Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-08

AHeFAcAo menufecturero during the
war had wonderful opportunity to
see the advantages
peace.Time of Standardization
Advanta On. for eficient ana
advantages. economic produc-
ton. distribution and replacement
There are peace-time advantages Of
Standardization equally as important
in the development Of foreign COM
merce and the holding of foreign
trade in certain lines
The federal government is preach
ing the gospel of Standardization,
and is practicing 1t by adopting
STANDARD specifications for materials
to be used by the government de-
partments; federal government
in the interests of American business
are recommending Standardization
as a powerful business getter and
business retainer.
The tremendous task of testing out
all sorts of materials and determine
Ing standards is day-in and day
out. year-in and year-out duty Of
ards, of which the business public. to
whom this work is of direct and
valuable service. is scarcely aware.
But since the war the business in
terests are giving more efncient
consideration to details
Short Cnts of their business and to
short cuts for winning
oousnt' opportunity and regard
in foreign markets. This Is illus
trated by the fact that the editorial
conference Of the New York Business
Publishers Association has arranged
for a session at the bureau. so that
Director Stratton can impress upon
them how the bureau can help and is
helping their particular industries.
AS an example of the scope of the
bureaus work. affecting business.
may be quoted the seven groups Of
related interests which will be given
particular consideration at the ar
ranged session:
/. Chemistry, foods. drugs. paints
and oils.
2. Automotive industries. including
automobiles, aviation and railway
engineering.
8. Publishing, advertising and SELL
ing.
4. Textiles. rubber and leather.
S. Metals and machinery.
6. Engineering, including electrical
and civil.
I. Building and building equip
ment.
A brand-new method of government
augrated when the
Spanish. English Department of Com
merce issued the
Pamphlets. first of a series of
Spanish English pamphlets defining
with scientific accuracy certain gen.
standards for construction materials.
Consider for one second the titanic
Job that lies ahead of rebuilding
Europe and you cannot fail to grasp
the very big advantage that will fol-
low any short out in turning out
maximum production and quality Of
any and all building materials. Com
mercial Attache P. B. Kennedy reports
from London that owing to removal
of restrictions on building operations
there will undoubtedly be great de-
mand for building materials from that
quarter at once. Shippers are warn
ed that they must bear in mind the
British import embargo on certain
articles.
But the promulgation of these
standards was not with any view to
European business. They were de-
signed primarily to get the best of a
neat piece Of German trade trickery.
German specifications were made
available in all South American coun-
tries, where the Huns were making
a drive to monoplize the market. The
South American people who were let
ting a contract would turn to these
Specifications because they were in
disable shape. And these specifca-
tions includedea trick provision which
material. but which the American
manufacturer could not meet except
by every extensive changes in his
plant or equipment.
4
There are sixty-two of the Ameri-
can specifications designed to chal-
lenge the German spec
Challenging ifcations. They are
o.. now published or yet
on the presses. It is
intended to translate all Of these
specifications into French also, with
view to having them promptly
available for the construction COM
panies about to rebuild France and