The Washington times., 1914-11-22
NO KNACK REQUIRED.

Grandmothers, one hears. had q
"knack'' for cooking and baking, bu,
grandmothers. too, had their lucky and
unlucky days. The present-day house.
wives need not look to luck. For mod
ern invention, supervised by the Bu-
lreau of Standards. has provided her
with a thermometsr to test her oven.
with exact advice about keeping pro-
visions in refrigerators. with scales to
measure exact quantities in her re-
cipes. with utensils best suited to vari-
GUS purposes.
The Bureau OF Standards shows that
1t only costs ! cent to heat 1900 cubic
feet of air an hour, an ample quantity
for one individual and that consider
ations Of economy, therefore, need not
interfere with the admission of plenty
Of fresh air into a room. It explains
how to place electric lights SO that
they will throw the best light, and
gives scientific instructions on the guam
tity Of moisture that should be found
In the atmosphere OF a house
Science slaps one In the face with
new force after a visit to the. Bureau
or less than a corps Of trained scien-
lists, whom Uncle Sam has thought 1t
necessary to employ to stand on the
side lines of life and to coach people
In the ordinary business OF living.
You may have never seen q gas meter
heard grumblings at one time or an
other about tricks with the meter that
made the bill run over the amount it
should be. 90.
Helps the Individual. 4.
The bureau tells you all about meters,
gas and electrical, and how TO do your
own reading. In addition it tells you
how to care for your kitchen clock SO
It will give exact time. how to see
whether the thermometer which you
offers you an opportunity to buy your
electric bulbs from firms who use the
facilities of the bureau In determining
whether their goods are up to grade
The bureau is working in less obvious
ways to help the individual citizen.
everything which the United States
Government purchases for its own use,
must measure UP to the standard In a
test made by the men at the bureau.
The manufacturers, knowing this, turn
out a fairer product. which not only
meets the requirements Of the Govern
ment purchaser, but which gives the
general buyer a better article.
Again the bureau keeps q vigilant eye
on manufacturing processes and loses
ments or new, devices that shall in
crease the EFFICIENCY Of the plant and
thus reduce the cost OF the product FOR
the purchaser.
To see young scientist bending over
a microscope. carefully noting obserya-
suits Of experiments made with highly
complicated apparatus. doesn't suggest
anything very practical. perhaps, but he
is trying to determine why bronze
l.l, 80 t. Ia
building Of the big aqueduct in Ne =
York, and the result Of his investiga-
tions viii. be sent to the New York au-
thorities who. in turn. will give it to the
contractors in charge of the work.
The Bureau Of Standards has pub
lie utility department with enginees
who may be called upon by State or
municipal boards for expert advice and
assistance. A town or city desiring to
put in a gas or an electric plant. and
finding itself financially unable to Sc
cure the expert engineer that the prof.
ect requires, applies to the public util-
ity section Of this Government bureau,
and gets an engineer to put through the
Job for them.
The Consumers Interest.
Securing an appropriation from Con-
Standards initiated an investigation in
weights and measures. finding out what
laws were necessary and making need
ed recommendations to the State and
city authorities. Since this effort on
the part Of the bureau, forty States
have adopted weights and measures
regulations with inspection service to
insure their observance.
The department, in the words of F. s.
Holbrook, who has been conducting the
Of weights and measures
throughout the United States as the