74 



National Resources Planning Board 



A largo amount of analytiral work for the food 

 industry led to research on ways of improving the 

 marketabihty of oat hulls, then utilized maiidy as a 

 feed material. As a result of this research, the pro- 

 duction of furfural was developed on an industrial scale. 

 The publicity tliat resulted from this development was 

 probably largely responsible for bringing the Miner 

 Laboratories into notice as an agency for industrial 

 research, and since the early 1920's industrial research 

 has increased, until it now constitutes about 80 percent 

 of the activities of the laboratories. 



The plan for conducting research most frequently 

 takes the form of fcllowsliips under which one or more 

 chemists devote their efforts to single or multiple 

 problems of a client in the laboratories of the organiza- 

 tion. In other cases, however, work is carried on in the 

 laboratory of a client having no research department 

 other than the men working wholly under the supervi- 

 sion of the Miner Laboratories. In still other instances 

 the Miner Laboratories' directing group cooperates with 

 the research departments of clients in the planning and 

 directing of research. 



Other Commercial Laboratories 



Many other conimercial consulting laboratories such 

 as the Barrow -Agee Laboratories, Memphis, Tenn.; 

 Gustavus J. Esselen, Inc., Boston, Mass.; Arthur R. 

 Maas Laboratories, Los Angeles, Calif.; Lucius R. 

 I'itkiu, Inc., New York City, N. Y.; Foster D. Snell, 

 Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y.; and Weiss and Downs, New 

 York City, N. Y., are making valuable contributions to 

 industrial progress by conducting important research 

 projects. 



Testing Laboratories 

 Electrical Testing Laboratories 



Electrical Testing Laboratories began in 1896 as the 

 Lamp Testing Bureau of the Association of Edison 

 Illuminating Companies. Its initial activity was the 

 inspection and testing of incandescent lamps for about 

 60 of the light and power companies which were licensees 

 under the Thomas A. Edison patents. Soon, however, 

 the defects in incandescent lamps led to a program of 

 research which has been repeatedly extended as the 

 number or types of lamps has been increased and as 

 electric lighting has grown in importance, until the 

 company's research in the performance of lamps now 

 covers all lamp products made in the L^nited States. 

 Before a standard of candle power was provided by the 

 National Bureau of Standards, Electrical Testing 

 Laboratories maintained one for the electrical industry. 



In 1002 the Lamp Testing Bureau was incorporated; 

 in 1904 the name was changed to Electrical Testing 

 Laboratories, and the business expanded to include 



general electrical testing, chemical testing, mechanical 

 testing, radiometric, and photographic testing. In 

 addition to serving about 30 different industries through 

 general testing work, the company has made tests for 

 engineers and munufaclurers; furnished standards of 

 various types to universities, other laboratories, and to 

 manufacturing organizations; certified to the raanufac- 

 tincrs of numerous electrical products that their j)rod- 

 ucts comply with the specifications of the industry; and 

 carried on research for manufacturers ami promoters. 



The Meter Code, under which all light and i)ower 

 companies buy meters and metering equipment, was 

 written originally at the Electrical Testing LaVjoratories 

 under the joint committee of the Association of Edison 

 Illuminating Companies and the National Electric Light 

 Association. After several revisions, this code now 

 constitutes a national standard by which the utility 

 companies and the meter manufacturers determine the 

 quality and operation of watt-hour meters and associated 

 apparatus. The Electrical Testing Laboratories was 

 also intimately connected with a study of electric 

 cables and the establishment of standard specifications 

 for lead-covered, paper-insulated, high-voltage cable. 

 In 1931 the company began exhaustive tests upon elec- 

 trical appliances. These tests brought to light many 

 defects in the construction of appliances and led indirectly 

 to improvements in them, including better insulation 

 and other safeguards against electrical shock. 



At present the company is engaged in research in the 

 field of fluorescent lighting in order to establish proper 

 specifictitions for operation and design. 



Robert W. Hunt and Company 



Captain Robert W. Hunt, who superintended the 

 building of the experimental Bessemer convertors at 

 Wyandotte, Mich., and directed the first commercial 

 rolling of steel rails at the Cambria Works in 1807, 

 founded the Robert W. Hunt & (\)nipanj' laboratory in 

 1888. It was the result primarily of his conviction of 

 the value of inspections and tests to l)Oth manufacturer 

 and purchaser and of his l)elief thai the testing could be 

 done more efficiently and economically by a company 

 of impartial engineers organized to represent many 

 purchasers. 



At first the work of the laboratory was confined prin- 

 cipally to the inspection of rail steel, but was later 

 expanded to include tests of other railway materials and 

 equipment. As cement and steel came to be used in the 

 building industries, the laboratory's staff and equip- 

 ment were increased to cover the inspection and tests of 

 the new materials. Gradually branch laboratories and 

 oflTices were established in many of the large cities in the 

 United States and in some European countries. 



Although the laboratory has continued to be one 

 primarily for inspection and testing purposes, its chem- 



