318 JOURNAL OF THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES VOL. 11, NO. IS 



HoYT, American Society of Civil Engineers; E. A. Holbrook, American 

 Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers; Milton M. Flanders, 

 American Institute of Electrical Engineers; Harry D. Appleby, American 

 Association of Engineers; H, C. Dickinson, Society of Automotive Engi- 

 neers; William Blum, American Chemical Society; S. Tour, American 

 Society for Steel Treating; and John S. Conway, Washington Society of 

 Engineers. Mr. Watson Davis offered the aid of the scientific column of 

 the Washington Herald, and there was informal discussion by W. H. Bixby^ 

 A. M. Holcombe, and others. 



The meeting adopted a resolution endorsing the general idea of a central 

 engineering organization and requesting the various societies interested to 

 appoint delegates to meet at the call of the chairman of the Mechanical 

 Engineers and draw up a detailed plan for submission to the societies. 



Three societies may be considered available as a nucleus, namely, the 

 Washington Society of Engineers, the local section of the American Associa- 

 tion of Engineers, and the Council of the Federated American Engineering 

 Societies. The last of the three, being a national federation, is less likely 

 to be considered than the other two. The Washington Society of Engineers 

 is the older organization of the remaining two, having been founded in 1905 

 and having at present about 500 members. The American Association of 

 Engineers is a national organization, but is composed of individuals and not 

 constituted by the combination of other organizations or their representa- 

 tives. 



Several of the speakers laid special stress upon the desirability of com- 

 bining scientific, technical and engineering societies into a single federation,, 

 but no definite plan toward this end was presented. 



Among the purposes of the proposed engineering organization would be 

 the provision of a meeting place for the societies, the maintenance of a library 

 for reference books and current periodicals, a central secretarial organization 

 for the routine business of the societies, and the formation of committees 

 to take an active part in civic affairs involving engineering and technical 

 questions. 



notes 



The Washington Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 

 elected the following officers at the annual dinner on June 9: Chairman, 

 L. A. Fischer, of the Bureau of Standards; Vice -Chairman, O. P. Hood, 

 of the Bureau of Mines; Secretary-Treasurer, C. E. Oakes, of the Federal 

 Power Commission. 



The 14th National Conference on Weights and Measures was held at 

 the Bureau of Standards on May 23-26. Among the subjects given special 

 consideration at the meeting were : The sale of bread by weight, the detection 

 of shortages, the weighing of coal, and the testing of pumps for measuring 

 liquids. 



The purchase of additional land near the Connecticut Avenue entrance 

 to the National Zoological Park, provided for in the Sundry Civil Bill for 

 1921, has been completed. The addition to the Park is about 6 acres, mak- 

 ing the total area about 175 acres. 



The Radio Laboratory of the Bureau of Standards is cooperating with 

 the Bureau of Markets of the Department of Agriculture in the establishment 

 of a system of broadcasting market reports by radio. As it is likely that a 



