Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-12-15
UNCLE ESAM'S AIDS
SOL Wing PROBLEMS
Experts of Bureau of Standards
Coming Into Close Touch
With People.
SCIENTIFIC WORK OF Value
Governmental Agency, Little Known
in Past, Proving Big Help to Man.
ufacturer, Business Man and
Housewife.

The bure lu of standards is one of
Uncle Sans numerous governmental
agencies with which the great mass
Of people of the country have come
little into touch in the past, but as
manufacturers and business men
throughout the country are coming to
understand the value of applied sci
ence, the work of this bureau is be-
coming of more and more Importance
to the people.
The scope of the bureau is varied,
and not only is it proving a great help
to the manufacturing and business ele-
ments Of this country, but to the
housewife as well.
The bureau has not so long ago
completed an investigation of elec-
tricity and the danger of fatal acci-
dents from electric currents and from
lighting. 1t has worked out the safe,
guards and precautions to be taken
to avoid such accidents. 1t has re
Gently constructed a building contain
ing Sc panels of practical size, com
posed of all kinds of cements and plas
ters, and subjected them to weather
exposure tests to determine the bes
materials obtainabIe for use in build
ing construction. Tests are now beint
made also with full-sized walls to lear1
which construction is the most resist
ing to fire.
Testing Structural Steel.
The bureau has undertaken the test
ing of full-siZed structural steel grid
| ers and columns for buildings ant
bridges. With these tests completes
will come positive knowledge Of th
laws governing these members.
On the recommendation of the bu
reau, congress has provided for tn
important practical work of colo
Standardization, which affects the il
dustries which produce dyestuffs ink:
porcelains, paper and paints. Their
has been no scientific means hereto
fore of specifying color in terms of d
rect measurement.
When it was found that nearly tw
billion dollars In freight rates Wer
being collected on railroad track scale
beyond the capacity Of the instrument
of state and county inspectors
make tests, the bureau obtained frol
congress a special fund to co-operat
with the manufacturers of such scale
with the railroads and with the il
spectors. This was primarily in tt
interest of the shipper, who was es
titled to know from an official sourt
that such scales were accurate. Du
ing one year 68 per cent of the scale
were found to be defective.
Standards for Public Utilities.
Work is proceeding by officials
the bureau on the development of mo
el standards for such things as ele
tricity and gas and for other FORMS
public utilities, to assist the publ
utility commissions, who act for tt
people, in making such service mo
efficient and uniform.
A leadless glaze has been found
experts of the bureau to prevent Il
truly terrible effects of lead poisonil
In pottery works, heretofore e1actil
vast toll in sick and injured.
A very important work which t
bureau has begun to develop with
a short time is the manufacture of G
teal glass from American materia
Heretofore optical glass was exclusiN
ly imported from abroad. These q
only a few Of the many INTEREST,"
things that are going forward by o
of Uncle Sans most interesting /
reauS.