Is understood that real estate
owners ana dealers have made some de-
slraDe offers to the officials of the bureau
congress appropriated $4,000 for the pur-
chase OF site. 1t also appropriated $780,
w toward the erection Of a laboratory the
iS M To cox Ixl.l
Inc remainder of the money will be appro-
prlated at the coming session Of Congress.
me plans for the new building are In
course Of preparation by the supervising
architects office, but have not been def.
nIteiy passed upon. The interior of the
laboratory will be given most attention,
and II Is that upon which the architects
omce Is now at work Later consideration
Will be given to the exterior work.
Prof. Stratton recently sent a man abroad
iof the purpose Of inspecting foreign iabora-
tories, and another employee Of the bureau Is
making similar trip through this country
Prof Stratton himself has made a number
Of trips. 1t Is his intention to make the
bureau the most complete Of It's kind In the
world The building may not be the largest
but the bureau itself will equal that of anv
country.
interest in the Bureau.
Professor Stratton stated to a Star re-
porter today that the work Of the bureau
Is attracting attention in all directions and
that many Inquiries are coming In. Under
the law the bureau is to make all compari-
sons, Celebrations, tests or investigations
for the government or for the state govern
meTfts free of charge, but for Others a fee
Is to be charged. A schedule of fees has
been made up. Few of the states give any
attention to the matter of standards and
the trouble everywhere Is that every CITY
and town has standards secured from pri-
vate concerns. The large cities of the coun-
try are said to be sadly in need of absolute
uniformity In Standards and some of them
are already In correspondence with the bu-
reau of standards with the object Of set
ting themselves right. The sealer Of weights
and measures of Chicago is going to make
some purchases OF instruments in a short
time and before doing 50 is going to secure
the advice and assistance of the bureau,
Professor Stratton states that the careless
ness In important matters Of this kind in
the large cities Is astonishingly absurd
Chicago Is no worse than any other city,
out her sealer wants to put himself In
touch with the most scientific methods and
secure standards that can be followed in
the future without question
Among employees Of the bureau the feel
ing Is strong that Congress will adopt the
metric system at its next session and that
this Will fix system that will do away
with all confusion in the future.