Evening star., 1934-01-11
CONSUMERS PLAN
TEXTILES SET-UP
Federation of Women's
Clubs Told of Movement Aid
ed by Standards Bureau.

A plan to set up consumer stand
ards for textiles, in cooperation with
the Bureau of Standards, was an
nounced today by the General Fedora
ton of Womens Clubs, which is hold
ing its annual board meeting here.
The standards would differ from usual
requirements by describing the prop
critics of given article rather than
what the article must be made of and
how it must be made.
For more than a year the fedora
tion has been quietly working with the
Bureau of Standards and tests already
have been made for hose.
DR.. Josephine Peirce. Lima. Ohio,
chairman of the federation'S Commit
tee of Standardization. said today War
ren E. Emley. chief of the division of
fibers and textiles of the bureau, has
assured her of official support.
Dr. Peirce said the plan is for the
women to submit articles to the bureau
for tests and the scientists there will
work out specifications which each
article must meet. The federation then
will accept these specifications and
recommend to the bureau that they be
made commercial standards. Then con-
ferences Of manufacturers would be
called and the specifications presented
to them for adoption. Ultimately, each
manufacturer who conformed to the
standard would have the right to use
a label on his products advertising that
fact.
First Attempt Of Kind.
This is the first time, DIR. Peirce de-
clared, that an attempt has been made
to set up a consumers standard of
quality.
She said the difficulties which here
tofore have stood in the way of such a
plan have been lack of consideration
by consumers Of what standards they
desired, and lack of ways in which some
properties could be measured.
The federation would obviate the first
difficulty by suggesting standards, and
the Bureau of Standards, DR.. Peirce
declared, has agreed to work out meas
uring methods.
During the past year. the bureau has
been devising methods to test hose and
finally has arrived at the proper
methods and specifications, she de-
clared. In order to do this it was
necessary to build a special machine to
test elasticity. The qualities concidered
included elasticity, durability, residence
and faStness of color.
10000 Schools to Close.
In an address before the board Of the
General Federation this morning. Miss
Jessie Gray, president of the National
Education Association, said it is esti-
mated that 10000 schools will be closed
before the end of the present school
year.
She emphasized the serious effect OF
the depression on education and urged
the federation and all lay organizations
to get behind q three-fold program OF
relief.
This program calls for. first, indorse-
ment of the principle of Federal aid to
schools; second, the presentation of
petitions to the President, all admin
istrative officials and members of Con-
gress, asking for help Immediately, and
third, work to develop lay-interest by
the dissemination of information.
Miss Gray stressed the inadequacy
Of the present school system, present.
ing figures to how how its facilities
have decreased and the demands on it
increased during the past seven years
After Miss Gray's address, Mrs.
Josephine Junkin Doggett, director Of
the headquarters office Of research and
club service, reported on her work, and
Miss VeNa Winner, editor Of the Fed
eration's magazine. the Clubwoman.