design, and construction of housing projects are briefly discussed below:

Policy and Procedure Bulletins.-A series of standard guides for use in the planning, design, and operation of low-rent housing projects have been established and published in a series of Policy and Procedure Bulletins. These are used by all local authorities participating in the housing program.

Suggested Specifications.-There has been developed, in cooperation with manufacturers and their trade associations, a set of U. S. H. A. Suggested Specifications for use in preparing individual housing project specifications. They simplify and clarify minimum requirements for substantial construction and safeguard against inferior or inappropriate materials and equipment. The use of these specifications saves time and minimizes the danger of omissions and errors which might later necessitate construction "change orders" with consequent additional costs. The extensive use of these specifications by architects and engineers in developing local projects, and their general acceptance by manufacturers, is helping to effect standardization in manufacturing.

Suggested unit plans.-Maximum efficiency, livability, and economy is being achieved through the use of a series of related plans for dwelling units and public space. These plans call for the use of standard sizes of construction materials and equipment used in housing structures. They are based on minimum room and window areas required for comfort and healthful living.

Development cost control.-An index has been developed which fixes cost standards for minimum acceptable construction in various regions of the country. It serves as a yardstick for keeping costs down to reasonable low-rent standards.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

DIVISION OF TESTS AND TECHNICAL CONTROL

The Division of Tests and Technical Control of the United States Government Printing Office tests all materials entering into printing and binding processes, and is engaged in such standardization work and technical research as might be desirable to improve the quality of the products and the materials used by the United States Government Printing Office. This Division is under the direct supervision of the Public Printer. It assists all other divisions of the United States Government Printing Office in obtaining materials which are best suited to the requirements of their processes and aids in the solution of technical problems incident to plant operations. This Division works in close cooperation with the Director of Purchases of the United States Government Printing Office.

The Division of Tests and Technical Control consists of four sections, three of which are production units; (a) Chemical Laboratory Section, where all technical tests are made and technical research is conducted; (b) Ink Section, where all printing, writing, and miscellaneous inks used by the United States Government Printing Office and by other Governmental departments are manufactured; (c) Roller and Glue Section, where press rollers and bindery adhesives are manufactured; (d) Metal Section, where all type-casting metals are remelted and adjusted through chemical analyses to conform with standard formulas.

The Chemical Laboratory Section consists of six units: Paper testing, textile and binding materials, type metals and miscellaneous materials, oils and solvents, inks and color, and general research. Paper.

In accordance with section 3 of the Government Printing Act of 1895 25 the Joint Committee on Printing of the United States Congress fixes standards of paper for the public printing and binding. The Joint Committee on Printing is composed of three Senators, three Representatives and a clerk of the committee.

The Committee on Paper Specifications, of the Joint Committee on Printing, is composed of the Clerk of the Joint Committee on Printing, who serves in the capacity of Chairman; the Chief of Printing and Processing, Work Projects Administration; the Printing Clerk of the Post Office Department; the Inspector of Paper and Material for the Joint Committee on Printing; the Chief of the Paper Section of the National Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce; and three officials of the United States Government Printing Office, namely, the Technical Director, the Director of Purchases, and the Superintendent of Stores and Traffic Manager. This Committee prepares specifications on paper and

25 Jan. 12, 1895, ch. 23, vol. 28, U. S. Stat. L., p. 601.

recommends their adoption to the Joint Committee on Printing of the United States Congress. New developments in paper manufacture and in the printing and binding industries and new requirements of all Governmental departments are considered in the formulation of specifications which are approved by the Joint Committee on Printing before each contract period. As a result, a specification of the United States Government Printing Office for any grade of paper represents the latest development in that particular grade. The Schedule of Paper for the year 1940 specified 82 grades of paper classified under 169 items, furnished by 39 different mills. Included in these purchases are all classes of paper ranging from newsprint to the highest quality of ledger and index paper. All deliveries of paper and envelopes for public printing and binding are tested by the United States Government Printing Office laboratory for compliance with specifications.

The use of specifications is not only beneficial to the United States. Government Printing Office, but also to the paper industry as a whole. In 1928 the United States Government Printing Office conducted a research program to secure complete information concerning the quality of commercial bond and ledger papers for the purpose of establishing quality standards. Paper manufacturers were requested to furnish samples of their regular mill runs of papers. As a result of this work, specifications for six grades each of bond and ledger papers were recommended. The United States Government Printing Office subsequently discarded the most inferior one of these six grades and adopted specifications for use in the purchase of five grades each of bond and ledger papers. These specifications have been revised in the past few years to include chemical requirements regarding acidity and rosin sizing. Such specifications have proven satisfactory to paper manufacturers and the Federal Government, and are in accord with good commercial practice.

Bond and ledger papers are watermarked to show their rag content. This watermark is the eagle from the seal of the United States surmounted by 4 stars to indicate 100 percent rag content, 3 stars 75 percent, 2 stars 50 percent, and 1 star 25 percent rag content. Other bond or ledger papers, composed of wood pulp instead of rag fibers, are not watermarked. These five classes are sufficient to meet the needs of the United States Government Printing Office in bond and ledger papers. One of the primary advantages of the standardization of these papers is the reduction to a minimum of the number of grades which mills need to produce.

In cooperation with the mechanical department of the American Newspaper Publishers Association considerable research on newsprint and news ink was conducted from 1928 to 1933. The results of this work were published in Technical Bulletin No. 18, "Newsprint and News Ink."

