ROSA: SCIENTIFIC WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT 365 



of standard specifications which are used in the purchase and 

 testing of lamps. Formerly lamps were bought by each depart- 

 ment or government establishment separately, without specifica- 

 tions or tests. The prices were relatively high and the quality 

 of the lamps often uncertain or poor. Electric lamps are made 

 by highly specialized technical processes. It is very easy to 

 make lamps that will give light, but difficult to make lamps of 

 high quality. Since government purchases of lamps have been 

 consolidated into large contracts and lamps have been tested 

 according to proper specifications, the prices have been the lowest 

 and the quality of the lamps the highest that the market affords. 

 The ordering of lamps by each department is now a simple 

 routine operation, whereas formerly the separate purchasing 

 of lamps involved dealing with agents of various manufacturers 

 and guessing as to who offered the best values. The systematic 

 testing of lamps by the government not only protects the govern- 

 ment in its purchases, but it protects the public in large measure, 

 for the testing tends to keep up the quality of the entire product, 

 and so benefits the public. The value of this work, which puts 

 the purchase of lamps by the government on a business basis, 

 and protects the manufacturer of a high-grade product as well as 

 the user, is many times the cost of the work. The influence of 

 the government, instead of being hurtful as it formerly was, is 

 thus stimulating and helpful to the industry, tending to raise 

 the quality of the product and to improve business methods. 



The testing of paper for the government is another example 

 of constructive work which puts the government's purchases on 

 a business basis and tends to help the industry instead of degrade 

 it. Formerly the government bought paper in great quantities 

 on incomplete specifications with inadequate tests. Manufac- 

 turers knew^ that they could supply something different from 

 what was specified, and one who was willing to do so had the 

 advantage over one who supplied what was called for. This 

 was an intolerable situation which was corrected when the 

 specifications were made adequate and tests were complete and 

 systematic. 



