The Coolidge examiner., 1933-01-27
Our Government
How 1t Operates
BUREAU OF STANDARDS
BY William Bruckart

oOhldu luSlllullOU, the WOUueT
Of wonders and storehouse of the
interesting, was asked by a tourist
on an occasion what the purpose of
the institution was. His reply epito-
mized the place in these words: ut
shows what people have done"
l am indebted to him, therefore,
for the thought that the bureau of
standards shows what people are
! doing. And there can be no more
accurate description, albeit: to state
fully its meaning and to comprehend
its scope 1t must be expanded and
expanded until ones mental proc
esses grow foggy.
Some years ago, a friend Of mine
who has devoted many years to the
public service as an expert in the
bureau of standards, invited me to
ride in his car to my destination
| at another point in the city. Upon
entering his automobile / was sur
prised to find veritable battery Of
taxicab meters operating in the ton
| neau Of the machine. His explana-
tion Of their presence may be used
to illustrate the type Of work per-
formed by the bureau:
"We never have known whether
taxi meters are accurate. In other
words, we have been unable to say
positively whether persons hiring
taxicabs are cheated by the ma
chimes that register the fare. By in
stalling these meters and using this
car normally, we get a test of them
under all sorts of conditions Of op-
GRAFTON. The speedOmeter on the
car Is tested regularly so that we
can check against 1t. We will know
in about two months whether any
or all of these meters give the pub
lie a square deal"
Such is one phase of the work
done at the bureau of standards
and all of it has it's end and aim,
the making of this a better world
in which to live. It's accomplish
ments in this direction are endless,
because those scientists are tireless
in their pursuit of knowledge.
1t will be impossible in a brief
space to set out even a small por-
ton or outline of the work done in
the bureau, a place that to my hum
BILE mind contains more thrills than
ever have been concentrated under
one roof anywhere else In the world.
But when one recalls that by per-
sistent effort bureau experts have
persuaded scores of commercial
lines to do away with countless
styles and types Of products and to
concentrate on standardized designs,
all as means OF reducing the cost
of the dollars and cents value of
the work accomplished. Take for
example. bolts and nuts. One can
buy them anywhere In this land and
II he calls for a certain type, that
type will be supplied whether Ii Is
manufactured in the city of Pitts
burgh or San Francisco.
Experiments have been carried on
at the bureau for years respecting
the best methods of heating homes
and the best methods for steam pro-
duction, always with the view Of
economical operation In view.
A chemistry division operates one
Of the great laboratories Of the
country. testing, testing, testing.
Thousands of chemicals that reach
the public, ready for economical
use and prepared to meet the every
day needs of one unskilled in han
ding delicate instruments. are bet
ter today because the scientists of
the bureau of standards devoted
many months to experimentation.
Development of the airplane has
brought with 1t many and varied
problems. The bureau has set about
solving them. Some of them are me-
chanical, purely; others deal with
natural forces. That explains why
there is a gigantic wind tunnel in
operation at the bureau. Air Is
forced through at every speed and
at every angle and against propellers
operated with certain horsepower
behind them. The calculations ar
rived at enable engineers to know
what weaknesses to avoid in plane
construction.
And so it is, too, with tests made
of such commonplace things as elec-
trio light bulbs. They are actually
burned out. Tests are made with
flaments of every known substance
used for that purpose, and combina-
tions Of substances are tried. Man.
ufacturers have the direct benefit
of these experiments, of course. but
the ultimate consumer gains event
ually through lower prices on quail
ity products.
Almost constant experiments are
carried on at the bureau with ma
terials used for dyes, dyes for cloth,
colors for paints, for inside and out
side decorative purposes, for metals,
etc. The fastness must be known !;
the condition under which they will
fade are developed conclusively if
they fade at all, and means of cor
recting that weakness are looked