Am.  jour.  Pharm.  i      International  Standardization.  137 
February,  1918.  >  xj/ 
seeking  to  secure  the  fullest  possible  measure  of  harmony  even  to  a 
fair  degree  of  detail  in  the  standards  and  practice  of  the  respective 
countries,  quite  apart  from  the  question  of  fundamentals. 
In  brief  then,  our  argument  is  that  there  is  need  of  national 
standards  where  no  standards  exist,  and  of  international  stand- 
ards where  the  separate  countries  have  their  own  independent 
systems.  In  the  present  condition  of  industry,  standards  must  be 
determined  by  practical  men  used  to  mass  production  or  large-scale 
construction,  working  in  cooperation  with  scientific  men  skilled  in 
precise  measurement,  systematic  research,  and  logical  methods. 
Now  to  the  so-called  practical  man  of  intelligence,  and  especially 
to  the  trained  engineer,  metric  units  whether  used  or  not  are  at 
least  familiar,  and  the  advantage  of  exact  definition  to  which  they 
lend  themselves,  if  not  apparent,  can  be  explained  without  difficulty. 
Consequently,  it  is  most  reasonable  to  ask  that  where  manufacturers 
or  others  are  formulating  standards,  that  these  be  defined  in  the 
metric  system,  first,  on  the  score  of  exactness  of  scientific  statement; 
second,  because  of  the  wide  range  of  the  units  of  the  system,  and 
third,  because  American  standards  thus  defined  will  be  understood 
by  the  world  at  large. 
As  soon  as  all  the  materials  of  the  world's  industries  are  defined 
and  measured  in  one  and  the  same  units,  there  will  be  an  advance 
towards  a  more  general  standardization,  and  world's  standards  soon 
will  be  evolved.  With  international  standards  duly  established,  a 
manufacturer  could  then  produce  for  a  foreign  market  without  any 
special  changes  of  equipment  or  of  types  of  product,  and  at  the 
same  time  any  surplus  over  that  required  for  home  consumption 
could  be  more  readily  disposed  of  abroad,  if  made  to  a  standard 
that  would  meet  also  the  requirement  of  distant  nations. 
Likewise  in  the  event  of  a  shortage  of  material  in  a  home  market, 
a  consumer  could  draw  his  supply  from  abroad;  provided  he  knew 
that  the  articles  were  truly  standardized  and  in  useful  sizes  and 
qualities  suited  to  his  needs.  In  other  words,  there  would  be  estab- 
lished a  world  market  for  commodities,  raw  and  finished  products, 
once  there  was  in  universal  use  a  single  set  of  weights  and  measures 
to  determine  quantities  exactly,  and  beyond  the  danger  of  misunder- 
standing. 
It  properly  might  be  asked  here  why  the  metric  system  alone 
can  promote  this  development  of  world  standards  and  world  trade. 
The  answer  is,  that  to-day  it  is  the  only  international  system  and 
