Without a scientific form in these inquiries, by which the results are worked out from their principles, it is impossible to give to that establishment the credit necessary to secure confidence, and make it acceptable.

The accuracy aimed at must be far greater than might at a first glance appear necessary, if that which is indispensable is to be secured with certainty, and proved so fully as to command confidence; thence time, care, and assiduity, cannot be spared in the operation.

Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler-1832

Foreword

The present Handbook supersedes and is a revision of National Bureau of Standards Handbook 26, issued in 1941. The original title is retained. The exhaustion of the stock of copies of Handbook 26 afforded an opportunity to bring the text up-to-date, to take cognizance of recent trends in the organization of State activities, and to incorporate some new material.

Copies of the manuscript of the revision were made available for technical and editorial review to the members of the Weights and Measures Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Bureau of Standards. This Committee, as constituted at that time, included P. C. Brinkley, Commissioner, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Immigration; R. E. Meek, Director, Division of Weights and Measures, Indiana State Board of Health; E. C. Westwood, City Sealer of Weights and Measures, Salt Lake City, Utah; Dr. L. J. Gordon, Director, Weights and Measures Research Center, Denison University, Granville, Ohio; L. T. Gustafson, General Sales Engineer, Creamery Package Manufacturing Company; and J. E. Moss, Consultant, American Petroleum Institute. The Committee recommended unanimously that the document be published.

In order that the 46th National Conference on Weights and Measures might be permitted to take official action with respect to the Handbook prior to its publication, the Conference Chairman, Mr. R. E. Meek, assumed the responsibility of reading the material with the viewpoint of the Conference in mind. His conclusions were presented to the Executive Committee, and, as a result, that Committee recommended Conference adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas, there has been prepared by Ralph W. Smith of the Office of Weights and Measures, National Bureau of Standards, the manuscript of a revision to NBS Handbook 26, "Weights and Measures Administration"; and

Whereas, the original version of Handbook 26 has become a standard text in this field; and

Whereas, the Chairman of the 46th National Conference on Weights and Measures has carefully read

and studied the manuscript and has formally recommended both its contents and its publication: Therefore, be it

Resolved, That this 46th National Conference on Weights and Measures urge the publication of the Handbook by the National Bureau of Standards and authorize the printing on the title page of the legend "Recommended by the National Conference on Weights and Measures"; and be it further

Resolved, That the principles set forth in the revision to Handbook 26 are recommended by the Conference to all weights and measures officials and legislative bodies of States, counties, and cities.

This motion was adopted unanimously by the 46th National Conference on Weights and Measures; accordingly, the principles set forth in the text assume the status of formal recommendations of that body of State and local weights and measures officials.

This Handbook is, therefore, a recommendation to agencies and individuals interested in setting up weights and measures supervision in a State or subdivision thereof, or concerned with strengthening such supervision where it now exists. The Handbook presents a comprehensive picture of what an effective weights and measures program should embrace. The Handbook should be useful as a training manual for new weights and measures officials and as a manual for review training for experienced officials, in the field of fundamental principles and general procedures.

This publication is issued by the Bureau in partial discharge of its statutory function of "cooperation with the States in securing uniformity in weights and measures laws and methods of inspection."

Major credit for carrying out the revision goes to Ralph W. Smith, Consultant to the Office of Weights and Measures of the National Bureau of Standards. In addition, important contributions to the work were made by M. W. Jensen, Chief of the Office of Weights and Measures, and by W. S. Bussey, Executive Secretary of the National Conference on Weights and Measures and Assistant to the Director for Weights and Measures Administration.

A. V. ASTIN, Director.