New-York tribune., 1922-03-12

Government cooperation with in
dustry to effect the Standardization
Of manufactured products as an aid
to reducing the cost Of living is
urged in statement issued by the
American Society of Mechanical En-
gineers. The statement. giving the
results of worldwide survey,
elbows that standardizing bodies
arc at work in fourteen nations.
Advantages of such cooperation, the
engineers point out, would be stabliza
tion of employment and production,
elimination of wastes, mass output
with lower costs, accumulation Of
stock, with prompt deliveries, and i'm
proved methods and equipment, with
resultant cheaper prices to the nations
millions of consumers.
The United States government is
probably the largest purchaser of ma
terials in the world, and the present
time of stress is particularly oppor-
tune for it to use its enormous buying
power in cooperation with industries
to further standardization says the
society's statement prepared by A. A.
Stevenson, of Philadelphia, former
chairman of the American Engineering
Standards Committee. The govern
ment is urged not to permit the work
of Standardization to lag, Japan and
Germany being pointed out as ex-
amples of industrially progressive ma
tions through governmental aid to in
dustry.
advantages Real
"The efforts of the present admi=is-
tration at Washington" according to
tion of the Importance of standardlza-
tion and it's bearing upon industry as
a whole and constitute most slgnlti-
cant development in the relation of the
government and industry" Americas
"unrivaled group of research organl-
cations" is cited by the engineers as
an available inst ,nent of tremendous
value in government cooperation.
1.-The World War has shown us the
need of Standardization along national
lines and the results obtained have
try as whole" the society's statement
continues. "W ould it not be calam-
ity not to profit by the lessons taught
by these experiences, adapting them
to time conditions? The ad
vantages of national standardization
are no less real in the midst OF the
postwar readjustment struggle. The
need for unification of standards is, IN
fact, greater than ever before; for the
manufacturer needs it to obtain maxi
mum production, the distributor to
minimize stock carried, and the con-
sumer to secure articles at the least
possible cost"
Sterilization Of employment and pro
Guction. elimination Of waste, mass
oli 1T with lower costs. accumulation
of stock with prompt deliveries and i'm
proved method and equipment, with re-
sultant cheaper prices to the nations
millions of consumers, are pointed out
as advantages that will fow from gov
ernment participation with industry.
The labor situation would be relieved,
it is asserted, because stabiization Of
production and employment means for
the Producer uninterrupted manufac-
ture from stock during periods of de-
preston.
Standardization work in Japan has
lust been given a great impetus by the
organization of the Japanese Engineer
ing Standards Committee says the
statement. "The main function of this
committee is to serve as bureau for
solving and initiating problems involv-
ing engineering standardization
York Being Pushed
"The committee consists of seventy
members, presided over by the Minis
ter of the Department of Agriculture
and Commerce, acting as president, and
vice-president who is elected or ap-
pointed. The details Of the work are
handled by seven secretaries, who are
engineers Of the government depart