232 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LVI, No. 1443 



THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL CON- 

 FERENCE ON WEIGHTS AND 

 MEASURES 



The Fifteenth Annual Conference on 

 Weights and Measures was held at the Bureau 

 of Standards on May 23 to 26 inclusive. In 

 many respects, it was the most successful con- 

 ference which has so far taken place. 



At the opening session, the absence of Major 

 Louis A. Fischer, formerly chief of the 

 Weights and Measures Division, who died some- 

 what less than a year ago, was felt by prac- 

 tically all those in attendance, and it, there- 

 fore, seemed especially appropriate to devote 

 this session to memorial addresses given by 

 men who had been closely associated with him. 

 The first of these was delivered by Dr. 

 Stratton, director of the bureau, the second by 

 Dr. C. W. Waggoner, of the State Department 

 of Weights and Measures of West Virginia, 

 and the last by Mr. D. J. Moynihan, who 

 spoke on behalf of the manufacturers of weigh- 

 ing and measuring devices. A special com- 

 mittee presented resolutions memorializing 

 Major Fischer. 



Following these addresses and resoluitions, 

 the regular program of the conference was 

 taken up, and reports were made by the dele- 

 gates from the various state departments, ap- 

 proximately two hundred delegates from thiity 

 states being present. 



On the second daj', an interesting paper was 

 delivered by William F. Cluett, chief deputy 

 inspector of weights and measures of Chicago, 

 on the "Enforcement of sales by weight legis- 

 lation and the elimination of the dry measure." 

 The feature of the afternoon session was an 

 address by the Honorable Herbert Hoover, 

 secretary of commerce, in which he emphasized 

 the need for unity of action through organized 

 conferences and established methods, and the 

 importance, not only of the "prevention of 

 crookedness and the catching of crooks"- but 

 also the protection of the honest producer and 

 distributor. 



The program included addresses by Mr. 

 John N. Mackall, chairman of the Maryland 

 State Roads Commission; Mr. Charles H. 

 Ferris, of the National Bottle Manufacturers' 

 Association; George Warner, chief inspector 



of weights and measures of the State of Wis- 

 consin; F. S. Holbrook, of the Bureau of 

 Standards; W. T. White, director of the 

 Bureau of Weights and Measures of the State 

 of New York; A. H. Vestal, chairman of the 

 committee on coinage, weights and measures 

 of the House of Eepresentatives ; Mr. W. B. 

 McGrady, chief of the Bureau of Standards of 

 the State of Pennsylvania; Mr. P. C. Brooks, 

 president of the Scale and Balance Manufac- 

 turers' Association; Mr. J. J. Holwell, com- 

 missioner of the Mayor's Bureau of the City 

 of New York; Mr. John M. Mote, Ohio state 

 inspector of weights and. measures ; Ralph W. 

 Smith, of the Bureau of Standards; and W. L. 

 Egy and L. W. Higbee, of W. and L. E. 

 Gurley. 



Resolutions and thanks were tendered to the 

 Honorable Herbert Hoover, Dr. S. W. Strat- 

 ton and the Honorable A. H. Vestal, for their 

 courtesy in addressing the conference. 



A motion to the effect that the entire ques- 

 tion of ^standardization and simplification, as 

 applied to all phases of weights and measures 

 activities, containers, standards, laws, methods 

 of procedure, etc., be given special considera- 

 tion at the next conference, was passed with- 

 out a dissenting vote. The executive com- 

 mittee was directed by this motion to give spe- 

 cial thought to this subject and arrange for a 

 thorough presentation of the various factors 

 involved so that the matter might be presented 

 to the next conference in its entirety. 



It was also voted that the second day of 

 next year's conference should be devoted to the 

 papers by and the activities of the city and 

 county sealers of weights and measures. 

 The following of&cers were elected : 

 President: Dr. S. W. Stratton, director of the 

 Bureau of Standards. 



First vice-president : Mr. A. H. Webster, com- 

 missioner of weights and measures of the State 

 of New Hampshire. 



Second vice-president: Mr. W. B. McGrady, 

 chief of the Bureau of Standards, State of Penn- 

 sylvania. 



Secretary: Mr. F. S. Holbrook, Bureau of 

 Standards. 



Treasurer: Mr. J. Harry Foley, superintendent 

 of weights and measures. State of New Jersey. 



