The Washington herald., 1913-11-23
BIG TASK FOR
DIR. STRATTON
Sets Out to Solve Problem of
Standardizing the
Country.
DISCUSSES BUREAU WORK
Becoming More Important Every Day,
as There Are Many New Things
to Be Measured.
DISCUSSES BUREAU WORK

How to standardize the country Is the
problem which DR.. Samuel Wesley STRAIT
ton. director OF the United States Bu-
reau of Standards. has set out to solve.
Recently. he was in Paris attending the
sessions of the International Committee
on Weights and Measures. OF which he
is q member.
II is not generally known by the pub
lie that an international bureau of
weights and measures Is located in Paris
and that certain instruments to meas
ure the earth's length and mass are kept
there, notably the meter. This meter was
denomina.ed as standard by COM
mittee of scientists as long ago as 1870.
At intervals, usually about once in ten
years. each country sends its copy Of
the standard meter back to Paris for
comparison with the original. That, how
ever, Is merely >for checking purposes.
AS a matter of fact, Dr. Stratton's bu-
reau has arrived at a point where 1t
can duplicate any standard Of length
with perfect exactness.
Bureau Is Independent.
DR.. stratton believes the United States
bureau is now independent of the inter-
national bureau. heN explains. always
have striven to refer standards to some
thing in nature, and now this has been
done with the standard of length This
standard has been determined in light
waves, and IL all the standard meters
ard yards were to be DESTROYED they
could be reproduced accurately by means
Of light waves.
Day by day the work Of the bureau be-
comes more important There are many
new things in this complex twentieth CEN
tury that must be measured. Cement, for
example, was measured by the barrel and
pound until builders learned that one bar
rel of some cement was worth two of an
other. The Bureau of Standards gives
rules for telling the difference before pur-
chase
"Tbe work of the bureau" said DR..
stratton in discussing the subject,
groups itself naturally under four heads.
Standard Of Measurements.
ssFirst of these is the deriving and main
tanning of measurement Of standards. The
standards of mass and length are the
foundation for all. Some Of these we had.
others we had to derive from definition.
which is always difficult There Is the
ohms. as an instance. The ohm Is de-
f,ned to be the electrical resistance of q
column of mercury having definite size.
Second in importance, after securing
ana maintaining standards Of measure
ment, Is the establishment Of standards
Of value. what are termed physical
constants. The horsepower. for one, is
a physical constant. 1t is defined In
terms of scientific units
Physical constants in refrigeration
now occupying our .attention as another
example. To know what a certain
amount of ice viii do in the way of re-
frieeration in q certain time under GER
tain conditions one must know the latent
heat of ice as one physical constant.
That we are determining.
Standards of quality may be set down
as the third head of our activity. Those
who manufacture or use materials that
60 into the construction OF building
or q machine or like coel have definite
uses, are entitled to know what is a
standard. II Is our duty to secure the
definitions.
Fourth in our rough classification OF
the bureaus work may be called stand
ard of regulation. A city. we win say
finds q wide spread complaint against
the quality OF gas furnished by the local
public service corporation. With half
knowiedFe, based on non-oxpert advice.
an ordinance Is passed establishing GER
tain standards Of quality Of gas frrl-
lshcd. These standards may be wholly
wrong. There should be a reference
body, unprejudieed. somewhere, from
which can be drawn accurate knowledge.
The Bursau Of Standards II that body