SECTION II 

 4. TECHNICAL RESEARCH BY TRADE ASSOCIATIONS 



By Charles J. Brand* 

 Executive Secretary and Treasurer, The National Fertilizer Association, Washington, D. C. 



ABSTRACT 



Successful research by trade associations should bene- 

 fit both association members and the consumers of the 

 members' products. 



Trade associations use various agencies for conduct- 

 ing research. A large number of associations maintain 

 their own well-equipped, ably staffed laboratories; 

 many use commercial research laboratories; some rely 

 on university fellowships or financial grants to educa- 

 tional institutions; and others obtain the assistance of 

 Government agencies having research facilities, such 

 as the National Bureau of Standards. Many other 

 methods are available and used. 



Among important research projects now being carried 

 on by trade associations and, according to a recent 

 survey, in the order mentioned as to frequency, arc the 

 search for additional sources of supply of standard 

 materials or for new materials, efforts to improve stand- 

 ard products, investigation of outlets for the industry's 

 products, and search for new products that the in- 

 dustry can successfully manufacture and sell. 



A great variety of useful work has been done. The 

 teclmical research activities of the American Institute 

 of Steel Construction, the National Canners Associa- 

 tion, The National Fertilizer Association, the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers Association, the National 

 Paint, Varnish, and Lacquer Association, and the Na- 

 tional Sand and Gravel Association, are briefly dis- 



cussed, however, as typical examples of the great 

 volume of research being carried on by trade associa- 

 tions. 



A major problem confronting trade association 

 technical research is that of financing. Unless imme- 

 diate practical results permit prompt returns to the 

 industry, interest in research projects wanes and financ- 

 ing becomes increasingly difficult. Fundamental re- 

 search is seldom of such a nature that the problem can 

 be quickly solved. Financial arrangements shoidd 

 insure reasonable continuity of research projects for 

 periods sufficiently long to permit complete exploration 

 of the possibilities involved. It should be financed, 

 whenever possible, from the general funds of the associ- 

 ation in order that all members may have equal rights 

 in the results. 



The results of trade association research should be 

 made available to the members and the public as 

 rapidly and completely as the definite findings warrant. 

 Statistical valuation of the results obtained is not 

 possible, but a great amount of benefit to the public at 

 large has been obtained. The special equipment and 

 trained personnel of trade association research organiza- 

 tions will be quickly and efficiently available to serve 

 the people in any national emergency. 



•Mr. Fred S. Lodee, technical staff assistant of tlie association, has rendered valu- 

 able assistance in the collection and preparation of material. 



Technical research is undertaken for the purpose of 

 producing new or better articles of commerce, reducing 

 their cost, or finding new raw materials, or new or 

 increased uses for finished products. Trade association 

 technical research, to be of the most value in our na- 

 tional economic program, must, of necessity, produce 

 results beneficial to the public as well as to association 

 members. Naturally, assistance to association mem- 

 bers must be the first objective. Unless members 

 receive some tangible benefit, it is impossible to obtain 

 their continued financial support for research. 



The determination of a trade association to engage 



in technical research is customarily made only after 



careful study and consideration of the many problems 



involved. Each project selected for investigation 



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must be of interest and potential value to each member 

 of the association. Great care must be taken to see 

 that the results to be expected from some particular 

 line of research are not of such character as to benefit 

 only one member of, or a select group in, the associa- 

 tion. Trade associations include member companies 

 that have developed widely varying yet long-established 

 business principles. Executives of these companies 

 range from rule-of-tluimb operators who have risen 

 from the ranks of manual workers to specially trained 

 and highly educated scientists. The opinions and 

 psychologies of men so varied in training and experience 

 arc likely to be very difficult to reconcile initiidly. If 

 technical research is to be maintained, the first necessity, 

 and the ever-present problem before the trade associa- 



