H.—44a.

existence of such specifications should also greatly facilitate war emergency administration in its various phases, as it will enable the authorities concerned to cite specifications by title and number instead of being required to enter into detailed particulars attendant upon the various phases of administrative activity. The Standards aspect of the war emergency administration will almost certainly become more important in New Zealand, particularly in relation to supplies. Sources of supply of essential materials, equipment, and commodities are undergoing changes which must result in confusion unless the specifications in use in this country are co-ordinated in order to limit their diversity to the practicable minimum. They must also be reconciled, as far as possible, with those in use by the trading interests and users of corresponding goods in those countries which are becoming the new sources of supply of the different groups of commodities. Failure to bring about such co-ordination will make definition and consolidation of orders impossible, and this can result only in prejudicing our position in regard to supplies. Standardization assists War Effort. Standardization activity has been greatly increased in all English-speaking countries in order to bring into being the vastly increased and properly defined production of the most suitable type and quality necessary to satisfy the war emergency needs. During the present war exigency it has been established on the most competent authority that the full application of the principle of standardization is cardinal and basic to the successful prosecution of every phase of the war effort. In this connection it is of interest to note that 150 War Emergency Standards have been received from England and Australia. Some excerpts from reports received from the Standards organization of England, the other Dominions, and the United States of America, quoted hereunder, provide striking evidence of the important contribution which standardization is making towards the effective prosecution of the war : — From Great Britain. " In response to direct requests from industry, the " [British Standards] " Institution has prepared and issued a number of War Emergency Specifications to meet the conditions resulting from the restriction in the supply of materials, and the demands for new and revised standards to meet these contingencies are increasing. " Although war conditions have given an impetus to the development of standards, it must not be assumed that they are only a wartime measure." War Conditions Increase the Necessity for Standards.—" A factor which has contributed to the urgency for standards in distribution arises from the new conditions brought about by the war. The need for conserving stocks and for using available supplies only in those ways which are most likely to give the greatest economic advantage ; the urgency for ensuring that superfluity of choice should give place to informed and regulated purchasing; the need for economy in manufacture, distribution, and consumption ; these immediate requirements all point towards a reduction in the number of types and sizes of a large range of household goods, thus eliminating many redundant sizes and types which add at every stage to the cost to the consumer, and give rise to wasteful methods in production and distribution." From the United States of America. " The Secretary of the Research Institute of America has given his views of the steps which would be taken by America in relation to distribution if that country became involved in war. Among the steps which he suggested the Government would take were the following : — » " (I) Secure all possible reduction in the number of styles, varieties, sizes, colours, finishes, &c., of the several products of the industry in question : " (2) Eliminate styles and varieties of articles that violate the principle of economy in the use of constituent materials. Standardize sizes, lengths, widths, and the like in such a way as to preserve sufficient strength and durability while achieving economies in materials and labour : " (3) Economize in containers by eliminating smaller and odd sizes." Other reports state that the cost of steel has been reduced by 8-8 dollars per ton when rolled in 100-ton lots as compared with 5-ton lots. Two instances arc quoted of the cost per ton rising by 12-95 dollars and 15 dollars respectively where the orders for rolled steel were outside the accepted standard, thereby necessitating production in smaller lots. Summarizing the vital importance of standization, the following passages appear in a further report: — " Under present-day conditions standards have become a key factor in every programme of large-scale production. " The integration of the Government's purchasing programme and industry's manufacturing programme into a smooth flow of production is an enormous undertaking. Shortcomings in the standards which control the products ordered, or in the manufacturers' methods in working to those standards, result in bottle-necks which cut down the flow of goods." The above excerpts are relevant, as the benefits derived from standardization in U.S.A., England, and the other Empire countries are algo obtained in this Dominion in degree to which the New Zealand Standards Institute succeeds in correlating the work of those standards organizations to our commercial and industrial activities here.

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