Abstract :
In many lines of engineering much excellent standardization work had been done before the war; the war emphasized its importance and showed most clearly the need of cooperation to prevent the confusion caused by the promulgation of overlapping standards by independent bodies. During the war the Government Departments coordinated these efforts in certain lines and greatly assisted in unifying them. The American Institute of Electrical Engineers, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Society for Testing Materials, recognizing the value of what had been done, invited the Government Departments of War, Navy and Commerce to appoint representatives to act with them to continue this work. The body so formed is the American Engineering Standards Committee. It has required considerable time to definitely formulate its objects, and to arrange methods for accomplishing them that would be effective without in any way interfering with the many organizations that have been doing such excellent work in this line.
