ON STANDARDISATION IN BRITISH ENGINEERING PRACTICE. 841 



in Scotland, Mi". John Strain, and I was gradually led, both on general 

 lines as well as by particular instances, to suggest in January 1901 to 

 the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers that a Comuiittee be 

 appointed to consider forthwith the advisability of standardising in the 

 first instance various kinds of iron and steel sections. My motion was 

 carried, and the original Committee consisted of seven members — viz;, 

 Sir Benjamin Baker, Sir Frederick Bramvvell, Sir Douglas Fox, Mr. 

 J'ames Mansergh, Professor Unwin, Mr. J. A. McDonald, and myself, 

 all of whom were Members of Council of the Institution of Civil Engi- 

 neers. At their first meeting, in February 1901, the late Mr. James 

 Mansergh, who was then President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 

 was appointed Chairman, which post he occupied till his lamented death 

 in 1905, and Dr. Tudsbery, Secretary of the Institution, was nominated 

 as Hon. Secretary. 



It was decided at this Meeting to recommend that the Council of tlio 

 Institution of Civil Engineers should not attempt to deal with so far- 

 reaching a matter alone, but that the Institution should approach the 

 Councils of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Institution of 

 Naval Architects, and the Iron and Steel Institute, inviting them to 

 nominate members on the Committee. This invitation was accepted, and 

 the Committee thus constituted met for the iirst time in April 1901. 

 Mr. Leslie Robertson was appointed as Secretary, and to his indefatigable 

 exertions the movement is very greatly indebted. 



At a later date it was decided to enlarge the reference to the Com- 

 mittee, and the Institution of Electrical Engineers was invited to co- 

 operate with the other four Institutions, which invitation they accepted. 

 Thus constituted, and supported by the five leading Technical Institu- 

 tions, the organisation has gradually grown from one Committee with 

 seven original members till at present it numbers thirty-six Committees 

 with about 260 Members, and the number of subjects already dealt with 

 has increased from the original matter of the standardisation of iron and 

 steel sections to no less than thirty different subjects, entailing the pre- 

 paration of about seventy-five different Specifications and Reports. 



The whole work is controlled by what is known as the Main Com- 

 mittee, which is composed of the representatives of the five Institutions 

 referred to above, and to this Committee falls the entire organisation of 

 the work, the raising of the necessary funds, the controlling of the 

 expenditure, the ai-ranging of the subjects to be dealt with by the various 

 Sectional and Sub-Committees, and the passing of all Reports prior to 

 publication. 



Under the Main Committee there are twelve Sectional Conmiitteea 

 appointed by the Main Committee, and twenty- four Sub- Committees 

 appointed by the Sectional Committees. 



In the initial stages the funds necessary for carrying on the work 

 were supplied entirely by the supporting Institutions ; but it was recog- 

 nised at an early date that the support and countenance of His Majesty's 

 Government would be invaluable to the movement, and also that the 

 \ arious Government Departments, who were large users of the materials 

 for which standards were being drawn up, should be asked to support the 

 Committee by nominating representatives to assist in their deliberations, 

 and to arrange for the adoption of the Committee's standards when issued. 

 With this object the Committee approached His Majesty's Government, and 

 at the instance of Mr. Arnold Forster (then Parliamentary Secretary to 



