STANDARDS WORK

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 285, 31 August 1942, Page 8

STANDARDS WORK

Council’s Report On War Activities While the war has caused much of the normal work of the New Zealand Standards Council to be deferred, the council’s report for 1941-42 shows that its war activities are considerable. Lip to the end of March, 70 war emergency standards had been completed. Of these, 44 relate directly to local production of essential goods. Two examples of savings, taken at random, are milking machine rubberware and bolts and nuts. It is stated that the adoption of a standard specification for The former will save approximately 30 tons, or 25 per cent, of the raw rubber used for this purpose. It is estimated that bolts and nuts made to individual specifications cost 50 to 75 per cent, more tbau the standard lines. A specifications co-ordinalion committee has been set up to deal with emergency standards for essential commodities which now have to be obtained from other than the usual overseas sources. The local standards have to be correlated with those of the supplying countries. Twenty-six of the emergency standards relate to civil defence and the emergency precautions services. These include raid shelter, emergency fire-fighting equipment, firstaid and protection against, flying glass. In Accordance with the economic stabilization policy, states the report, a comprehensive programme of commodity standardization has been undertaken, embracing essential foodstuffs, clothing and household commodities. Emergency standards have, been completed for 15 basic lines of utility footwear and for heels for women's footwear. Work is proceeding on soaps, meat for the retail market, brushware, textiles and clothing and garment sizes. Other projects being pursued relate to regular standards for bricks, pipes and roofing tiles and the New Zealand standard codes of building, plumbing and drainage'bylaws. Among emergency standard projects are those for bread, chemical reagents and certain varieties of paint.