Evening star., 1936-11-15
ADVICE WELCOMED
Brides and Business Men Get Valuable
Information at Standards Bureau,
With Aid of 10000 Firms.

workmanship every sheet shall be free
from avoidable imperfections in man
ufacture and from defects or blem-
ishes affecting the appearance or
serviceability.
There must be no less than -
threads per inch in the warp and 66
in the filling. The minimum allow.
able weight is as ounces per square
yard. Hens must be inches at each
end or ! inch at one end and 3 inches
at the other. Nor may there be less
than IA stitches to the inch. The
sheets must possess minimum
breaking strength of 10 pounds in
the warp and 10 pounds in the
filling"
Nobody expects the daily shopper
least of all the bewildered little
bride-to remember all these specifi-
cations. Yet if she could purchase a
sheet that complied with such speci-
fications she could be certain of the
excellence of the merchandise and of
getting a fair exchange for her new
husbands dollars.
She has no need to remember these
things. She may, instead, request the
Bureau of Standards to send her
come up to Government specifications
and in short order she will receive
what is known as the willing to- cer-
tify' list. That is, the list contains
the names Of manufacturers who have
expressed their willingness to provide
the public with merchandise that in
every way measures up to the articles
they supply to the Government, that
have been purchased by the Govern
ment in accordance with definite
specifications. Therefore, in buying
the product of the listed manufac-
turer the little bride knows she is
getting as fine a sheet as Uncle Sam
is willing to spend Federal funds to
secure.
This plan, known as the "certifica.
ton plan." has been applied to 460
Federal specifica ations and CONNER
cial standards and more than I8,200
requests for listing have been received
by the bureau from about 10000 firms.
Responsible manufacturers and
trade associations have
been eager and proud to appear on
these certified Government lists and q
cordial reception has been given the
plan by public purchasers, that is
men responsible, for the expenditure of
public funds in Federal, State or
governments who are widely
these guaranteed lists.
SPECIALISTS spent weeks Of time,
~ gave of their skill and experience.
TO insure wise spending Of the tax
money; the little bride may
likewise profit, and without effort, she
IS enabled to purchase on the basis of
real quality and ability to meet service
rather than on superficial
appearance or the persuasive argument
Of the sales clerk
The natural question the woman
shopper will ask is, But how does it
happen that the Government takes the
time and makes the effort to lay down
specifications for such things as wom-
ems shoes, hosiery or articles which in
The ordinary course of events 1t would
not be expected to have a potential
purchasers interest in?"
Such investigations and tests are
made possible by a cooperative
with certain manufac-
turing concerns. with the American
Society for Testing Materials (an
subsidized by manufac-
turers in generaD and with the Amer
Ican Federation of Women's Clubs.
These organizations are interested in
fixing certain standards Of quality for
their own purposes and they offer to
Cooperate with the National Bureau
Of Standards on q basis that proves
profitable and satisfactory to both
agencies. That is, they bear half the
cost Of the experimental work. This is
not paid in actual dollars and cents
but in personnel. These commercial
or club organizations supply what are
known as research associates"
whose salaries are paid by the organ
lzations, and who work In the bureau
laboratories in Washington, reporting
their findings direct to the Bureau of
which Immediately makes
the information public.
Hence, test on stockings, for
example, was made at the direct
request of the American Federation
Of Women's Clubs under this arrange
ment. A test on gasoline was made
under the arrangement for q group
Of gasoline interests and a test on
cement was similarly made with the
American Society for Testing Mate.
rials bearing the expense of the
associates.
The interest Of these non.Federal
agencies Is sometimes purely CONNER
cial, with view to setting commercial
standards or establishing specifics
lions or, as In the case Of the Fed.
grafton of Women's Clubs, the result
IF desire to assist in the Develop
nent Of the industries OF the country.
TN SOME instances the activity of
the Federal bureau is responsible
or improvement in certain products
,ffered for sale in the general mar
Sets. This is not due to any arbi-
rary control exercised by the bureau
,ver the industries of the country,
,ut rather to the system, for any
secured by the bureau