Evening star., 1918-01-27
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING

ful weekly report IL issued by the
neld ohioes on live stock and meat
trade news. This is issued every
ns sna his report tbs iys
stock and meat situation throughout
the United States.
A monthly report that gives the re
ceipts, shipments and comparisons with
horses. mules. at some sixty Of the
leading live stock markets Of the coun-
try for the preceding month, also Tor
the year and year ago to date. is
issued about the 10th Of each month.
officials of the bureau. by the making
public of these daily. weekly and
monthly. as well as other contemplated
reports, hopes to bring about greater
equalization In the marketing of live
stock, and at the same time greater
sterilization of live stock and meat
prices Thousands Of people are get
ting these reports daily now and are
said to find them very helpful In their
buying or selling of live stock or meat
other services of the department which
go to the farmers and tell them OF
conditions and tho storm warnings
issued to farmers and others by the
weather bureau.
There seems to be a good deal Of ignor-
ance concerning the appearance OF radfum.
and many inquiries are
No+uro ~ made monthly to officials
Of the geological survey
hadlum. about It, many evidently
prompted by carelessly written stories that
tell of remarkable finds OF nearly pure
radium
Radium IL a metal and has white
metallic luster: It has been isolated only
once or twice. and few people have seen
it, Radiurn Is ordinarily obtained In the
form of salts and is usually so sold and
used These salts are all white or nearly
white substances whose appearance is no
more remarkable than that OF common
salt or baking powder. Radium is found
in nature in quantities so exceedingly
small that It is never visible even when
the material Is examined with power
full microscope Ordinarily rae'um az .-oiy ore
Of radium to a ton Of material, and
radium will never be found in large masses
because 1t Is formed by the decay OF
uranium. process that is wonder1ully
slow, and radium itself decays and changes
into other elements SO rapidly that 1t Is
Impossible for 1t to accumulate naturally
in visible masses. Radium ana rad1um
minerals are not generally luninescent.
purities present, which the radiations
from the radium cause to give light.
Minerals that carry radfum are fairly
easy to determine, for they affect photo
light, and they can also be identified by
their effect upon an electroscope.
It is perfectly obvious. even to one
unfamiliar with the subjects, that the
m a ntenance
s+andarde Rureau on the part
of the gov
and Its War Work. ernm e Mt Of
correct standards calls for continuous
scientific and technical investigations
of the highest grade, involving the
most expert services and the best SCI
entific equipment. When this is ac-
complished there still remains the seri-
Gus problem of making the results
available and useful to the public. 1t
is this sort of work that is being car
ried on daily and hourly by the experts
of the bureau of standards. Just at
this time almost the entire force OF
the bureau is busy on, scientific re-
search in connection with war work.
The bureau compares with Its own
standards of measurement the stand.
ards of measuring Instruments OF
states cities. scientific laboratories.
ers, government bureaus or the public.
for which a nominal fee is charged. ex-
cent in the case of the national and
state government institutions.
these standards or their
use, whether 1t be in connection with
the enactment of laws, regulations or
concerning the weights and
nection With precision standards used
in scientific work and the industries.
They give advice upon request to state
and city officials, public service COM
missions and public utility corpora
tions regarding the standard of meas
urement or quality or performance in
volved in legislation or regulation per-
to the public utilities. Many
questions of disagreement between the
public and utility companies as to these
matters are referred to officials Of the
bureau for advice or adjustment, often
avoiding unfair or inconsistent regu-
la tions. as well as long-drawn-out and
expensive litigation. The officials of
there is a great need on the part OF the
public for unbiased and reliable infor-
nation pertaining to the standards en-
tering into the regulation and sale of
the services of public utilities. AS far
as possible such information is given
in the forr, of publications upon def
mite subjects.
1t must not be inferred that the bu-
reau's activities are devoted principally
to the interests of the user or consrrn-
err. The fundamental facts regarding
standards of measurement quality or
performance are the very things which
most deeply concern manufacturers;
they are fundamentally concerned
either directly or indirectly. with the
Improvement of methods of production
or the quality Of the output. 1t may be
what the same position with respect to
the manufacturing interests of the
country that the bureaus of the De-
partment of Agriculture do to the farm
ers of the country. Many industries
are just beginning to realize the i'm
portance of precise methods of meas
urement and scientific Investigation.
which. in practically every case. involve
some kind of measurement.
1t is cantended by the officials that
it is upon the quality as well as upon
price that competition must finally de-
pend. whethep in domestic or foreign
commerce. The use of exact methods
and scientific results is the greatest
factor. it is .contended. in the improve
ment of quality. efficiency or the devel-
opment of new industries. The educa-
tional value of the bureaus work in
this respect Is almost entirely unknown
to the general public. and yet the bu-
reau receives hundreds of letters. as
well as many personal visits from
seeking information as
to standards of measurement, how to
use them, how to measure the proper
ties of materials, or as to the funda-
mental physical and chemical principles |