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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. 



We again direct attention to the bills 

 before Congress for the establishment of 

 the National Standardizing Bureau, the 

 functions of which shall consist in the 

 custody of the standards used in scien- 

 tific investigations, engineering and com- 

 merce; the construction, when neces- 

 sary, of such standards, their multiples 

 and submultiples; the testing and cali- 

 bration of such standards and standard 

 measuring apparatus; the solution of 

 problems arising in connection with 

 standards and the determination of 

 physical constants and the properties of 

 materials, when such data are of great 

 importance and are not to be obtained of 

 sufficient accuracy elsewhere. The estab- 

 lishment of a National Physical Labora- 

 tory has been under discussion in this 

 country for almost twenty years, and al- 

 though the urgent need of such an in- 

 stitution has been generally recognized, 

 the spasmodic efforts in that direction 

 have heretofore either lacked sufficient 

 support from those most vitally con- 

 cerned or have not taken into account 

 existing conditions. The bill submitted 

 last spring by the Secretary of the 

 Treasury was evidently framed after 

 most careful consideration of the ques- 

 tion from its legislative as well as from 

 its scientific and technical aspects. It is 

 believed that its scope is as broad as 

 could be reasonably expected at present, 

 even by the scientific interests, and 

 while the bureau is to be placed under 

 a director having, as is proper, full con- 

 trol of its administration, there is also 

 provided a board of visitors, consisting 

 of five members prominent in the vari- 

 ous interests involved, and not in the 

 employ of the Government, the board 

 serving thus in a supervisory capacity, 

 and at the same time eliminating by its 

 high standing, and by its close relation- 

 ship to the technical and scientific bodies 



of the country, the effect of 'political 

 influence' in the administration of the 

 bureau. 



The prospects for favorable action by 

 Congress seem most promising owing t*> 

 the hearty cooperation of all interested, 

 the measure having received the indorse- 

 ment of the National Academy of 

 Sciences, the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, the Ameri- 

 can Physical Society, the American 

 Chemical Society, the American Insti- 

 tute of Electrical Engineers, the Con 

 gress of American Physicians and Sur- 

 geons, the National Electric Light Asso 

 ciation and other prominent organiza- 

 tions. It has also been indorsed by the 

 scientific and technical bureaus of the 

 Government, by institutions of higher 

 learning through members of their scien- 

 tific and engineering faculties, and by 

 manufacturers of scientific apparatus, 

 and it has appealed especially to the 

 electrical fraternity. Although intro- 

 duced towards the close of the last ses- 

 sion, the bill was favorably reported to- 

 the House by the unanimous vote of the 

 Committee on Coinage, Weights and 

 Measures. The Senate bill is now before 

 the Committee on Commerce, which, K 

 is hoped, will repeat the action of the- 

 House Committee. The immediate pas- 

 sage of the measure cannot be too 

 strongly urged, even with due regard to 

 the great volume of other important 

 business awaiting action during the 

 present short session, especially as tha 

 bill could be disposed of in a very short 

 time, containing, as it does, nothing: 

 which could possibly provoke partisan 

 discussion. 



The importance of the National Phys- 

 ical Laboratory is now universally rec- 

 ognized. Germany attributes its won- 



