Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-03


peals 10 his subordinate
..whv don't you ask the Bureau OF Stand
ards?" suggests that Woe saeuen
<aEao YOU know" the chief Lecoq replied, you
ara sometimes too clever for anything? What
4. the Bureau OF Stsndsrds9 Are they in the
social register"
sa,ch ignorance seems calamtOus, but prob
al,ly it is not for if poll were to be taken ana
one-tenth of / per cent of the voters could
teu exactly what are the funceions Oh u,s
bureau of the Government the proportion would
he large And yet the work of this division
Of the Department of Commerce touches the
life of every citizen most definitely
When the public utility group of the National
Association of Purchasing Agents recently held
It's annual conference in Washington one OF
the meetings took place at the Bureau OF
Standards There one Of the delegates told
this reporter that he had learned most sur
prising fact; that there was something OF hu-
man interest in standardization
..I believe the average man thinks the Bureau
of Standards is a sort OF cabinet in which
the Government keeps yardstick. a foot rule.
n quart and gallon measure and some weights
which are supposed to be the ones by which
commercial units of length capacity and weight
are checked I know I have always thought
that the name was sort Of synonym for drab
naonotony-something like procession of old
model cars a diet Of spinach. It's nothing
Of the sort There's more variety and more
color in Standardization than in the average
musical comedy, but didn't know it until our
viSkas to some of the laboratories of the bureau
showed that we have but little idea of what
In being done for and for eur families by
this particular department"
At the dinner celebrating the twenty-fifth
anniversary Of the founding OF the bureau
Senator Howell of Nebraska, in impaSsioned
address, called upon the bureau to proceed at
once to the standardization Of prices. with par
AfNaalar rafor To fI1roo vrTni for
receives for his products. Senator Howell I'M
doubtedly spoke humorously but he most GER
teinly accented the fact that were it possible
TO lay down set Of standards for any con-
ceivable attribute Of the days work the Bureau
Of Standards could be depended upon to pro-
mitigate plan which would Work-and work
30 the ultimate good of all concerned
Some of the standards those
OF length-seem fantastic TO the layman who
think OF length and distance in terms of inches
feet or miles An instrument has been devised
which Is so sensitive that il registers q move
ment of one-millionth part of an inch
something beyond the comprehension of the
most yividly imaginative. This ultramicrom-
eter, says of the bureaus documents
rs too sensitive for any known use. but its
principle Is being successfully used in testing
gauges to a miliionth part Of an inch"
suggestion has been made that this instru
naent be utilized in checking up the tape meas
uFes used 10 determine the length Of fish
e@ught by President Hoovers guests up In the
Rapidan country.
president HOOVER incidentally. has AL
ways had an intense interest In the ac-
Invites Of the Bureau Of Standards since long
before the day it came under his direct super
vision -as Secretary Of Commerce. He has seen
what It's work can be made 10 mean to the
pablsc At large, and he has done everything In
his power 10 build up its effectiveness and 10
make Congress understand the necessity for
enough funds 10 sustain its efficiency.
Originally q part Of the Treasury Depart
naent, the bureau transferred to the De-
partment OF Commerce and Labor (now the
Department Of Commerce) In 1908 It's first
director was DR. Samuel w. Stratton now
president of the Massachusetts, Institute Of
Technology; and for more than 20 years he de-
voted his untiring energy and great ability TO
the upbuiiding Of an Institution which TODAY
stands well toward the hrst in the world
among national bureaus devoted to the tech
nical problems of science and industry
In 1928 DR.. Stratton succeeded by DR.
George K. Burgess, long member of the btl-
reau staff who has continued the work with
remarkable success Under these two admin
istrators the bureau has grown from a small
organization of IA members housed in tenn.
p0rary quarters, to the great university like co.
lection of 20-odd buildings on a site of 43
acres where more than ], 100 trained scientists,
their associates and clerical force carry on the
work which annually saves the consumer of
every conceivable product entering into daily
economics good many hundred times the CT St
Of the bureau to the tax-paying public.
Curiousiy, though, but little outside knoWl-
edge of this work exists Your research worker
Is not an advertiser. He is content to dig for
facts When he comes upon some spectas ular
discovery, something which appeals to the pop
uar imagination, the story gets into the news
papers and is a source of wonderment But
the routine work the setting of standards of