The quality of paper and envelopes purchased on Government specifications up to 1925 was determined primarily by the bursting strength test. General dissatisfaction with this test was noted. It was found necessary, therefore, to conduct research to find more specific and definitive tests for the evaluation of paper, which might

Newsprint and News Ink," 86 pp., Technical Bulletin No. 18, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1933.

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be used in revising the specifications for the purchase of this com modity by the United States Government Printing Office. result of this work on bond and ledger papers the folding enduranc test was introduced into the specifications in 1925 and later applied t No. 1 and No. 2 quality kraft papers in 1926 and to kraft envelope in 1929. The kraft paper manufacturers who cooperated in thi work, and jobbers and consumers as well as the National Kraf Manufacturers' Association, showed considerable interest in th standardization of the quality of kraft papers and envelopes.

The question of permanence and durability of paper is receiving increased interest among certain printers concerned with preserving records of special future value. Considerable research in this fiel has been conducted by the paper industry. Since the year 188 approximately 300 articles on this subject have been published i various trade magazines in this and other countries. These article have been abstracted for ready reference in the Government Printing Office Technical Bulletin No. 22."

A new trend in paper testing is the development of laborator methods for paper analysis tending toward correlation with certai printing qualities, in order that printability under given condition may be reasonably predicted before the paper reaches the presses Test methods have been developed by the Division of Tests and Technical Control which provide a basis for forecasting the printing quality of a paper. These test methods have been included in th specifications for most book papers purchased by the United State Government Printing Office. This subject was presented at th annual meeting of the American Pulp and Paper Mill Superin tendents Association in June 1937," and at the annual meetings o the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry in 1932 and 1939 30 reports of these test methods were presented. Printing Inks.

28

No Government standard specifications for printing inks have a yet been developed. The research work on inks has resulted, however in the development of formulas for all printing, addressograph, mim eograph, stamp pad, numbering machine, ruling, and writing ink manufactured by the United States Government Printing Office fo its own use and for that of other governmental departments i Washington, D. C.

Press Rollers and Bindery Adhesives.

Research in the manufacture of composition press rollers, usuall composed of glue and glycerin, has resulted in the use of recentl developed substitutes for glycerin which might at some time be unob tainable due to its diversion to wartime use. The standardization o formulas containing in part such glycerin substitutes has elicited muc

27 "Permanence and Durability of Paper," by Morris S. Kantrowitz, Ernest W. Spence and Robert H. Simmons, Technical Bulletin No. 22, 114 pp., U. S. Government Printin Office, Washington, D. C., 1940.

"Evaluating the Printing Qualifications of Paper," by M. S. Kantrowitz and R. E Simmons, Paper Trade Journal, vol. CV (1), 6 pp., July 1, 1937.

29 "The Bekk Smoothness Tester as an Aid in Studying the Printing Quality of Paper. by B. L. Wehmhoff, R. H. Simmons, and D. H. Boyce, presented at the Annual Meetin of the Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry (T. A. P. P. I.), New York City February 1933, and published in the Paper Trade Journal, Technical Association Section Vol. XCVI (4), p. 36 ff., January 26, 1933.

30 "Paper Quality in Relation to Printing," address presented by R. H. Simmons a annual meeting of T. A. P. P. I. in New York City, February 1939, and published in th Paper Trade Journal, vol. 109 (19), 4 pp., November 9, 1939.

interest on the part of commercial roller makers throughout the United States.

Some roller making firms have adopted procedures, based upon this experience, for the preparation of rollers exhibiting superior quality and longer service than formerly obtainable.

A study was made of adhesives to determine the effectiveness of a high jell-strength glue for bindery use. This resulted in the elimination of two of the three grades of glue formerly purchased, effecting increased efficiency of machine production, and economy in total cost. To reduce the warping of book covers, a special adhesive, nonwarping paste was developed. This paste is now being manufactured by several commercial paste makers in accordance with a formula developed by the Division of Tests and Technical Control.

Type Metal.

Standardization of type metal alloys in the United States Government Printing Office has proven to be a very important problem. After a thorough technical study, standard formulas were adopted for linotype, monotype, stereotype, and electrotype metals. Since type metal alloys deteriorate with each remelting it is necessary to maintain their standard composition by daily analyses and correction of the metals as each of them is returned for remelting. Approximately 12,000,000 pounds of metal are standardized per year. Technical control of type metal has resulted in improvement in the quality of printing, and increased production with the minimum amount of resetting. Longer runs and sharper printing have resulted from this research and standardization of the metal employed for both type forms and stereotype plates.

Electrotyping.

Research by the United States Government Printing Office in electrotyping resulted in the development and installation of improved equipment by the use of which a copper deposit of satisfactory thickness and more uniform quality is obtained. This method and technique of electrotyping has been advantageously used by commercial firms.

Bookbinding.

Research in bookbinding is conducted by the United States Govemment Printing Office in cooperation with the Book Manufacturers' Institute under the research associate plan established by the United States Congress, by which any group or association among the graphic arts industries may place its technical men in the United States Government Printing Office laboratory to conduct research under the supervision of the Public Printer and the Technical Director of the United States Government Printing Office on definite problems agreed upon by the association and the Public Printer.

The value of this cooperative research work was expressed by Mr. E. W. Palmer, president of the Kingsport Press, Kingsport, Tenn., and formerly chairman of the Research Division, Book Manufacturers' Institute, in a report to the Public Printer dated March, 1938, in which he states:

Even the briefest résumé of the work of the Research Associate and the ReSearch Division of The Book Manufacturers' Institute (formerly the Employing Bookbinders of America) must be quite general in scope. Back in 1929, when the position of Research Associate was established in the Government Printing