Standardisation Vital to Dominion Industry

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1075, 12 September 1930, Page 11

Standardisation Vital to Dominion Industry

INDUSTRIALISTS’ MOVE BRITISH STANDARD APPROV ED Special to THE SUN WELLINGTON, Today. The development of New Zealand's manufacturing industries is making the question of standardisation increasingly important, according to the report of the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research, tabled in the House. The report refers to the preliminarysteps taken toward the establishment of a physical standards aboralory. the general scheme of which, together with the setting up of a technical advisory committee, had been approved by Cabinet. “It is proposed to provide standards and equipment for measurements of engineers’ gauges and of electrical apparatus and measuring instruments of various kinds, also for the checking of thermometers and pyrometers, and for the measurement of the candle-power and efficiency of lamps,” states the r€*port. ‘‘At the present time there are no official electrical standards, or standards of temperature or of candlepower in the Dominion, and it is hoped that the new laboratory will fulfil what has now become an urgent demand. STANDARDISATION ' The need for adopting certain Vihases of standardisation in the Dominion has been increasingly felt for some time, and during his recent visit Sir George Julius, Chairman of the | Commonwealth Research Council, emphasised the importance of such measures and the benefits which had been derived from standardisation in Australia. While it is necessary to have some executive body to carry the proi posals into effect, it is fully appreciated that in the case of any particular product or material a request for stanI dardisation must first be made by the industry or industries concerned. It ! is not intended that standards should i be forced on any industry, but that-the , necessary administrative machinery should be set up so that where the •benefit of any particular standard is ; mutually recognised it can be given an ! official status. “An important conference of interested parties was held on July 4, when | a scheme recommending, in general, the adoption of British standards was approved, and a local committee, established to act as a liaison body with overseas standardising associations, was constituted. Modifications of British standards, such as will enable them to be made of greater application in New Zealand, will be brought to the notice of the 3riti»h Engineering Standards Association.”